As a nurse, I think about things like “febrile seizures,” or brain damage from fevers, and rush for Acetaminophen or Ibuprofen (popularly consumed as Tylenol® or Motrin®).

But is rushing for one of these items the smartest thing to do? Is it crucial to maintain a normal temperature? And how do you monitor and treat a fever for your child in the best possible way?
 

Signs of Fever

Signs of a high fever include:

• hot dry skin
• temperature above 41 Celsius
  (105.8 Fahrenheit)

Click here for more information about how to spot a fever in children.
 

Fever Research Update

In a Clinical Report put out by the American Academy of Pediatrics in 2011, some important guidelines were outlined based on research studies of general healthy children. The findings of this study included the following:

• Fever is common in children
• Fever is the body’s way of fighting infection
• Some fevers can actually help a child recover faster from viruses
• Fever cannot make an illness worse
• Fever cannot cause long-term neurological problems
• It is rare for high fevers to cause convulsions or comas

Click here for the official research study overview.
 

Treating a Child’s Fever

Taking your child’s temperature
Get a good thermometer and learn how to take your child’s temperature. 

• Tips for Taking a Baby’s Temperature

Maintaining Body Temperature

• Keep the room temperature between 70-74 degrees Fahrenheit
• Dress your child in light cotton pajamas
• If your child has chills, cover with an extra blanket and remove when the chills stop 

Watch Your Child
Observe your child for signs of serious illness. Call your pediatrician with any of the symptoms below and report the temperature as well.

Rest and Hydrate
Make sure your child gets plenty of rest and give your child plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration and help the body cool itself. Good choices for hydration during a fever are: water, clear soups, popsicles and jello.
 

Acetaminophen or Ibuprofen

Look for next week’s post, where I’ll treat you to the latest updates about moms alternating acetaminophen and ibuprofen as fever treatment. The answer may surprise you. In the meantime, thanks for reading.

I have a little monkey of a toddler.

He is 18 months old and climbs EVERYTHING. In particular, he loves to climb up on our couch and watch the world go by outside. He leans on the window and giggles at the squirrels and birds in our yard.

The problem is, toddlers don’t have much in the way of safety awareness!  And my little one is no exception.

Since he’s become so mobile, I’ve had to start keeping the window behind the couch closed when he’s awake, so that he doesn’t push the screen out and accidentally fall out of the window.

Our house is a one-story ranch, so it wouldn’t be far for him to fall if he did accidentally do so, but being the safety-conscious, somewhat paranoid, pediatric rehab nurse mama that I am, I don’t want to take that chance! You see, I had no idea how frequently kids fall out of windows and experience life-threatening trauma as a result until I started working in the Division of Rehabilitative Medicine at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

Most children suffer a traumatic brain injury after a fall from a window. Some tragically die. The highest cause of traumatic brain injury in children ages 0-4 years old is falls.
More information on falls – injury statistics and incidence rates

Even infants will climb sofas as they explore their environment.

Kids Fall Headfirst

Kids are top-heavy by nature because of how they are built. So they usually fall headfirst. The ground below an open window might be grass, it might be bushes, or it might be cement (not exactly a soft landing when falling headfirst).

Parents’ Remorse

Now that I work in “rehab,” the Rehabilitative Medicine Division at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, I have seen and heard grief-stricken parents sharing their remorse over what could have been prevented so easily. Some of the more heartbroken parents are the ones who saw the fall take place and didn’t get there in time. It is heartbreaking to hear them say things like, “I saw it happen, but I couldn’t get to Johnny in time,” or “I grabbed the edge of Susie’s dress, but it wasn’t enough and she slipped out of my grasp and fell.” Parents or other caregivers feel incredibly sad and guilty that they were not able to protect their child.

I see a photo like this and just cringe.

A Reason to Rearrange Your Furniture

I have become aware of how furniture is arranged in our house and the safety levels of each placement as a result of working in our hospital’s rehab department. I’m excited to share that there are some pretty simple ways to try to prevent a fall from a window. Most simply involve rearranging the furniture.

