Use of Sunscreen Lotions in Childhood Prevents Malignant Melanoma in Adults

A new research found that constant use of sunscreen lotions during infancy and childhood significantly lowers the incidence of malignant melanoma.

The latest study, conducted by researchers at the Texas Biomedical Research Institute, highlights that the use of sunscreen lotions on infants had led to a 10-fold reduction in the progress of melanoma - the most aggressive form of skin cancer that is increasing dramatically. The American Cancer Society estimates that over 75,000 new cases of melanoma will be diagnosed in the U.S. this year.

"While sunscreen is highly effective in preventing sunburn, this paradox has led some to question whether sunscreen is effective in preventing melanoma caused by ultraviolet (UV) light," said senior author John L. VandeBerg, Ph.D. "It has been suggested that sunscreen enables people to receive more UV exposure without becoming sunburned, and that increased exposure to UV light has led to an increasing incidence of melanoma."

Due to the increasing rate of melanoma, the effectiveness of sunscreen lotions remained unanswered. According to HNGN, researchers at the University of Manchester Cancer Research argued that sunscreen is not effective in keeping cancer at bay. Although it reduces the levels of DNA damage, it fails to offer full protection against the disease.

In this study, researchers found that pre-melanotic lesions can be lowered by 10-fold on applying sunscreen lotions to infant opossums.

The lesions still occurred when low doses of UV light were applied. The pre-melanotic lesions did not occur until the infants became teens.

"Based on these results, we speculate that the reason it is particularly important that sunscreens be used consistently in childhood, and especially in infancy, is because skin cells during growth are dividing much more rapidly than in adulthood, and it is during cell division that the cells are most susceptible to UV-induced damage," said VandeBerg. "Evidence that supports this hypothesis is that melanoma is not induced in adult opossums when their shaved skin is irradiated by UV light in the absence of sunscreen."

The American Cancer Association reveals that over 1 million cases of skin cancer are diagnosed in the U.S. every year and every one hour one person dies of melanoma. Over the past 30 years there has been a steady rise in the rate of skin cancer.

The finding appears in the scientific journal Pigment Cell and Melanoma.