Sunscreen Alone Not Enough
to Shield Kids From Sun
Excerpt By Melissa Schorr, Reuters Health

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters Health) - Parents should encourage their children to avoid skin-damaging ultraviolet (UV) rays of sunlight, but should avoid relying solely on sunscreens to do so, a pediatrician reported here Wednesday at the American Academy of Pediatrics' annual meeting.

``The consensus is still to recommend sunscreen, but it's only one part of a total message,'' said Dr. Sophie J. Balk, a community pediatrician in the Bronx and a member of the AAP's committee on environmental health.

As much as 80% of lifetime exposure to sunlight comes during childhood, when children are most likely to play outdoors. Research has shown that sunburns occurring during childhood significantly raise the risk of later skin cancers, including the most dangerous type, melanoma.

``It's not that adult exposure isn't important,'' Balk said, ''but childhood exposure may be especially important.'' In fact, studies show that the risk of skin cancer in the region that a child is raised determines their later risk of skin cancer, regardless of where they end up settling.

The rate of melanoma in the United States has risen dramatically in the past decades, with the current risk of developing the disease at some point in a person's life now estimated to be 1 in 71. ``Some people use the word epidemic,'' Balk said. ``It may have to do with our sun culture that equates tanning with beauty.''

However, although wearing sunscreen properly seems to prevent sunburns and the risk of non-melanoma skin cancers, there is less conclusive evidence to date that sunscreen will ward off melanoma, she said.

One reason may be that wearing sunscreen increases the time spent in the sun under damaging UV-B rays, Balk said. ``Perhaps sunscreen use lulls people into having a false sense of security,'' she suggested. ``That's worrisome to me.''

She added, ``Sunscreen may not prevent exposure to all UV light. There is a role in cancer prevention, but there is a question about melanoma protection.''

Balk recommended that parents should use other sun-avoidance methods in addition to sunscreen, such as having their children wear wide-brimmed hats, UV-blocking sunglasses and clothing. Then plan activities around the daily report of the sun's intensity on the UV index and avoid the sunniest times of the day, which is midday.

Balk said that while seeking shade can be useful, parents should keep in mind that UV light can bounce off sand, snow, concrete and water to still reach a child.

The United States could also learn some lessons from Australia, whose fair-skinned population living in a tropical area has had the world's highest incidence of skin cancer. In the past two decades, the country has instituted aggressive policies, such as building shaded playgrounds and insisting children wear hats before allowing them to go to recess.

Reference Source 89

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