Australian children developing fewer moles

Photo by Amanda Mills, USCDCP, via Pixnio

A long-running Queensland, Australia, study has found children are developing significantly fewer moles than their peers were 25 years ago, with predictions of a major reduction in future melanoma risk.

The Brisbane Twin Nevus Study, published in the British Journal of Dermatology, tracked the development of moles in twins and their siblings who turned 12 each year from 1992 to 2016. There were a total of 3,957 participants living in South-East Queensland.

In a press release, the authors note that mole count is one of the strongest predictors of lifetime melanoma risk, particularly in pale-skinned populations exposed to high levels of ultraviolet (UV) radiation.

Investigators found the average number of moles on people’s bodies had dropped by 47% over the study’s duration. The reduction in mole numbers was not explained by changes in skin colour or ethnicity.

Researchers say they believe the most likely reason for the decline is reduced sun exposure before age 12, a critical period for mole development. This behavioural shift aligns with decades of sun safety education via the” Slip Slop Slap” campaigns.

The study estimates that an 11.7% reduction in average annual UV dose over the study period could account for the drop in mole counts. Based on melanoma risk models, this could lead to a fourfold decrease in lifetime melanoma risk for children born after 2000 compared to those born in the 1980s.

“These findings show that people these days are developing far fewer moles than in previous generations and that early sun protection is having a measurable impact,” said senior author David Duffy, PhD, in a press release. “It’s a strong signal that public health messaging is changing behaviour in ways that will reduce melanoma rates in the future.”

Dr. Duffy, a researcher at the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute in Queensland, analyzed the findings from the 1990s onwards.

Professor Nick Martin, PhD, the study’s lead, says the findings were greater than they had anticipated when they first planned the research in the 1990s.

“I think this will reinforce and remind parents to make sure their kids are well protected when they go out in the sun. There’s a lot of good sun safe behaviour happening, but there’s always a new generation coming along and a danger that the attention could slip.”

“This this is a really a good case of research, and public health going hand in hand to help save lives in the future.”