Christina DiMaria and her family are gearing up for the summer.
The mother plans on keeping her five-year-old son safe while he has some fun in the sun. "Honestly, I'm a very paranoid mother who wants to make sure he stays safe in the sun; I'd hate for something to happen, especially when he got older, from me being negligent with sunscreen," said DiMaria.
With school out, DiMaria knows her son will want to be outside on a hot summer day. "I try to limit how much time he's out in the sun; I pull him over to the shade and we go elsewhere," said DiMaria.
If you're heading to the pool, the beach, or the lake, it is recommended that you do carry some sunblock, SPF 30 or higher, and make sure you reapply it. "You want to reapply after you wipe or if you feel that it is coming off, you have to reapply, and it's really important to reapply before exposure, so about 15 to 20 minutes, you want to apply the sunscreen before you are actually outside, exposed to the ultraviolet light,” said DiMaria.
It's important, especially with the risk of skin cancer. "The cumulative effect of uv light can cause basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma. We get 80% of the sun exposure that leads to skin cancer before age 18, so starting young is very important,” said Dr. Chambers.
DiMaria knows the importance of sunblock, making sure she has it with her and her child, saying, “you can never be too safe."