The sun's rays are risky for all of us, above all for infants, toddlers, children and teens. Early exposure to too much sun and childhood sunburns can lead to skin cancer over time. Too much of the sun's ultraviolet (UVA and UVB) rays burn the skin, which in later years can lead to basal cell and squamous cell skin cancer. Several severe sunburns in a child younger than age 18 doubles the risk of melanoma later in life. Sunburns can also age the skin over time, bringing on wrinkles, liver spots, and white splotches.

By protecting your child's skin, especially in the summer, you can help prevent sunburn -- and greatly cut skin cancer risk later on. All children are at risk. While pale kids are most likely to burn, darker-skinned children can also burn if they stay in the sun too long.

When it comes to older kids and teens, sunscreen and cover-ups are just as important, even though getting that tanned look is as popular as ever. Tanning booths are strictly taboo. A safer alternative is a sprayed-on 'mystic tan' or one applied with a lotion and sold at drugstores and department stores. There are lots of self-tanners out there but beware because they are not necessarily sunscreens. You will still need to apply a sunscreen after self-tanning. Suntanning and tanning booths are just not safe.

Some facts about the Skin cancer in Children are presented below.

Skin Cancer In Children

• Skin cancers are mainly divided into melanoma, and non-melanoma skin cancers (NMSC), the latter includes basal cell carcinomas (BCC) and squamous cell carcinomas (SCC).
• For a child born in the new millennium, the lifetime risk for developing a NMSC is estimated to be 28% to 33% for BCC and 7% to 11% for SCC.
• It is noted that most people receive 50-80% of their lifetime exposure to the sun by 18 years of age.
• Exposure to UV radiation during childhood and adolescence plays a role in the future development of skin cancer.Sunburns have a higher association with skin cancers.
• Painful sunburns are the most important behavioral risk factor for the development of NMSC and melanoma.
• Chronic exposure to ultraviolet radiation may be the most important risk factor for the development of actinic keratoses, precursors of squamous cell carcinomas.
• Migration studies show people born in areas with excessive solar radiation have three times the risk to develop skin cancer than those who move to these areas in adulthood.
• Non-melanoma skin cancers rarely metastasize, thus they have a high cure rate.
• Regular skin check-ups are recommended for children with a family or personal history of skin cancer.

Knowledge of the above information and a few simple changes in behavior and lifestyle can prevent skin cancer

• Wear sun-protective clothing during peak sun hours (10a.m – 2p.m).
• Use sunscreen with both UVA/UVB & physical blocks. Several studies have demonstrated that the use of sun-protective wear and sunscreen can decrease the number of moles and premalignant lesions.
• The American Academy of Dermatology recommends broad-spectrum sunscreen covering both UVA & UVB with a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of at least 15 or above with reapplication every 2 hours when outdoors, even on cloudy days.
• Make efforts to minimize sun exposure and to apply sunscreen to children aged 6 months and older.
• Clinical trials have demonstrated that sunscreens are effective in reducing the incidence of actinic keratoses and squamous cell carcinomas.
• Another randomized trial demonstrated that, among children who are at high risk for developing melanoma, sunscreens are effective in reducing moles, the precursors and strongest risk factor for melanoma.
• It is strongly recommended to avoid tanning salons due to its possible association with skin cancers.