New rules about to be introduced by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States regarding sunscreens will come at an opportune time.
The new rules proposed by the FDA will relate to ratings on the sunscreens which will not only rate how well the preparation protects against the ultraviolet-B rays that cause sunburn (today's SPF rankings) but also how well they protect against deeper-penetrating ultraviolet-A rays that are linked to cancer and wrinkles.
The introduction of the new rules on sunscreens is supported by strong new evidence which suggests overall sun exposure in childhood is most likely to develop into deadly skin cancer later in life.
The latest research by dermatologists at the University of North Carolina warns that children should be equally protected from the harmful rays of sun by the application of sunscreens.
The research has revealed that patients with the most common known melanoma mutations, called BRAF mutations, also had the highest UV exposure by age 20 and also had the most moles, another important melanoma risk factor.
The researchers say their study indicates that young skin may be particularly vulnerable to damaging UV rays, especially as moles are developing and people who depended only on sunscreen to prevent skin cancer and were not benefited by the product.
Dr. Nancy Thomas who led the UV research says sunscreen is imperfect and activities must be re-schedule to take place when UV irradiation is not quite so high and everyone should check the weather forecast for the day's "UV index" and stay indoors or in the shade.