Watch for “Climbable Furniture”

Don’t place “climbable” furniture under a second (or third, or fourth) story window. This includes couches, chairs, and ESPECIALLY a child’s bed. Don’t forget other rooms like dens, offices and sitting areas in bedrooms. Older children will even climb dressers as well.

Close and Lock Windows

If you are forced to place furniture under a window, keep that window closed AND locked when small children are present. If you have a low-to-the-ground window, keep it closed and locked at all times when children are present.

Bars on Windows

Some parents choose to install bars on windows to overcome this safety issue. Barred windows can prevent kids from falling through an open window. However they do not represent a foolproof safety solution because they need to be able to be opened in case of a fire.

Rooms with Accessible Windows

There may be some instances where you simply may not be able to find a simple solution for the accessible windows in your home. In these cases, it will be crucial to provide close supervision when small children are in a room with accessible windows. And be sure to cover this topic with relatives and babysitters who watch your child.

Avoiding Accidents

I hope I’ve helped provide you with a few helpful tips that will help you know what to look for to avoid needless falls from windows. In the meantime, please let me know if you found any problem areas in your home and how you plan to rearrange the furniture to prevent head injuries for your child.

Despite the fact that I am a nurse, it’s still scary when my son runs up to me with blood dripping down his face from a bloody nose.

It can be equally scary for both parent and child to figure out how to make a nosebleed stop. As with most things, remaining calm as a parent is one of the most important things you can do as a first step to helping your child remain calm as well.

And, below, I’d like to share some tips for you regarding prevention and stopping bloody noses at your house.

Why Do Nosebleeds Happen?

Most bloody noses are due to one of the following causes:

• Dry membranes in the nose (dry air, or heated indoor air)
• Frequent nose picking
• Trauma (such as a soccer ball hit to the nose)

SPECIAL NOTE:  If the bloody nose follows an accident or injury to the head then seek medical attention immediately.

Preventing Nosebleeds

• Use a soft tissue when blowing the nose.
• Don’t forcefully blow or pick the nose.
• If you have dry nose membranes, your doctor may recommend the use of a special lubricant or humidifier to moisten the inside of your child’s nose.

Don’t Stop a Nosebleed This Way

• Don’t panic. It is much easier for your child to listen to your instructions if you appear calm.
• NEVER tilt your child’s head back. This will only make the blood flow down the throat to the stomach, or into the lungs. Your child may vomit blood later due to irritation of blood in the stomach.
• Don’t pick the nose after a nosebleed.
• After the bleeding is controlled, do NOT let your child blow the nose or the clot may be released and the bleeding may reoccur.
  

  Do not ask your child to lean back to control a nosebleed. Check below for the correct position.

Stopping a Bloody Nose

Here are the tips to follow:

• Sit up and lean slightly forward.
• Pinch the nose just below the bony part using your thumb and index finger.
• Hold the pinch for NO less than 5-10 minutes straight without looking.
• After 5-10 minutes release the pressure. If the bleeding has not stopped then repeat pinching your child’s nose for another 10 minutes.
• You may also put an ice pack on your child’s nose after the bleeding has stopped to constrict the blood vessels in the nose.
• After the nosebleed has stopped, keep your child’s head above the level of the heart (in other words, don’t take a nap immediately after the nosebleed or lay on the grass – keep them upright, either seated or playing).
  

  Do ask your child to lean forward and pinch their nose to control a nosebleed.

   

  

  This photo shows a close-up of the area on the nose to "pinch" to control a nosebleed.

SPECIAL NOTE:  If your child’s nosebleed does not stop after a second or third try, please seek medical attention immediately.

I hope these tips help. Remember to talk to your doctor if your child is experiencing frequent nosebleeds or if they are difficult to control. In the meantime, let me know if you have any questions by leaving a comment for me below.

Have you ever listened to a song that took you back to the memory of a specific time in your life, reminded you of a special person, made you feel relaxed or gave you energy?

