Cancer researchers believe childhood sunburns increase a person's risk of developing what kind of skin cancer?

1. Act Fast to Cool It Down

If you’re near a cold pool, lake or ocean, take a quick dip to cool your skin, but only for a few seconds so you don’t prolong your exposure. Then cover up and get out of the sun immediately. Continue to cool the burn with cold compresses. You can use ice to make ice water for a cold compress, but don’t apply ice directly to the sunburn. Or take a cool shower or bath, but not for too long, which can be drying, and avoid harsh soap, which might irritate the skin even more.

2. Moisturize While Skin Is Damp

While skin is still damp, use a gentle moisturizing lotion (but not petroleum or oil-based ointments, which may trap the heat and make the burn worse). Repeat to keep burned or peeling skin moist over the next few days.

3. Decrease the Inflammation

If it is safe for you to do so, take a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), such as ibuprofen, naproxen or aspirin at the first sign of sunburn to help with discomfort and inflammation, says Dr. Brackeen, who practices at the Skin Cancer Institute in Lubbock, Texas. You can continue with the NSAIDs as directed on the label until the burn feels better. You can also use an over-the-counter 1 percent cortisone cream as directed for a few days to help calm redness and swelling. Aloe vera may also soothe mild burns and is generally considered safe. Continue with cool compresses to help discomfort, wear loose, soft, breathable clothing to avoid further skin irritation and stay out of the sun entirely until the sunburn heals.

4. Replenish Your Fluids

Burns draw fluid to the skin’s surface and away from the rest of the body, so you may become dehydrated, explains Dr. Brackeen. It’s important to rehydrate by drinking extra liquids, including water and sports drinks that help to replenish electrolytes, immediately and while your skin heals.

5. See a Doctor If …

You should seek medical help if you or a child has severe blistering over a large portion of the body, has a fever and chills or is woozy or confused. Don’t scratch or pop blisters, which can lead to infection. Signs of infection include red streaks or oozing pus.

Bottom line: Your skin will heal, but real damage has been done. “Repeat sunburns put you at a substantial risk for skin cancer and premature skin aging, and I want people to ‘learn from the burn,’” Dr. Brackeen says. Review our sun protection guidelines. Remember how bad this sunburn felt, then commit to protecting yourself from the sun every day, all year long.

For Children

Your baby’s skin: soft, sweet-smelling, vulnerable. You notice that when you’re diapering: irritation develops easily, but a soothing cream clears it up like magic.

Young skin heals faster than older skin, but it is also less able to protect itself from injury, including injury from the sun.

Babies under 6 months of age should never be exposed to the sun. Babies older than 6 months should be protected from the sun, and wear UV-blocking sunglasses to protect their eyes. If your child becomes sunburned, follow these guidelines:

• Bathe in clear, tepid water to cool the skin.
• For a baby less than 1 year old, sunburn should be treated as an emergency. Call your doctor immediately.
• For a child 1 year or older, call your doctor if there is severe pain, blistering, lethargy or fever over 101○ F (38.3○ C).
• Sunburn can cause dehydration. Give your child water or juice to replace body fluids. Contact the doctor if the child is not urinating regularly; this is an emergency.
• Apply light moisturizing lotion to soothe the skin, but don’t rub it in.
• Dabbing on plain calamine lotion may help, but don’t use one with an added antihistamine.
• Do not apply alcohol, which can overcool the skin.
• Do not use any medicated cream such as hydrocortisone or benzocaine unless instructed by your pediatrician.
• Keep your child out of the sun entirely until the sunburn heals.
• Practice sun protection and make sure that no matter where you child goes, sun safety is taken into account.

Articles of interest

SKCIN are delighted to appoint Founder of The Safety in Beauty Campaign, Antonia Mariconda as a charity Ambassador.

 Antonia, who is a passionate activist and campaigner of raising awareness for accessing safe beauty and aesthetic ...

27th Jan 2022 6:39pm

SKCIN receives industry recognition as a ‘WINNER’ at the 2021 Safety in Beauty Diamond Awards.

 SKCIN are delighted to have attended the prestigious event that took place on Saturday 4th December at the Royal L...

6th Dec 2021 2:37pm

UK CHARITY SKCIN ARE DELIGHTED TO INTRODUCE A GAME-CHANGER IN SKIN CANCER AWARENESS WITH THE LAUNCH OF THE SKCIN MOBILE APP.

The UK’s leading skin cancer awareness charity Skcin are delighted to announce the launch of their mobile application ...

17th Aug 2021 9:21pm

Lesley Corridan is MASCED Accredited!

