Many adult patients who have been treated for skin cancer spent a lot of time in the sun as children, said a surgeon.
Animesh Patel, a consultant plastic and reconstructive surgeon with the Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, warned parents to be vigilant with their children's skin.
He said every year the plastic surgery department carried out "well over 1,000 operations" to remove sun-related skin cancers and he did not see the number dropping.
He explained the skin of children and babies was much more sensitive than adults, and damage caused by repeated exposure could lead to skin cancer in later life.
Mr Patel said although fair-skinned people burned easily and were at a greatest risk, people of all ethnicities needed to take care.
