Do you worry about your children’s sun safety? I know I do. So when I heard about this new idea from La Roche Posay I had to find out more.

Sign up for our free newsletter packed with information and great offers. Or join us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube.

La Roche-Posay has unveiled a world first, Irish designed, wearable UV monitor called ‘My UV Patch’. It is the first-ever stretchable skin sensor designed to monitor UV exposure and educate consumers about sun protection. The patch was designed by Irish company PCH and will be rolled out globally.

The wearable patch monitors UV exposure and provides notifications so they can take protective measures such as applying sun sunscreen or seeking shade.

The patch contains photosensitive dyes that work with all skin tones, changing colour when exposed to UV rays to indicate varying levels of sun exposure.

And users can take a photo of the patch and upload it to the La Roche-Posay My UV Patch mobile app, which will be available on both iOS and Android to make sure exactly how much sun they have had and whether or not they need to cover up more.

I think this will be fantastic for parents as you’ll be able to put the patch on your child and know for the first time what their sun exposure is, instead of guessing based on timing and SPF factors. Of course, it’s not replacing sun screen, but it is helping with sun safety.

My UV Patch is due to be available from July onwards and will be distributed with advice, free of charge, from top dermatologists and GPs. Anyone interested can register for one at www.laroche-posay.ie.

La Roche-Posay and the Irish Cancer Society urge consumers to be UV aware and sun smart as they launch their 2016 Skinchecker awareness campaign. The stats from a recent survey are scary:

• Almost half of adults (44%) admit to only wearing sunscreen in Ireland during the summer months
• 37% of adults say they only wear sunscreen when the weather hits over 20 deg C
• 1 in 10 (12%) don’t wear sunscreen at all due to a belief that they don’t need it because of our weather, compared to 3 in 4 (77%) adults who wear sunscreen daily when on sun holidays abroad or in hot climates.
• Almost 1 in 3 (29%) Irish adults think they can spend as little as 30 minutes in the sun in Ireland before their skin is at risk of going red while a further 1 in 3 (35%) believe they are not at risk until they reach the 30 minute to 1 hour mark.
• Almost 3 out of 5 (59%) Irish adults admit they do not know how to check their skin for signs of skin cancer.
• 1 in 6 (16%) Irish adults check their moles the recommended 2-3 months with a further 20% checking for changes more frequently. Worryingly, almost 1 out of 6 (15%) say they never check their moles for changes.

Research was conducted by Empathy Research among a nationally representative sample of 1,000 Irish adults, April 2016.

Protecting yourself from the sun and harmful UV rays is one of the first preventative measures you can take to avoid skin cancer. Non-melanoma skin cancer is still the most common cancer in Ireland and we have the highest reported rates of it in Europe. When caught in time it’s highly treatable.

Over to you now. What do you think of this new idea? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.