There is definitely a certain power associated with music. Music can bring up emotions, memories, or special connections that link us socially or spiritually. For children, music can be a fun way to learn, relax and get through tough emotional or physical situations. It can help with communication, social skills and with other abilities. In fact, it’s also been shown to reduce stress, which can help keep your immune system healthy.

The idea of using music to heal patients has been around since ancient times. The modern practice of using music in hospitals started after World War I and II when local musicians would travel to Veteran Hospitals to play for soldiers. The music helped lift their spirits and made them feel better. The first official music therapy degree program was offered at Michigan State University in 1944.

Defining Music Therapy

The American Music Therapy Association, founded in 1998, defines music therapy as, “an established health profession in which music is used within a therapeutic relationship to address physical, emotional, cognitive, and social needs of individuals.” There is definitely a healing power associated with music.

Benefits of Music Therapy

Stress Relief and Pain Management

As I mentioned earlier, calm, quiet music can be used to reduce stress and encourage relaxation. It has been documented that the state of relaxation caused by certain types of music can change brain wave patterns. Studies show that calming music can help stabilize blood pressure if listened to before, during and after surgery.

Speech and Language Improvement

Music uses pitch, rhythm and words, which are all part of speech and language. Learning to play instruments can help increase self-esteem and help patients develop hand and finger coordination. Listening to certain types of music can even assist a developing brain. Research has shown that music therapy encourages a type of learning that results in growth in the auditory and motor areas in the brain.

Coping Skills

Goals of music therapy are to make patients feel more at ease and assist them in getting through a traumatic experience. As the American Association of Music Therapy notes, “A therapist can talk with a client, but a qualified music therapist can use music to actively link a client to their psycho-emotional state quickly.”

By doing so, a music therapist is able to help patients improve emotional adjustment, reduce anxiety and depression. Music therapy can help kids cope with loss and grief and help with their communication and social skills.

Overall, music therapy can improve coping abilities, manage pain and help with stressors associated with being a kid in the hospital. 

Music Therapy at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles

At Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, licensed professional music therapists provide musical activities for our patients that include creating, singing, moving to and listening to music. This therapy provides ways for children to communicate and can facilitate rehabilitation.

Registered therapists work on our patient care units, in music workshops and with individual patients to provide diversions and distraction from medical stressors. The therapists and visiting musicians also use music to entertain patients. All these activities help patients deal with the stress that can be associated with illness and hospitalization. At Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, kids can listen to soothing music before medical procedures or surgery to help decrease anxiety.

Music therapy here at Children’s Hospital has been shown to decrease distress by 20 percent and decrease pain by approximately 10 percent. In 2007, there were 933 music therapy sessions provided at Children’s Hospital. In 2010, there were 1,731  sessions and 4,479 sessions in 2011.

For more information about music therapy at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, visit the webpage for The Mark Taper and Johnny Mercer Artists Program. Parents and families can ask their child’s nurse to make a referral for music therapy.

Additionally, those interested in learning more about the music therapy profession can learn more about our expressive arts therapy internship.

It can be very difficult for children using inhalers to coordinate pressing the inhaler and breathing in at the same time.

Using a spacer with an inhaler can help your child get the proper amount of medicine into his or her lungs.

A spacer looks like a round plastic tube that fits on the mouthpiece of your child’s inhaler. Typically, spacers are prescribed by doctors.

Benefits of Using a Spacer

• Helps your child to breathe at his or her own rate
• More medicine gets into the lungs
• Prevents medicine from leaking into the air

How to Properly Use a Spacer

The spacer looks easy to use but there are steps you can take to ensure your child is using it correctly and that it is cleaned properly. They are as follows:

1. Shake the inhaler for several seconds.
2. If this is the first time using this inhaler, prime it as you normally would by pressing down on it and spraying it into the air away from you several times.
3. Insert the mouthpiece of the inhaler snugly into the spacer.
4. Exhale (breathe out) fully through your mouth.
5. Put the spacer in your mouth with your lips and teeth around the mouthpiece.
6. Press down on the inhaler ONE time only.
7. Inhale (breathe in) slowly and deeply for 3 to 5 seconds.
8. Hold your breath for at least 10 seconds.
9. Exhale.
10. Repeat dose as ordered.

