Sunscreen reduces skin blemishes among schoolchildren, Canadian study says

June 14, 2000
Web posted at: 1:11 p.m. EDT (1711 GMT)

From staff reports

ATLANTA (CNN) - In a study with implications for skin cancer treatment, Canadian researchers have determined that white children wearing a broad-spectrum, high-protection sunscreen developed fewer skin blemishes compared to a similar group without sunscreen.

Deadly melanomas, as well as less virulent forms of skin cancer and other skin blemishes, are believed to result, in part, from unprotected exposure to the sun. Some skin damage received in childhood may not become apparent until adulthood, according to researchers.

The Canadian study, reported this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association, followed 458 white Vancouver-area schoolchildren from 1993 to 1996. Each child's skin blemishes and markings were enumerated at the start and end of the study period.

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Children in the randomly-assigned treatment group applied sunscreen with sun protection factor (SPF) 30 every time they were in the sun for 30 minutes or more. Children in the control group were given no advice on sunscreen use.

"Sunscreens appear to attenuate or reduce the number of moles that kids develop," said lead researcher Richard Gallagher of the British Columbia Cancer Agency. "Since moles are the strongest risk factor for eventual melanoma as adults, by using sunscreen on kids we can reduce their eventual risk of developing melanoma."

The researchers found that "sunscreen use was much more important for children with freckles than for children without." Freckled children who used sunscreen would develop 30 percent to 40 percent fewer skin moles and other blemishes than children in the control group, they reported.

But doctors caution that sunscreen doesn't offer total protection, even if it has a high SPF.

Previous studies have shown that parents who use sunscreen on their kids tend to let them stay in the sun too long, negating the potential benefits. And many people forget to check the expiration date on their sunscreen; the products can deteriorate and lose effectiveness over time.

Limiting exposure is still the best bet, experts said. They recommend staying in the shade when the sun is brightest and most dangerous, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., and covering up with hats and shirts.

Babies under six months should be kept out of the sun altogether.

The study was supported by the British Columbia Health Research Foundation, the Medical Research Council of Canada and Health Canada. Sunscreen for the trial was provided by Westwood-Squibb Pharmaceuticals of Buffalo, New York. The authors said they have no financial relationship with any of the funding agencies or the pharmaceutical company.

CNN Parenting Correspondent Pat Etheridge contributed to this report.

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Journal of the American Medical Association
Diagnosing Melanoma
American Cancer Society

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