Can One Bad Sunburn Really Increase Your Skin Cancer Risk?

You Should Know: It’s a pretty common summertime sight: kids’ lathered with sunscreen and donning sun hats and long-sleeve swim shirts at the beach. Parents may be mostly concerned with preventing the immediate pain and discomfort of a bad sunburn — but it may also have a long-term benefit. Research suggests even one bad sunburn in childhood and adolescence can increase your risk of skin cancer later in life.

Going Deeper: The damage from a severe sunburn goes far deeper than just redness on the skin’s surface. Dermatologists call bad sunburns — the ones that cause blistering and peeling skin — “life-changing sunburns.” That’s because they can cause extensive DNA damage and mutations, which accumulate over time and can lead to skin cancer. The risk of getting deadly melanoma as an adult more than doubles with five or more sunburns or even one severe childhood sunburn. 

Takeaway: Adults and kids alike should protect their skin from UV rays, but children are more vulnerable to life-changing sunburns. They tend to spend more time outside, and their skin pigment–producing cells are biologically different from adult cells. 

Bottom Line: Be vigilant with children’s sun protection; apply (and reapply) sunscreen regularly, dress them in protective clothing, and limit direct sun exposure during peak midday hours.