As many as one in 10 parents are ignoring "safe sun" messages and putting their children at risk of burns and skin cancer, it was claimed today.

Of more than 800 parents surveyed across the UK, 10% admitted never using sunscreen on their children, despite the dangers to young skin.
Children are especially vulnerable to damage from the sun's ultra violet rays that years later can lead to skin cancer.

Not only is their skin sensitive, but they tend to spend large amounts of time out and about in the sunshine.

One episode of sunburn may be enough to trigger changes that result in potentially deadly melanoma skin cancer. It can take up to 15 years before the first signs of cancer appear.

The survey accompanied a report from a panel of experts who said fair- skinned children under 12 should routinely be covered up by sunscreen with a minimum sun protection factor (SPF) rating of 50.

They called for a much more cautious approach than current guidelines from Cancer Research UK's "SunSmart" campaign which urges adults and children alike to use factor 15 or above sunscreens.

Gillian Godsell, skin cancer nurse specialist and a member of the Sunsense for Life panel, said: "Sunburn in children can double the risk of skin cancer, causing deep-seated damage that only becomes apparent years later.

"Children who are overly exposed to the sun now are storing up problems for the future, and it is essential to teach appropriate sun protection habits in childhood if we are to reduce the incidence of skin cancer in later life."

The panel's inquiry into sun protection was sponsored by Sunsense, Australia's leading brand of sunscreen, but none of its five members had any links with the company. They consisted of three dermatologists, a specialist nurse, and a pharmacist.

Their report concluded that:

Babies under six months old should be kept in shade or covered up, and not taken into bright sunshine.

Pale skinned infants and children aged seven months to 12 years should be protected with minimum 50 SPF sunscreen.

Children in the same age range with brown or black skin should still be protected, with at least factor 30 sunscreen.
Older children aged 12 and over should use sunscreens with an SPF of at least 25.

All adults aged 18 and above should apply sunscreens rated at not less than factor 20.

Skin cancer is now the most common form of cancer in the UK. Around 75,000 new cases are diagnosed each year, including 9,000 cases of melanoma. An estimated 1,800 Britons die each year from malignant skin cancer.
Campaigners say the UK is 20 years behind Australia, where the dangers of the sun are taken very seriously and sunscreens rated at less than factor 30 are hard to find.

Cancer Research UK based its SPF 15 recommendation on the need to balance adequate protection with the cost of pricey high factor sunscreens. Factor 30 sunscreen offers only 2% more protection than a factor 15, which still blocks 96% of the sun's rays.

"A common misconception is that factor 30 gives double the protection of factor 15," said a CRUK spokeswoman.