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 Researchers found that sunscreen is most often used by women on the
skin of the face, and by people with higher household income.
The cost of sunscreen may be a barrier to use, said lead author Dawn
Holman, a behavioral scientist with the CDC Division of Cancer
Prevention and Control in Chamblee, Georgia.
Based on a summer 2013 online survey of more than 4,000 adults, 18%
of men and 43% of women use sunscreen on the face always or most of
the time when outside on a sunny day for more than an hour.
About 20% of men and 34% of women do the same for other areas of
exposed skin.
“The low sunscreen use we observed among men is consistent with
other studies that found men may view sunscreen as too feminine, and
the low sunscreen use among non-whites may indicate low perceived
susceptibility to sun damage and skin cancer,” Holman told Reuters
Health by email.
Just 36% of Hispanic women and 15% of non-Hispanic black women used
sunscreen on their faces, and the same was true for 16% of Hispanic
men and 4% of non-Hispanic black men.
Among women and men who had a skin cancer in the previous year, 71%
of women and 30% of men used sunscreen on their faces.
Most adults in other countries also do not use sunscreen regularly,
Holman said.
In the U.S. survey, those with sun-sensitive skin, higher household
income and more frequent aerobic activity were more likely to use
sunscreen.
Between 50 and 60% of sunscreen users used SPF 15 to 49 on their
face or body, while more than 10% did not know the SPF (sun
protection factor) of their product, as reported in the Journal of
the American Academy of Dermatology.
Almost 40% of people did not know if the product they use provides
broad-spectrum protection, which blocks both the UVA rays that age
skin and the UVB rays that burn it.
The survey did not ask whether users reapplied sunscreen when
outside for long periods of time.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), a
government-backed independent panel that reviews medical evidence,
recommends that doctors and nurses talk to fair-skinned patients
ages 10 to 24 years about minimizing their UV exposure to reduce
their risk of skin cancer, Holman said.
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Melanoma, a potentially deadly form of skin cancer, has been on the
rise among white Americans, from 8.7 per 100,000 people in 1975 to
27.6 per 100,000 in 2008, according to the National Cancer
Institute. Sun-protective behaviors like sunscreen use help reduce
risk, according to the USPSTF.
“Solid data indicate this practice would decrease wrinkling, skin
discoloration, and development of skin cancers,” said Dr. Henry W.
Lim of the dermatology department at Henry Ford Medical Center in
Detroit, Michigan. He was not part of the new study.
“While the texture of sunscreens has improved, many still do not
like the ‘feel’ of having a somewhat greasy product on the skin,”
Lim said. “Some (products) may also cause mild stinging of eyes if
it gets to the eyes as one sweats.”
Some people simply forget to use it, he told Reuters Health by
email.
“The most immediate benefit of using sunscreen is that it will help
you avoid getting sunburned when spending time outdoors,” Holman
said. “In the long term, regular sunscreen can help prevent
premature skin aging such as wrinkles and age spots.”
Sunscreen isn’t the only way to reduce UV exposure, said David
Buller, research director at Klein Buendel, a health communications
firm in Golden, Colorado.
“Americans should protect themselves by reducing time in the midday
sun, using shade, wearing cover-up clothing and hats (and
sunglasses) and using sunscreen on the remaining unprotected skin,”
he said.
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/1EjA0jm
J Am Acad Dermatol 2015.
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