My first thought of summer takes me back to childhood memories. Every year, my older brother would throw a pool party at our house to celebrate the end of the school year. All of his classmates and their siblings would come over to play basketball, swim in the pool, jump on the trampoline, and ride bikes.
While a full day of fun in the sun is my first summer memory, the next image that pops into my head is how my mother would make all the kids come together before getting the party started. On our back porch, she would line everyone up and cover them in sunscreen. The kids would complain, the girls would get embarrassed, and most tried to lie and say they already applied sunscreen before coming out to play. My mom, however, did not care. Being an aesthetician, she knew the dangers of ultraviolet radiation and understood the necessity of sun protection. On her watch, she would not dare let a sunburn occur.
I have to admit, growing up, I do not remember having many sunburns at all. My parents always took the time and precautions to lather us up, whether we were outside for an all-day pool party or a morning of yard work. I will also admit that after I moved out on my own, I got a few deep burns before promising to take better care of my skin.
Many clients who visit a spa have ultraviolet damage from their childhood. While getting burned as an adult damages the skin, the Skin Cancer Foundation states that “suffering one or more blistering sunburns in childhood or adolescence more than doubles a person’s chances of developing potentially-deadly melanoma later in life.”
It is with this statistic that spas should make it a priority to not only provide sunscreen to clients, but also to stress the importance of use with their children. Setting a good example now can create a positive habit for the youth down the road.
Amanda Strunk Miller
Associate Publisher
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