Congratulations to Lesley Corridan for completing the MASCED Accreditation!“Such an amazing course! Thank you.&rdq...

23rd Jun 2021 1:25pm

SKCIN ARE PROUD TO ANNOUNCE AN OFFICIAL CHARITY PARTNERSHIP WITH THE UK’S LARGEST RETAILER, TESCO.

   SKCIN will be working in collaboration with Tesco in a mission to raise awareness of skin c...

18th May 2021 9:26am

1. American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts & Figures 2015. Atlanta: American Cancer Society; 2015. [Google Scholar]

2. Dennis LK, Vanbeek MJ, Beane Freeman LE, et al. Sunburns and risk of cutaneous melanoma: does age matter? A comprehensive meta-analysis. Ann Epidemiol. 2008;18(8):614–627. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.annepidem.2008.04.006. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

3. U.S. DHHS. The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Prevent Skin Cancer. Washington, DC: U.S. DHHS, Office of the Surgeon General; 2014. [Google Scholar]

4. Dusza SW, Halpern AC, Satagopan JM, et al. Prospective study of sunburn and sun behavior patterns during adolescence. Pediatrics. 2012;129(2):309–317. http://dx.doi.org/10.1542/peds.2011-0104. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

5. Davis KJ, Cokkinides VE, Weinstock MA, O’Connell MC, Wingo PA. Summer sunburn and sun exposure among U.S. youths ages 11 to 18: national prevalence and associated factors. Pediatrics. 2002;110(1 Pt 1):27–35. http://dx.doi.org/10.1542/peds.110.1.27. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

6. Cokkinides V, Weinstock M, Glanz K, et al. Trends in sunburns, sun protection practices, and attitudes toward sun exposure protection and tanning among U.S. adolescents, 1998–2004. Pediatrics. 2006;118(3):853–864. http://dx.doi.org/10.1542/peds.2005-3109. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

7. Gandini S, Sera F, Cattaruzza MS, et al. Meta-analysis of risk factors for cutaneous melanoma: III. Family history, actinic damage and phenotypic factors. Eur J Cancer. 2005;41(14):2040–2059. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ejca.2005.03.034. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

8. Ford D, Bliss JM, Swerdlow AJ, et al. Risk of cutaneous melanoma associated with a family history of the disease. The International Melanoma Analysis Group (IMAGE) Int J Cancer. 1995;62(4):377–381. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ijc.2910620403. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

9. Cutler C, Foulkes WD, Brunet JS, et al. Cutaneous malignant melanoma in women is uncommonly associated with a family history of melanoma in first-degree relatives: a case-control study. Melanoma Res. 1996;6(6):435–440. http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/00008390-199612000-00005. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

10. Olsen CM, Carroll HJ, Whiteman DC. Familial melanoma: a meta-analysis and estimates of attributable fraction. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2010;19(1):65–73. http://dx.doi.org/10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-09-0928. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

11. Fallah M, Pukkala E, Sundquist K, et al. Familial melanoma by histology and age: joint data from five Nordic countries. Eur J Cancer. 2014;50(6):1176–1183. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ejca.2013.12.023. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

12. Glenn BA, Lin T, Chang LC, et al. Sun protection practices and sun exposure among children with a parental history of melanoma. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2015;24(1):169–177. http://dx.doi.org/10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-14-0650. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

13. Glenn BA, Bastani R, Chang LC, Khanna R, Chen K. Sun protection practices among children with a family history of melanoma: a pilot study. J Cancer Educ. 2012;27(4):731–737. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13187-012-0377-5. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

14. Geller AC, Brooks DR, Colditz GA, Koh HK, Frazier AL. Sun protection practices among offspring of women with personal or family history of skin cancer. Pediatrics. 2006;117(4):e688–694. http://dx.doi.org/10.1542/peds.2005-1734. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

15. Gritz ER, Tripp MK, Peterson SK, et al. Randomized controlled trial of a sun protection intervention for children of melanoma survivors. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2013;22(10):1813–1824. http://dx.doi.org/10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-13-0249. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

16. Bandura A. Social foundations of thought and action: a social cognitive theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc; 1986. [Google Scholar]

17. Becker MH. The health belief model and personal health behavior. Thorofare, NJ: Slack; 1974. [Google Scholar]

18. Balch CM, Soong SJ, Atkins MB, et al. An evidence-based staging system for cutaneous melanoma. CA Cancer J Clin. 2004;54(3):131–149. http://dx.doi.org/10.3322/canjclin.54.3.131. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

