Dr. Ana Duarte, Director of the Division of Dermatology at Nicklaus Children's Hospital, formerly Miami Children's Hospital, has teamed up with the Coppertone® “Making the Sunscreen Grade” educational program that stresses the importance of using sunscreen year round, especially among school-aged children. The program provides parents with resources and steps they can take to help protect their children and make sun protection and sunscreen reapplication a priority year-round.

Coppertone® is also aimed at educating school districts across the country on the importance of sun protection during recess and other outdoor activities. Because it is regulated by the FDA, sunscreen is considered an over-the-counter medication and therefore can only be used during school hours with a doctor’s note. The American Medical Association (AMA) recently announced it has adopted a policy supporting the use of sunscreen in schools and is encouraging all schools to allow students to apply sunscreen during school hours.

“One blistering sunburn during childhood more than doubles a person’s risk of developing melanoma later in life,” explains Dr. Duarte. “One out of five children will develop skin cancer in their lives and teens have the highest risk for developing melanoma. In order to prevent sunburns and skin cancer for people of all ages, sunscreen should be re-applied every two hours and is most effective when reapplied often,” she said.

For more information on the Coppertone® “Making the Sunscreen Grade” program please visit www.coppertone.com