Properly Cleaning an Inhaler

The medicine from your inhaler can create a film on your spacer. Over time, this residue can block medicine from getting into your child’s lungs. It is important to properly clean your child’s spacer. Always follow the manufacturer’s cleaning instructions. Below, find some basic cleaning instructions:

• Take the rubber backpiece and mouthpiece of your spacer off the round plastic tube. Take off the mask if you have one.
• Soak all parts for 15-20 minutes in a bowl of lukewarm water and a bit of dishwashing soap.
• Move around in the water very gently.
• Rinse parts thoroughly in warm water.
• Shake out any excess water from all parts and air dry completely.
• Make sure all parts are completely dry before reassembling the spacer.
• Clean your spacer weekly and after any sickness.
• Wipe the mouthpiece and/or mask off after each use.

 If you follow these steps then your child will get more medicine into his/her lungs, and feel better much quicker!

I’m talking about good hand washing.

You may have heard from your doctor and news reports, especially during flu season, just how important it is to wash your hands.

In fact, proper and regular hand-washing can also prevent sicknesses like most types of infectious diarrhea, hepatitis A and meningitis.

However, you only enjoy these benefits if you’re washing your hands correctly. Now, you might be saying to yourself, “Wait a minute. There’s a right and a wrong way to wash my hands?” And the answer is, “Yes, there is!”

But, you’re not alone. Most people don’t know how to effectively wash their hands to prevent the spread of germs. Luckily, it’s easy to learn the proper technique. I’ve put together a video to help both you and your children learn how to wash your hands to help prevent the spread of disease.

Washing Your Hands Correctly

You can read the steps below while you watch. Download the one-page instructions here.

1. Wet your hands with warm water.
2. Apply enough soap to make a really good lather.
3. Rub your hands palm to palm.
4. Rub your palms around your hands.
5. Clean between your fingers by interlocking your fingers and pushing your palms up and down.
6. Rub the back of your fingers on your palms.
7. Rub the tips of your fingers and nails on your palms.
8. Grab your thumb with your other hand and rub in a rotational circle backwards and forwards.
9. Rub around your wrists.
10. Rinse your hands thoroughly.
11. Dry your hands thoroughly with a single paper towel.
12. Use the towel to turn off the water faucet.

Whistle While You Wash

So what do I mean by, “Whistle While You Wash?” To help you and your family remember how long the hand washing process should take, you can whistle or sing the lyrics to the Yankee Doodle song twice. The Happy Birthday song works just as well. The total time spent washing should add up to about 30 seconds.

With everything in life, practice leads to improvement, so be sure to take full advantage of opportunities to rehearse these steps with your children. It will help you to remember the steps and will reinforce them for your kids too. Now, enjoy your clean hands and know you have just done the single most important thing to prevent yourself from getting sick!

Also, don’t forget to get your family immunized for the flu this season. Here are some tips for preparing your kids for a trip to the doctor for shots, which should help make your appointment go that much smoother.

Here are links you can explore to learn more about the importance of hand-washing:

• Center for Disease Control and Prevention—Handwashing
• Henry the Hand – Champion Handwasher
• Global Handwashing Day

For parents, it’s often a shock when their child’s pediatrician returns with a diagnosis of asthma. They can feel overwhelmed because as of yet, asthma cannot be cured. However, parents and children alike should take heart in the knowledge that with preventative measures and appropriate treatment, asthma can be controlled.

Treating Asthma

Many asthma patients do not believe they need to take medications daily if they are feeling OK. The truth is that if your child has asthma, his or her airways are inflamed every day, so the asthma needs to be managed every day. Asthma attacks can be prevented or lessened by avoiding triggers (allergens, pet dander and cigarette smoke) but isn’t always enough. This is why it’s so important to take asthma medication as prescribed by your child’s pediatrician.

Understanding Asthma Medications

There are two approaches to treating asthma: preventing asthma attacks with controller medications and stopping asthma attacks when they occur with a fast-acting inhaler or “rescue” medication.