19. Fitzpatrick TB. The validity and practicality of sun-reactive skin types I through VI. Arch Dermatol. 1988;124(6):869–871. http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archderm.1988.01670060015008. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

20. Tripp MK, Carvajal SC, McCormick LK, et al. Validity and reliability of the Parental Sun Protection Scales. Health Educ Res. 2003;18(1):58–73. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/her/18.1.58. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

21. Tripp MK, Diamond PM, Vernon SW, et al. Measures of parents’ self-efficacy and perceived barriers to children’s sun protection: construct validity and reliability in melanoma survivors. Health Educ Res. 2013;28(5):828–842. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/her/cys114. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

22. Lerman C, Daly M, Masny A, Balshem A. Attitudes about genetic testing for breast-ovarian cancer susceptibility. J Clin Oncol. 1994;12(4):843–850. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

23. Gimotty PA, Glanz K. Sunscreen and melanoma: what is the evidence? J Clin Oncol. 2011;29(3):249–250. http://dx.doi.org/10.1200/JCO.2010.31.7529. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

24. Buller DB, Callister MA, Reichert T. Skin cancer prevention by parents of young children: Health information sources, skin cancer knowledge, and sun-protection practices. Oncol Nurs Forum. 1995;22(10):1559–1566. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

25. O’Riordan DL, Geller AC, Brooks DR, Zhang Z, Miller DR. Sunburn reduction through parental role modeling and sunscreen vigilance. J Pediatr. 2003;142(1):67–72. http://dx.doi.org/10.1067/mpd.2003.mpd039. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

26. Glanz K, Lew RA, Song V, Cook VA. Factors associated with skin cancer prevention practices in a multiethnic population. Health Educ Behav. 1999;26(3):344–359. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/109019819902600305. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

27. Gritz ER, Tripp MK, de Moor CA, et al. Skin cancer prevention counseling and clinical practices of pediatricians. Pediatr Dermatol. 2003;20(1):16–24. http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1525-1470.2003.03004.x. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

28. Balk SJ, O’Connor KG, Saraiya M. Counseling parents and children on sun protection: a national survey of pediatricians. Pediatrics. 2004;114(4):1056–1064. http://dx.doi.org/10.1542/peds.2004-1305. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

29. Hall HI, Jorgensen CM, McDavid K, Kraft JM, Breslow R. Protection from sun exposure in U.S. white children ages 6 months to 11 years. Public Health Rep. 2001;116(4):353–361. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0033-3549(04)50057-2. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

30. Hall HI, McDavid K, Jorgensen CM, Kraft JM. Factors associated with sunburn in white children aged 6 months to 11 years. Am J Prev Med. 2001;20(1):9–14. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0749-3797(00)00265-8. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

31. Lescano CM, Rodrigue JR. Skin cancer prevention behaviors among parents of young children. Child Health Care. 1997:26107–114. http://dx.doi.org/10.1207/s15326888chc2602_4.

32. Turner LR, Mermelstein RJ. Psychosocial characteristics associated with sun protection practices among parents of young children. J Behav Med. 2005;28(1):77–90. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10865-005-2565-9. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

33. Hay J, DiBonaventura M, Baser R, et al. Personal attributions for melanoma risk in melanoma-affected patients and family members. J Behav Med. 2011;34(1):53–63. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10865-010-9286-4. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

34. Schochet PZ. Technical methods report: Guidelines for multiple testing in impact evaluations. Washington D: National Center for Educational Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education; 2008. (NCEE No. 2008–4018). [Google Scholar]

35. Turrisi R, Hillhouse J, Robinson J, Stapleton J, Adams M. Influence of parent and child characteristics on a parent-based intervention to reduce unsafe sun practices in children 9 to 12 years old. Arch Dermatol. 2006;142(8):1009–1014. http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archderm.142.8.1009. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

36. Jain N, Rademaker A, Robinson JK. Implementation of the federal excise tax on indoor tanning services in Illinois. Arch Dermatol. 2012;148(1):122–124. http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archderm.148.1.122. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

37. Gosis B, Sampson BP, Seidenberg AB, et al. Comprehensive evaluation of indoor tanning regulations: a 50-state analysis, 2012. J Invest Dermatol. 2014;134(3):620–627. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/jid.2013.357. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

38. Tripp MK, Vernon SW, Gritz ER, Diamond PM, Mullen PD. Children’s skin cancer prevention: a systematic review of parents’ psychosocial measures. Am J Prev Med. 2013;44(3):265–273. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2012.10.027. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Page 2

Frequency of Sun Protection Behaviors in Children, N=340 Melanoma Survivors Reporting on One of Their Children