New skin cancer findings from The Suncorp Skin Cancer Laboratories at The Queensland Institute of Medical Research demonstrate that the development of moles in very young children (under the age of 4) is strongly linked to sun exposure and a particular skin type.

Previous research at QIMR has shown that people with high mole counts have greatly increased risks of melanoma in later life. This new QIMR study is one of the first of its kind to examine mole counts in very young children.

Alarmingly, by the age of 1, 60% of children had at least 1 mole, by the age of 2, 100% had at least 1 mole and by the age of 3, 70% had more than 10 moles.
“ Skin colour, skin type and facial freckling were all associated with mole counts in these young children, as well as ethnicity. Children with dark skin and those who developed deep tans had significantly lower mole counts than children with fair skins,” said QIMR’s Dr David Whiteman.

Of significance was the fact that the presence of facial freckling was associated with markedly higher mole counts on both the trunk, head and neck. Children with green or hazel eyes also had higher mole counts than children with brown or black eyes, as did children who were exposed to moderate to high levels of sun exposure on weekends than children who spent less time outdoors.

QIMR has recently announced a partnership with Suncorp, to educate the community about the dangers of skin cancer and how to prevent it. Suncorp will also financially support skin cancer research at QIMR, which is desperately needed as skin cancer is the most common cancer in Australia and the most expensive to treat.

Two out of three Australians will develop skin cancer.

QIMR is a registered charity and relies on donations and bequests in wills to continue its research into more than 30 life-threatening diseases and conditions. All donations go directly into research.

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