Sunburns during childhood may be associated with skin cancer later in life
By
Mallika Marshall, MD
/ CBS Boston
BOSTON -- Sunburns during childhood may be associated with skin cancer later in life.
Researchers looked at more than 169,000 Norwegian women and found that those with a greater number of sunburns throughout life were at higher risk of melanoma and squamous cell skin cancer and that sunburns in childhood were the biggest contributor to melanoma later in life.
Therefore it's crucial for parents to help their children avoid sunburns with protective clothing, effective sunscreens, and avoiding excessive sun exposure.
Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.