Sun care tips for protecting children

Sun care tips for kids | Sun protection advice for children

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Being careful in the sun is more important than ever, as figures show that children and teens in the UK have the highest rates of skin cancer in Europe.

But it's not just on the beach that parents need to be more careful - a survey carried out last year discovered that 1 in 4 British mums and dads don't think there's any need to put sun block on their kids, before they head off to school.

And Nina Goad from the British Association of Dermatologists points out: 'Sunburn as a child can as much as double the chances of skin cancer later in life, so kids need to be protected with sunscreen, clothing and shade when spending time outdoors on sunny days.'

So we talked to Cancer Research for their top 10 tips for protecting kids in the sun.

Read our tips, but first check out these facts about skin cancer...

Skin cancer facts

There are two types of skin cancer: non-melanoma which is very common and melanoma, which is less common, but more serious.
It's estimated that there are around 100,000 cases of skin cancer in the UK each year, and 9,000 of them are melanoma.
Cases of melanoma are 4 times higher than the 1970s
Over the last 25 years, rates of melanoma have gone up more quickly than any other major cancer
Melanoma survival rates are now among the highest for any cancer: 78% of men and 91% of women are alive 5 years after being diagnosed
Around 2,300 people die from skin cancer every year in the UK

By Rob Mansfield