Paeds · preventive-and-community-paediatrics
Sun protection and skin cancer prevention
Also known as Photoprotection · Sunscreen counselling · UV protection children · Childhood skin cancer prevention · Indoor tanning prevention · Slip Slop Slap
Fellowship-level approach to childhood sun protection and skin-cancer prevention: UV biology, age-banded counselling, layered photoprotection, indoor tanning, vitamin D balance, high-risk phenotypes, and regional practice differences.
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Target exams
Red flags
- Adolescent using indoor tanning beds or intentional high-intensity UV exposure
- Severe blistering sunburn in an infant or young child — assess fluids, infection risk and caregiver capacity
- Child with albinism, xeroderma pigmentosum or profound photosensitivity without a strict protection plan
- Rapidly changing pigmented lesion or suspected melanoma — do not delay with generic sunscreen advice alone
- Photosensitising medication plus unprotected peak-hour outdoor exposure
- Promoting intentional midday sun exposure as the primary vitamin D strategy
Life stages
Care settings
Clinical exam formats
Board mappings
- General and Community Paediatrics
- Dermatology
- Renewed curriculum for first-year trainees from 2027 — Learning goal 5: Clinical assessment – essential general paediatrics
- Renewed curriculum for first-year trainees from 2027 — Learning goal 6: Clinical management – essential general paediatrics
- Renewed curriculum for first-year trainees from 2027 — Learning goal 12: Communication with patients, families, and health professionals
- Renewed curriculum for first-year trainees from 2027 — Learning goal 15: Essential general paediatrics
- Renewed curriculum for first-year trainees from 2027 — Learning goal 16: Health promotion and illness prevention
- Clinical Applications
- Long Cases
- Short Cases
- Communication
- 4. Professional skills and knowledge: Patient management
- 5. Health promotion and illness prevention
- General Paediatrics: Provides health promotion and anticipatory guidance appropriate to age and development
- Foundation of Practice (FOP)
- Applied Knowledge in Practice (AKP)
- History
- General Pediatrics Content Outline — Domain 1: Preventive Pediatrics/Well-Child Care
- General Pediatrics Content Outline — Domain 15: Dermatology
- General Pediatrics Content Outline — Universal Task 2: Epidemiology and Risk Assessment
- General Pediatrics Content Outline — Universal Task 4: Management and Treatment
- Patient Care 5: Patient Management
- Medical Knowledge 1: Clinical Reasoning
- Interpersonal and Communication Skills 1: Patient- and Family-Centered Communication
- Systems-Based Practice 2: System Navigation for Patient-Centered Care
- Medical Expert
- Health Advocate
- Pediatrics: Foundations EPA #8 — Communicating assessment findings and management plans to patients and/or families
- Pediatrics: Core EPA #1 — Assessing, diagnosing, and managing patients with acute common presentations
Overview & Definition
A caregiver asks at a well-child visit: “Is sunscreen enough for the beach this weekend?” The short clinical answer is no. Sun protection means reducing harmful ultraviolet (UV) dose while still supporting outdoor life. Skin-cancer prevention in paediatrics is mostly primary prevention — building habits before cumulative DNA injury becomes adult disease. [1] [2]
UV radiation from sunlight and artificial sources drives the three main skin cancers: basal cell carcinoma (BCC), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and melanoma. Children and adolescents are a critical window. Roughly a quarter of lifetime sun exposure often occurs before adulthood, and intense childhood exposure shapes later melanoma risk more than families realise. [2] [7]
Photoprotection is not the same as locking a child indoors. You want the child outside for play, sport and mental health — with a plan that stops sunburn and lowers long-term risk. That plan is layered behaviour, not a single product. [1] [4]
References14ShowHide
- [1]Section on Dermatology, Balk SJ Ultraviolet radiation: a hazard to children and adolescents Pediatrics, 2011.PMID 21357336
- [2]Balk SJ Ultraviolet radiation: a hazard to children and adolescents Pediatrics, 2011.PMID 21357345
- [3]Balk SJ Counseling on Sun Protection and Indoor Tanning Pediatrics, 2017.PMID 29127209
- [4]Balk SJ Sun Protection Pediatrics in review, 2023.PMID 37002351
- [5]Green AC Reduced melanoma after regular sunscreen use: randomized trial follow-up Journal of clinical oncology, 2011.PMID 21135266
- [6]Armstrong BK The epidemiology of UV induced skin cancer Journal of photochemistry and photobiology. B, Biology, 2001.PMID 11684447
- [7]Whiteman DC Childhood sun exposure as a risk factor for melanoma: a systematic review of epidemiologic studies Cancer causes & control, 2001.PMID 11227927
- [8]Gandini S Meta-analysis of risk factors for cutaneous melanoma: II. Sun exposure European journal of cancer, 2005.PMID 15617990
- [9]Colantonio S The association of indoor tanning and melanoma in adults: systematic review and meta-analysis Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 2014.PMID 24629998
- [10]Balk SJ Counseling parents and children on sun protection: a national survey of pediatricians Pediatrics, 2004.PMID 15466105
- [11]Baig IT A Review of the Impact of Sun Safety Interventions in Children Dermatology practical & conceptual, 2023.PMID 36892334
- [12]Li M Sun Safety in Elementary School: Trialing Strategies for Keeping Children Protected Journal of cutaneous medicine and surgery, 2023.PMID 37947200
- [13]Akca G The Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Parents Regarding Sun Protection for Their Children Advances in skin & wound care, 2024.PMID 38767427
- [14]van der Pols JC Long-term increase in sunscreen use in an Australian community after a skin cancer prevention trial Preventive medicine, 2006.PMID 16325898