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KIDS HEALTH JUNE 2006 What’s Inside: Breath Easy | Women | Kids | Birth to 5 Know all about the skin your child is in Your skin is the largest single organ in your body. Even though you are constantly building new skin cells, you need to take care of the ones that you have. We take our skin for granted! Skin is a very complex organ. It is made up of many layers and includes hair, nails and many glands. Let’s review the functions of the skin, particularly as summer season begins. • The skin functions as the barrier between your body and the outside world. • It protects you against infection. • Through sweat glands, it keeps your body cool. • It helps insulate the body with fat cells. • It holds fluid so you do not become dehydrated. • Melanin protects against ultraviolet damage. • Hair protects and helps clean the air that is inhaled through the nose. • It has the ability to heal itself when it is injured by mobilizing cells and growth factors to build new cells. • Nails help protect the tips of your fingers and toes and help in picking up small objects. Now that we have established how important skin is, how can you protect you and your family? Dry skin is a common problem, causing flaking, itching and scratching. Scratching, although it may help relieve itching, only causes more injury to the skin by removing natural protection, breaking the barrier and allowing bacteria and contaminants to enter. Keeping the skin well moisturized and coated will protect it against excess evaporation and drying, prompting less itching and scratching. Eczema, often called atopic dermatitis interchangeably, is one of the most common and bothersome dry skin conditions. It affects greater than 2% of the population and up to 20% of school-age children. Since eczema is a chronic condition and cannot be “cured,” treatment is focused on relief of symptoms, avoidance of complications such as infection and thickening of the skin. Simple, good skin care with liberal use of emollients is a great first step. Avoiding known irritants will decrease symptoms. Since there is probably some allergic component to eczema, topical hydrocortisone creams as well as other immunosuppressive creams can be used, although side effects can occur if not monitored. Talk to your physician about these newer creams if you are not seeing results with your current skin care program. Cancer and the sun Skin cancer is the most prevalent cancer in our society with more than 1 million new cases annually. Skin cancer is becoming more common in children and accounts for approximately 4% of pediatric malignancies. It is estimated that 90% of all skin cancers are preventable. Excessive sun exposure in childhood is a critical variable. Protecting children from excessive sun exposure, while not curtailing recreation, should be the goal of all caring for children. Overexposure to ultraviolet radiation is a growing health concern for children in our society due to environmental changes and cultural trends. The ozone layer acts as a planetary “sunscreen” reflecting and absorbing ultraviolet radiation. Ozone depletion has resulted in increasing levels of ultraviolet (UV) radiation reaching the Earth’s surface. Between 1983 and 1993, there was a 6% drop in total ozone. It is estimated that for every 1% drop in ozone, there is a 1-5% increase in skin cancer. What you do now will be very important later in life. The UV index can guide parents, teachers and daycare providers on the use of sun protection. In addition to sunscreen lotions for the skin, protective clothing, hats and sunglasses protect children from the harmful UV rays, especially at peak times of the day. You can get more information about the UV index and the readings in your area at the Environmental Protection Agency website at www.epa.gov/sunwise/uvindex.html. Slather it on Sunblock remains one of the mainstays for skin protection. Selection of a sunscreen can be difficult with so many choices available. Here are a few hints: • Anything less than an SPF of 15 is not recommended. • Check the UV index and increase the SPF during higher alert times. • Use a product with both UVA and UVB protection. • Be generous with the lotion. Most parents underutilize sunscreens by not using a liberal amount. The average child should use 1/2 to 1 ounce of sunscreen per application. • Use a waterproof or water resistant product. Waterproof claims indicate that a sunscreen maintains its SPF after two 20-minute water immersions or moderate physical activity. Water resistant claims indicate that a sunscreen maintains its SPF after 80 minutes of water immersion or extreme physical activity. • In warmer weather when there is more sweating or swimming, reapply to be safe every 2 hours. • Try putting on sunscreen before leaving home when your child is naked. This will give the sunscreen a chance to dry on the skin and will avoid missing areas around clothing. • Be careful not to forget certain sites such as the back of the neck, the ears, behind the knees and scalp. In addition to moisturizers and sun protection, good overall nutrition will keep your body and your skin healthy and functioning. Mild non-abrasive soap and good oral hydration will help in the fight against skin breakdown and disease. Keeping nails and hair, all parts of the skin, clean and groomed will avoid the entry of bacteria and subsequent infection. Don’t forget that your skin is the largest single organ in the body and keeping it healthy can help keep the rest of your body healthy, too. Dr. Clyde Wesp is a pediatrician with Southern Orange County Pediatric Associates with offices in Lake Forest, Laguna Hills, Rancho Santa Margarita, Ladera Ranch and San Clemente (Talega) and is affiliated with Saddleback Memorial Medical Center, Mission Hospital and Children’s Hospital of Orange County. He is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the MemorialCare Physician Society. |
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