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| Caring for your child’s skin |
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- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Caring for your child’s skin Skin is a unique organ. Not only is it the largest organ of the human body, it is the only organ you can actually see, touch and smell. It is probably the least looked after and least thought about organ of the entire human body and, without a doubt, the most neglected.
Yet skin is very important, because the appearance of our skin is intricately connected to our psychological well -being and self-esteem, playing an important role in our ability to socially interact. In reality, without skin there can be no life and with badly damaged or diseases skin there is a reduction in the quality of life.
Baby skin is the best skin we will ever see – it is perfect: supple, flawless, well hydrated, free of blemishes, smooth and untouched by the sun. We don’t think of wrinkles, skin cancer and premature aging when we look at our children’s skin. And more importantly, it has to last a lifetime!
Did you know that children will have received most of their lifetime sun exposure by the time they reach 18? Even though it may be years before the effects of sun exposure become visible, sun damage is cumulative – and irreversible. It is never too early to begin looking after our children’s skin and to teach them about how to look after their skin themselves.
What makes great skin?
This is what we all strive for and the older we get, the more we go in search to try and achieve great skin. The condition of our children’s skin in the future is dependent on several factors:
Keep the skin clean
Sun avoidance
Nutrition and exercise Make sure your child has a healthy diet and eats lots of fresh fruit and vegetables. Eating foods that are rich in zinc will help improve skin and keep it healthy. Foods that contain zinc include meat, fish, whole grains, eggs and soya beans.
Get kids into the habit of drinking lots of water (avoid fizzy drinks).
Exercise regularly.
If you teach your children to follow the simple steps outlined above, they will be grateful to you and the reward will be evident in the years to come. © Tina Aspres 2009
Tina Aspres has been a pharmacist for nearly twenty years. She is a clinical researcher, medical writer and author with a special interest in skin disease and skin health. More importantly, she is a mum to three young children and has experienced the same challenges we all have in bringing up our children and trying to keep them fit and healthy. She is here to offer helpful tips and advice on managing various health problems, and how to help keep a happy and healthy family. Tina is the Author of "All About Kids' 'Skin". The book is a definitive reference guide for parents about the largest organ of the body, SKIN (including HAIR and NAILS). All About Kids’ Skin was written because there was no comprehensive and informative guide to skin that provided information on both healthy skin and how to look after it to maintain it in good condition as well as information on diseased skin and how you can identify and treat the condition. |
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