Sample Newsletter: Dermatology
CLIENT: Dr. Lisa Chen, MD, FAAD
TONE: Warm and conversational
SPECIALTY: Dermatology
CLIENT SUBMITTED (everyday life story via bi-weekly form):
“Was at the pool over the weekend and watched parents carefully apply sunscreen to their kids—once, at 10am. Kids were in and out of the water all day, reapplying nothing. By 3pm, every kid was pink. Parents seemed surprised.”
NEWSLETTER WE CREATED
SUBJECT: What I noticed at the pool this weekend
I spent Saturday at the neighborhood pool with my family.
Beautiful day. Kids having a blast. Parents relaxing.
And I watched something I see every summer: parents carefully applying sunscreen to their kids at 10am, then not reapplying once for the next five hours.
Kids in and out of the water. Splashing, swimming, toweling off. No additional sunscreen.
By 3pm, every single child was pink. Some were bright red.
And the parents seemed genuinely surprised.
Here’s what I wish more people understood about sunscreen: applying it once in the morning is not enough. It’s not even close to enough.
Sunscreen breaks down in UV light. It rubs off on towels. It washes off in water—yes, even the “waterproof” kind (which is really just water-resistant for about 40-80 minutes).
If your kids are at the pool or beach all day, they need sunscreen reapplied every two hours. More often if they’re in and out of the water.
I know it’s a hassle. I know kids don’t want to stop playing to stand still for reapplication. I know it feels like you’re going through bottles of sunscreen impossibly fast.
But here’s what’s happening when you don’t reapply: you’re giving your child’s skin unprotected UV exposure for hours. The initial application wore off by noon, and they’ve been essentially unprotected all afternoon.
One severe sunburn in childhood doubles the risk of melanoma later in life. That’s not a scare tactic—that’s just the data.
The good news: prevention is simple. It’s just consistent.
Set a phone alarm for every two hours. Keep sunscreen in your pool bag. Make reapplication part of the routine—”Okay, everyone out for a snack and sunscreen break.”
Use enough—most people apply about half the amount they actually need. For kids, that’s roughly a shot glass worth for full body coverage.
And don’t skip cloudy days. UV rays penetrate clouds. I see just as many sunburns after overcast beach days as sunny ones.
Your kids won’t remember the thirty seconds it took to reapply sunscreen. But their skin will remember every unprotected hour in the sun.
If you’re not sure how to protect your family’s skin this summer, or if you’ve noticed changes in moles or skin texture, let’s schedule a skin check. This is what we do.
—Lisa Chen, MD, FAAD
Chen Dermatology
(858) 555-0176
appointments@chendermatology.com
P.S. If your child did get sunburned this weekend, cool compresses and aloe can help with comfort. But if you’re seeing blistering, fever, or severe pain, call us.
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