Modern parents are afraid of the sun. The fear of sun damage, particularly skin cancer, causes parents to slather their children in high potency sunscreens. Unfortunately, these sunscreens work a little too well, as in the case of British 12-year-old Tyler Attril.
Mail Online reports:
By smothering her daughter in factor-50 sun screen she deprived the youngster of vitamin D, which is produced by the body as a reaction to sunlight on the skin.
If left untreated, Tyler could have developed rickets, which causes bowed legs and curvature of the spin…
But experts said Tyler was one of a growing number of children found to be suffering from the condition or associated vitamin deficiencies attributed to a combination of less active modern lifestyles and a tendency to cover up more in the sun.
Tyler struggled in severe pain for years before her problem was eventually diagnosed in November, after tests were carried out to establish why the schoolgirl was struggling to recovery properly from an unrelated operation on her leg.
British health officials now recommend people spend 15 minutes outside during peak sun hours three times a week to prevent vitamin D deficiency, as sunlight is responsible for 90 percent of our vitamin D intake.
As a new mother, my midwives advised me to expose my newborn child the sun each day for five to ten minutes a day. They said it helped prevent jaundice.
I’ve always allowed my children time outside without sunscreen. There have been times when I have admittedly waited to long until applying sunscreen, but as with anything to do with parenting, it’s all about balance.
There’s also the concern that the chemicals in sunscreens may actually cause skin cancer.