Editor's note: Please note that although sunscreen may help prevent sun-burns, it can also make it easier for an individual to suffer vitamin D deficiency, which has been linked to more than 100 health conditions including heart disease, cancer, depression and diabetes.  Ironically, studies show that sufficient levels of serum vitamin D, which is produced when the skin is exposed to the sun, can help prevent the most lethal malignancy, melanoma, even though over exposure to sunlight can increase risk for non-life-threatening skin cancers.   The best approach is not to expose yourselves to the sun for too long at the hottest hours of the day.  Also please note that sunscreens often contain nanoparticles, which may potentially post health risks.  If you want to avoid the sun, you can wear thick clothing, a hat and other things. But you don't have to wear risky sunscreens or ineffective sunscreens. 

By Maria Cendejas

According to abcnews, a new study says that many young people don't use sunscreen regularly, regardless of the fact that many of them suffered sunburns at some point when they were younger, and it increases the risk of developing melanoma later in life.

Researchers from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York followed 360 kids around the age of 10 between 2004 and 2007 and they surveyed them about if they ever had any sunburns, how much time they spent outside in the sun, and how often they used sunscreen.

The study was published in the journal Pediatrics, and it found more than half the children reported having at least one sunburn in the summer before, and when they were questioned 3 years later the number was about the same.

"At the same time, there was a significant reduction in reported sunscreen use," said Stephen Dusza the lead author and a research epidemiologist at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

At the beginning of the study 50% of the kids said they used sunscreen, and the number dropped to 25% 3 years later. Light-complexioned children were at higher risk, since they were more likely to have multiple sunburns.

Most of the participants from the study said they liked to appear more tanned, and the number of children that said they spent more time sun to get a tan increased over the 3 year period.

Dusza said the findings highlight the importance of finding effective ways to educate children of this impressionable age group about sun safety and the potential dangers of excessive exposure to ultraviolet light.   

"When you ask kids or teens about tanning, they say people look better with a tan, and tanning has a very positive association in kids of this age, so trying to get them to limit this behavior is a difficult message to get across," Dusza said.

"This is the age group we need to make an impact on, becuase it gets harder to make an impact as they get into their later teen and early adult years," said Dr. Jonette Keri, an associate professor of dermatology at the University of Miami's Miller School of Medicine.

But messages can easily get lost on children this age, experts said.

"It's a time where parents don't have as much control and kids do what they want. Their mortality is not something they think about, and there are also a lot of things we're telling them not to do. We need to get them to start early, and if they do that, it will become one of their habits," said Dr. Michel McDonald, a director of cosmetic dermatology at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville.

Melanoma is the most dangerous type of skin cancer. "This is a very bad disease, so we need to identify what these kids think and once we know, we can target their thinking and try to change their habits. The problem is the idea of a tan being beautiful is perpetuated on television and in the media, and it's very hard to break that. Maybe we can get them thinking about their skin, and get them to examine it carefully and know what changes to look for, so if they do go tanning or are out in the sun, they can at least be aware of the signs of skin cancer so they can get treated early," said Keri. 

Dusza said him and his colleagues plan to follow the same group of children up until their senior year of high achool. They also plan to get more children in future for their research with the hope what they learn about kids' sun protection habit will be used to develop more effective messages.

"Along with educational efforst in physicians' offices and schools, further studies are required to learn how to interweave enhanced sun-protection policies in settings such as beaches, after-school sites, and sporting events frequented by preadolescents and adolescents," the authors wrote.