London: Using a sunscreen cream or lotion while you are out in the sun? Well, give a second thought! It is not so safe as you think, a new study has revealed.

Sunscreens have been heavily promoted as a means of protecting sunbathers, but they may have the opposite effect, says a report in the 'Journal of the National Cancer Institute'.

Researchers have found that sun worshippers are at higher risk of developing skin cancer by using sunscreens that encourage them to stay too long in the glare.

Sunburn has long been regarded as an important cause of melanoma, but experts now argue that the real risk comes from spending too long in the sun, and that using sun creams to protect against sunburn may instead promote the cancer, according to a report in 'The Independent'.

Antony Young of King's College, London said that several large scale studies over the past few years had been "unable to tease out any clear relationship" between sunscreen use and melanoma incidence. But some recent studies showed have sunscreens increased the incidence of melanoma.

The study by Philippe Autier of the European Institute of Oncology in Milan suggests melanoma may be at least a two-stage process, with different kinds of solar radiation causing new moles in childhood and their growth into larger moles that later become cancerous.

Over the past decade, he has become convinced that sunburn is "probably not part of the mechanism of cancer". It may simply be a marker of people with sensitive skins who are more prone to skin cancer and who have spent too long in the sun.

The only way to reduce the risk of melanoma may be to hide from the sun in the shade, cover up with a hat and long-sleeved shirt, or stay indoors, the researchers suggests.

ANI