Now that summer weather is out in full force, the number of family beach days, play dates in the sun, and weekends spent camping are bound to go up. As the outdoor activities increase, however, so does your kids' potential for sunburns, which means brushing up on some sun safety practices should be a priority for parents. Fortunately, there's one fun tool parents can use to monitor kids' sun safety this summer, and it's so easy to use that you'll want to get it for everyone you know.
Whether you're having fun outdoors or simply running errands, it can be easy to forget when you need to reapply sunscreen or to let those gaps between reapplications slide longer than they should. However, La Roche-Posay's My UV Patch can monitor your UV exposure and help you protect your skin from sun damage.
So how does it work? You start by applying a small, heart-shaped UV patch to your skin — or your child's skin — almost in the same way that you would apply a temporary tattoo (except no water is required). Then, you sync the patch with a free app and give the app some information about yourself, including skin tone, eye color, and skin type.
After that, apply your sunscreen (over top of the patch as well) and the patch will monitor your UV exposure and give you reminders when you need to re-apply. The squares that make up the patch will also change color depending on how much sun they're exposed to — for instance, if two squares go purple, you're taking in a lot of sunshine and should either seek out shade or put on more sunscreen. The patch can be used while swimming and exercising, and can comfortably be worn for up to three days.
"In theory, if you put on your sunscreen really well, the heart shouldn't change color," Guive Balooch, global vice president of the L'Oréal Technology Incubator, told Allure. "But the reality is that if someone goes to the beach for an hour or forgets sunscreen, the amount of sun they're getting is enormous.
This year, La Roche-Posay is including free UV patches when you buy any one of its sunscreens from Amazon or from Lovely Skin. It's not a tool that you'd want to reapply to your kid's skin every three days, and it does require occasional scanning with the app, but it could be the perfect way to keep your kid's skin safe during a weekend camping. And a weekend of monitoring might remind you of some sun safety habits that you can continue to use all year long.
