An independent survey of more than 3,000 mums with daughters aged between 7-14 years conducted on behalf of Australia's leading skincare brand just for girls, Girl Lane, highlights the concerning number of tween girls that prefer to get a tan, than to wear sun protection.
Deborah Williams, Girl Lane co-founder and pharmacist, says "A shocking 10% do not wear sunscreen and prefer to get a tan. Cancer Council Australia figures show that the number of healthier attitudes towards sun safety has improved from 38% to 68% [12 to 17 years]. It is critical we teach our young girls how to prevent damage that the sun can have on their fragile skin."
"Too much exposure to sun in the first 15 years of our lives severely increases our risk of developing skin cancer later in life. Quite often, as a pharmacist, I see families purchase a single sunscreen to be shared within the family. This illustrates the limited ready access our children have to their own sun protection."
A staggering 18% of mothers surveyed believe their daughters do not need special skincare products, and 12% believe there are no suitable products available for their daughter's skin.
"50% of adult sunburns are accidental, from doing activities such as outdoor chores or eating lunch in the park. This would be the same for our tweens. My best advice for this spring and summer is to purchase skincare products that include SPF 50+ and can be taken with them to school or sports, to be reapplied throughout the day."
"SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor and refers to the theoretical amount of time you can spend in in the sun longer than you could without any sun cream on. An SPF of 50 does mean the product contains higher protection from the sun, however, sun protection will always be a multitude of factors," continues Deborah.
"In the upcoming summer school holiday families and children will be spending more and more time outside. As the UV index rises above 3 it is vital that we instil in our youth now to reapply every 2 hours, wear protective clothing and seek shade where possible."
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