With summer just around the corner, a new study published in the May print issue of Pediatrics gives parents reason to take extra precautions when their children play outdoors.
As reported by HealthDay News, the study found that while melanoma is still extremely rare in children, it increased at a rate of 2 percent a year from 1973 to 2009 in children from newborns to age 19. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation (SCF), melanoma accounts for 3 percent of all pediatric cancers.
The study
Researchers found that from 1973 to 2009, 1,317 children were diagnosed with melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer. Of this group, 1,230 were Caucasian. The biggest increase was seen in teens aged 15 to 19, especially among girls.
Lead author Jeannette Wong of the U.S. National Cancer Institute, told HealthDay News that researchers do not fully understand what is driving these trends. She suggested that increased exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun and from tanning booths may be contributing factors. She also cited increased awareness of melanoma as a reason for earlier detection.
What to look for
According to the Melanoma Education Foundation (MEF), there are two types of moles: normal and atypical. Normal moles have round or oval shapes; are less than one-quarter inch wide; have uniform color and shade; and have sharp, even borders.
Atypical moles are one-quarter inch or more in size; are irregular in shape; and have two or more shades or colors, “fuzzy or notched” borders, a raised “fried egg” center, and a pebbled surface.
If your child has a mole with any of these properties, the MEF suggests you see your pediatrician or dermatologist. You should also be alert to changes in your child’s moles, freckles, birthmarks or other pigmented spots. At particular risk are children with fair skin, light-colored hair and eyes, moles, a history of sunburns and a family history of melanoma.
Keeping your child sun-safe
To help you ensure your child is safe in the sun, the Skin Cancer Foundation offers these tips:
- Keep newborns out of the sun. Only use sunscreen on children over 6 months.
- Remind your children to play in the shade in order to limit their exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet radiation (UVR), especially between 10 AM and 4 PM, when UV rays are strongest.
- Discourage your teens and tweens from “laying out” in the sun and going to tanning salons. Despite the popular belief that tanning provides protection against sunburn, there is no such thing as safe, healthy or protective tanning. According to the SCF, four visits to a tanning salon per year can increase the risk of melanoma by 11 percent.
- Dress your child in cover-up clothing such as a swim shirt or rash guard while in the water. Protect your child’s face, neck and eyes with a broad-brimmed hat and UV-blocking sunglasses.
- Use sunscreen on children over 6 months of age. For everyday, use a sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher. For extended periods in the sun, use a water-resistant, broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher.
- Reapply sunscreen every two hours and after swimming or playing sports.
The Skin Cancer Foundation also urges parents to practice what they preach by setting a good example and routinely using sunscreen when they are outdoors. Not only will sunscreen protect your children – and you – from melanoma, but it will also reap long-term benefits.
“By teaching your children to incorporate sun protection into their daily routine, you’ll significantly lower their risk of developing skin cancer as an adult,” advises SCF president, Perry Robins, MD.
“One or more blistering sunburns in childhood or adolescence more than doubles a person’s chances of developing potentially deadly melanomas later in life,” added Robins.
Comments