Kids may develop melanoma by vacationing near water

Denver, February 6: Water-themed vacations sound exciting but ultimately beach and sun may prove dangerous for your children's delicate skin in later life, say researchers from Colorado.

Many waterside vacations a child takes may be directly related to the number of moles he/she develops on the body due to sun exposure. This is true for white children under the age of 6.

Lori Crane, study author and a professor at the Colorado School of Public Health, warned parents about the dangers of soaking up in the sun for long. She recommended parents to decide on some other exciting holidaying options for their young ones or carry enough long-sleeved swim shirts, UV proof umbrellas, and shady hats.

Since dark skin have enough melanin pigment to block UV rays, as in the case of African-Americans and other dark skinned races, this study involved only white-skinned children.

"I'm not sure how much they appreciate an expensive trip. The kids would enjoy being with their grandparents for a week," noted Crane who is chairwoman of the department of community and behavioral health.

The study, published in the journal Cancerdefine Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention, focused on 681 white-skinned children born in 1998. Crane observed that children developed 5 percent more moles for every beachfront or waterside vacation. Moles are said to be associated with risk of skin cancer.

All these 10-year-olds were followed up with an examination once a year to check for any sun damage including freckles and moles. Their parents were asked to answer relevant queries regarding sun exposure, sun-protection use and other details.

Crane cautioned that sunscreen may be effective against sunburns but it cannot totally protect against the most dreaded skin cancer named melanoma. She suggested that kids must be kept away from the tropical sun from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., since sun rays are very intense in this period.

"People don't put it on as thick as is recommended or put it on as often as recommended," said Crane. "Even if they were, it's not clear that it would be preventing skin cancer."

The study indicates that 1 of every 93 children born in 1998 may develop melanoma in later life. Rates of this type of skin cancer is found higher in males than in females. Also, they could be susceptible to melanoma at an early age too. It was observed that even with the similar amount of sun exposure, boys involved in this study had 19 percent more moles than the girls.

Crane explained that biologically boys may be more susceptible to skin damage than girls. From the parents’ viewpoint, boys have to be tougher, and they may be wearing less sun-protecting clothes which could be another possible reason.

Dermatology professor Dr. Martin A. Weinstock from Brown University said that research throws light on dangers of excessive sun exposure. Weinstock, who was not involved in this study, is the chairman of the American Cancer Society's skin cancer advisory group.

"They can take their child on vacation, they've just got to protect the kid," he commented.