UNDATED (CBS)--A new study in the journal Pediatrics shows that only 25 percent of children use sunscreen regularly. The study looked at 360 children in Massachusetts and found that at least half of those children experienced sunburns before age 11. Melanoma is one of the two most common cancers found in young Americans.
Children who have had a sunburn at an early age are at almost double the risk for developing melanoma as adults. Doctors say it's important to have a skin exam at least once a year and look out for lesions that change shape, size or color or become painful, bleed or itch.
It's estimated there will be more than 76,000 new cases of melanoma diagnosed this year and more than 9,100 deaths.