First, I’ll provide an overview of the types of controller medications that are available for the long-term treatment of asthma. They are intended to minimize attacks and lessen the need for rescue medications.

Controller Medications

These are the most important drugs for most people with asthma. Anti-inflammatory drugs reduce swelling and mucus production in the airways. As a result, airways are less sensitive and less likely to react to triggers. These medications need to be taken daily and may need to be taken for several weeks before they begin to control asthma.

• Controller medications are taken daily and include inhaled corticosteroids (fluticasone (Flovent Diskus, Flovent HFA), budesonide (Pulmicort Flexhaler), mometasone (Asmanex), ciclesonide (Alvesco), flunisolide (Aerobid), beclomethasone (Qvar) and others).
• Combination inhalers contain an inhaled corticosteroid plus a long-acting beta-agonist (LABA). LABAs should never be prescribed as the sole therapy for asthma. Combination medications include fluticasone and salmeterol (Advair Diskus, Advair HFA), budesonide and formoterol (Symbicort) and mometasone and formoterol (Dulera).

• Leukotriene modifiers are oral medications that include montelukast (Singulair), zafirlukast (Accolate) and zileuton (Zyflo, Zyflo CR).

Rescue Medications

Rescue medications are also called quick-relief or fast-acting medications. They work immediately and should be taken when symptoms like chest tightness, difficulty breathing or wheezing occur. Some doctors will prescribe these medicines to be taken before exercise.  The more asthma is controlled, the less “rescue” meds will be needed. 

If you need rescue meds more than twice a week, talk to your doctor about getting on a controller. 

Short-acting beta-agonists (SABAs) like albuterol, are used to quickly open the airways and relieve  symptoms during asthma “attacks.” For more information, check out this recommended reference site for asthma medications.

Staying Healthy

Work closely with your child’s pediatrician and specialist so that both you and your child will be better informed about how to manage asthma on a daily basis. Helping your child to remember to take their medication is a great step forward in teaching them how to manage their asthma as an adult.

Learn more about The Division of Clinical Immunology and Allergy at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

Anaphylaxis

My daughter told me during a phone call that she wasn’t feeling well. She was away at college and told me there had been sandwiches at a party she’d attended.

“I ate one and now I don’t feel good at all,” she confessed.

My nurse antennae went up because, in addition, to being allergic to penicillin, my daughter has food allergies. She is particularly allergic to nuts and shellfish. Typically, when she has eaten one of the offending foods, she feels a tingling in her tongue and on occasion, nausea. We had experienced small episodes before, once with a store-bought cookie and another time after she’d eaten a french fry from my plate. Unbeknownst to us, fish juice had splashed on it from my fish taco. Both times, she started to feel her tongue tingle and on each occasion, she took Benadryl and felt better.

I asked her what was in the sandwich, but she didn’t know, felt nauseated and had already taken a Benadryl. This time though, my daughter was scared. She was alone in a house where she was staying.  The dorms had closed.  And her roommate was not home.

Her face was hot and she felt sick, which hadn’t happened during her previous reactions. An Internet search for the signs and symptoms of anaphylaxis made her suspect she was in danger.  Read on to find out about her trip to the medical center where it we confirmed anaphylaxis.

What is an anaphylactic reaction?

Anaphylaxis is a severe allergic reaction that can be life-threatening and can occur immediately after coming into contact with a subject to which the body is allergic, or can be delayed.

It is caused by exposure in the past to the substance causing the reaction called an antigen, which prepares the body to be sensitive to the substance.

What are some signs and symptoms?

• itchiness, rash, hives
• nausea or bowel pain
• itching or swelling tongue
• wheezing, difficulty breathing, gasping, pursed lip breathing
• slurring words, confusion, inability to speak
• weakness
• pale color

If your child exhibits any of the symptoms of food allergy listed above when eating any foods or around any allergen, make sure to schedule an appointment with an allergy specialist.

At Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, our Division of Clinical Immunology and Allergy combines innovative treatment,
research, education and outreach in the care of children with severe allergic disease, asthma, primary immune deficiency disorders and HIV/AIDS.

You can learn more about their asthma and allergy services online.

Quick Thinking in an Emergency

Once my daughter suspected anaphylaxis, she called her college’s emergency student number, then her roommate and took out her EpiPen (an epinephrine autoinjector).

Even though she’d never had to use it before, she was familiar with how to do so and carried one at all times. Despite her fear of needles, she quickly opened the EpiPen and jabbed it into her leg.

Firemen arrived in minutes, started an IV and brought her to the medical center. She was given steroids and observed for several hours, but, thanks to the steps she took, she was in stable condition the entire time.

I was many miles away and my daughter was alone.  But her quick thinking and decisive action saved her life.  Thankfully, she had her EpiPen and knew she had to use it.

Now, she is going to get a medic alert bracelet (and I am kicking myself for not thinking of this).  But she is smarter and wiser than I am!

Prepare Yourself

Make sure you always have Benadryl on hand. Your child should have an unexpired EpiPen at all times and know how to use it. You will have to show the prescription to your child’s school staff members for them to allow the pen at school. A medic alert bracelet is a great idea as well.

Allergies are nothing to sneeze at!  The reactions can be mild at first, but they can change and become more severe and even become life-threatening.

I, for one, am proud of my daughter and very grateful she had that EpiPen and the courage to use it. By taking the proper precautions, you can help your children know what to do if they find themselves in a similar situation.

You can also read more on the subject of food allergies in Raising a Child with Food Allergies.

Some of my favorite memories of childhood are of picnics in the park, barbeques in the backyard and potlucks at church. I loved the fun and sharing of friendships, families and conversation around delicious food. What I didn’t know is that sometimes, we were also sharing bacteria!

The bacteria were not invited to the party, but often showed up anyway. In fact, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that every year, about 1 in 6 Americans (or 48 million people) gets sick, 128,000 are hospitalized and 3,000 die from foodborne illness, or what is commonly called food poisoning.

What is food poisoning?

Food poisoning can cause symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or fever. It is caused by eating food that has not been properly stored, prepared or cooked. There is a common misunderstanding that you can only get sick from bacteria found in improperly prepared or undercooked meats, but bacteria can be lurking on unwashed fruits and veggies too! I once got food poisoning from an unwashed watermelon. Slicing the unwashed fruit dragged the bacteria from the skin to the inside of the watermelon riding on the edge of the knife.

Potato and pasta salads are common at a lot of picnics and barbeques. Contrary to popular belief, store bought mayonnaise is not usually the culprit that causes spoilage because the eggs are pasteurized. Instead, bacteria seem to prefer homemade dishes that include eggs, potatoes as well as other ingredients.

Salmonella is the most common bacterial cause of diarrhea in food poisoning deaths. It is most often found in raw and undercooked eggs, undercooked poultry and meat, fresh fruits and vegetables.

How do I avoid food poisoning?

Bacteria grow best between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit. This is what is known as the “danger zone.” To keep food poisoning from ruining a perfectly good picnic, follow these simple tips. Use the same basic rules for preparing and serving food outside as you would inside your kitchen.

Mind the Temperature

• Keep cold foods cold. Bring a cooler with plenty of ice or freezer packs to the event.
• Keep hot foods hot.
• Separate hot foods from cold foods.

Follow the Two Hour Rule

• Serve cooked food within two hours of preparation. Don’t let food sit for more than two hours on the table (exceptions are cookies, chips or cracker-type foods).

Divide and Conquer

• Separate cooked meats from uncooked meats.
• Do not use the same plates, cutting boards or utensils to prepare the meats that you do to serve them once they are cooked.
• Do not use the same plates or utensils to prepare raw meats and other types of food.

There are four basic principles that can help keep your picnics and barbeques safe and fun:

1. CLEAN—Wash hands and surfaces often.
2. SEPARATE—Don’t cross-contaminate!
3. COOK—Cook to proper temperature.
4. CHILL—Refrigerate promptly.

