Time to rethink that trip to Tuscany: a German study of close to
2200 kids found that the more often a child's family
vacationed in sunny, southern climes, the more likely the child
was to have multiple melanocytic nevi, moles that are a precursor to
melanoma. Yikes. Trips to northern destinations did not seem to have an
effect on the number of moles the kids had.
It's important to note that moles are extremely common, particularly among
light-skinned people, and the vast majority will never develop
into melanoma. Typically, the number of moles a person has is based on genetic factors, but sun
exposure also contributes, and researchers are particularly concerned
about intense bouts of UV exposure that can occur closer to south, er,
the Equator. (If you're in the southern hemisphere, just please bear
with me and turn everything upside down. So when I say south, for you it's north. Or, uh, something like that.)
Naturally, if you can't escape the siren call to the Carribbean or the Mediterranean, experts suggest that parents
minimize their children's sun
exposure by staying in the shade during the peak UV hours of 10a, - 4
pm (sounds like prime Nap Time to me!) and wear hats and sunscreen.