Follow these simple precautions and your summer parties will be filled with fun and great food, and you can avoid any trouble from that little microscopic party-crasher called bacteria!

The FDA recently announced new requirements for over-the-counter sunscreens. Prior to these changes, the regulations on sunscreen only addressed concerns with protection against Ultraviolet B (UVB) rays. New standards now include regulations for Ultraviolet A (UVA) rays.

Understanding what you may see on new sunscreen labels will allow you to choose the right sun protection for you and your family.

Let’s start with a brief discussion about sunlight.

What is sunlight?

Sunlight consists of two types of harmful ultraviolet radiation: UVA rays and UVB rays.

UVA rays penetrate into the dermis, the thickest layer of skin and have long-term effects on the skin. They are known to lead to signs of premature aging such as wrinkles and age spots. UVB rays produce short term effects on the skin and are the primary cause of sunburn.

An easy way to remember is UVA rays are “aging” rays and UVB rays are “burning” rays. Both can cause skin cancer. 

Why is it so important to protect my skin against sunlight?

Too much unprotected sun exposure can cause skin, eye damage or even cancer.

“One or more blistering sunburns in your childhood can more than double your chances of developing melanoma later in life,” says Stuart Siegel, MD, director of the Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Diseases at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

Luckily, with the right precautions and use of sunscreen, you can greatly reduce the chances of developing skin cancer.

This is why it’s so important to always remember your sunscreen!

So, what do the new FDA rules mean for me?

Before you slather up with your sunscreen, be sure to read the label. The FDA’s new regulations (summarized below) are intended to help you better understand the protection you’re getting.

Broad-Spectrum Designation

Sunscreens may be labeled as “broad-spectrum” only if they provide protection against both ultraviolet A and ultraviolet B radiation.

Only broad-spectrum sunscreens with a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of 15 or higher can state that they protect against skin cancer if used as directed with other sun protection measures. Sunscreens with an SPF of 2-14 will be required to have a warning stating that the product has not been shown to help prevent skin cancer or early skin aging.

Sunblock, Sweatproof and “Waterproof” Defined

Manufacturers are no longer allowed to use the words waterproof, sweatproof or identify their products as sunblocks. Why? Because these descriptions overstate their effectiveness. Sunscreens cannot claim to provide sun protection for more than two hours without reapplication or to provide protection immediately following application (instant protection).

Waterproof Vs. Water-Resistant

A sunscreen may claim to be water-resistant, however, it must claim in minutes the amount of time for which the product is water resistant during swimming or sweating, based on test results.

Drug Facts

All sunscreens must include standard “Drug Facts” information on the back and/or side of the labeling.

Other Products

Cosmetics, moisturizers and any other products that claim to provide Broad Spectrum SPF protection are regulated as sunscreen drug products. That means these new regulations also apply to these products.

For the Future

SPF 50+

A proposal pending approved would limit the maximum SPF value on sunscreen labels “50+” because there is insufficient data to prove that these products greater protection for users than products with SPF values of 50. The new rules will take effect by summer of 2012, but some sunscreen manufacturers are launching their new labels before then.

In Summary

The most important way to protect you and your family is to read the label carefully!

Look for a “broad-spectrum” sunscreen that will protect you from both UVA and UVB radiation with an SPF value of at least 15. Keep in mind that a sunscreen with an SPFT of 30 – 45 SPF is recommended, in combination with other protective measures.

Don’t be fooled by the term “waterproof” because all sunscreens eventually wash off. Note how long the sunscreen remains effective when swimming or sweating and reapply often.

The Eyes Have It

Also, don’t forget your children’s eyes when spending time in the sun.

“Look for kids’ sunglasses that block 99 to 100 percent of both UVA and UVB rays when shopping for kids’ sunglasses,” says Thomas Lee, MD, a pediatric eye surgeon at The Vision Center at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. “Exposure to bright sunlight can result in eye irritation and the development of cataracts later in life.”

Stay tuned for more tips on keeping your skin healthy this summer as well as information about how to treat a burn in my next post!