Sun-sensitive people need more than sunscreen to prevent sunburn



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(Reuters Health) – According to a new study, people who have pale skin and are sensitive to the sun should use several sun protection behaviors to prevent sunburn.

Those who used only sunscreen were more likely to be burned than those who also wore a hat, wore protective clothing, and sat in the shadows.

For the prevention of skin cancer, it is essential to understand how sunscreen behaviors are related to sunburn, said Kasey Morris, head of the study at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland .

Skin cancer affects millions of Americans and would cost more than $ 8 billion a year for melanoma and skin cancer without melanoma. About 1 in 5 people are diagnosed with skin cancer in their lifetime and 201,000 Americans will be diagnosed with the most dangerous malignant melanoma in 2018.

"Most of these cases are caused by exposure Excessive ultraviolet radiation and could be prevented through adequate sun protection behaviors, "Morris told Reuters Health via email.

Morris and his colleague Frank Perna badyzed data from more than 28,000 responses to the sun. 39; National Health Interview Survey 2015. The survey asked participants what would happen to their skin if they were exposed to the sun for one hour after several months of non-exposure. severe blistering with blisters, "" having a moderate sunburn with a scrub ", or" lightly burning with a little or no tan "were considered to be sensitive to the sun. said "get darker without sunburn" or "nothing would happen" were considered non-sun-sensitive.

Survey respondents also reported how often they had sunburned in the past year and how often they used sunscreen on a hot, sunny day. The choices included sunscreen, shade, a hat or visor, a wide brimmed hat, long sleeves and long pants.

Most people – 77 percent – used at least one form of sunscreen. Shadow research was the most common, used by 40% of people. Wearing long sleeves was less common, at 16%.

Of the approximately 16,000 sun-sensitive respondents, those who used only sunscreen had the highest rate of sunburn, 62%. Sun-sensitive people with the least risk of sunburn did not use sunscreen but found shadows, wore a hat, and wore protective clothing.

Among the 12,000 non-sun-sensitive respondents, those who used four protective behaviors had the lowest probability of sunburn, at 7%.

"The most surprising and counter-intuitive conclusion was that the regular use of sunscreen, in the absence of other protective behaviors, was badociated with the higher likelihood of strokes. sun, "said Morris.

When used correctly, sunscreen blocks UV rays, she added. However, in a real environment, people may not apply enough sunscreen or as often as needed to prevent sunburn. They can also overestimate how long they can safely stay in the sun.

"This study highlights the recommendations that sunscreen should not be used in isolation," Morris said.

The chief surgeon's call to prevent skin cancer recommends limiting sun time, especially between 10 am and 2 pm, using broad-spectrum sunscreens over SPF 15, applying sunscreen every two hours. "It's clear that we need to go back to square one to educate Americans on the use of enough sunscreen so that all sun exposed body parts are covered and reapplied quite frequently," said Alan Geller of the Sun. Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health in Boston. Geller, who did not participate in this study, is studying melanoma mortality in the elderly and in people with lower socio-economic status. "It's good to see that shading has become the main form of sun protection because it's free, inexpensive and feels better than being out in the hot sun," he said. he told Reuters Health by e-mail. "We need to create more shade structures in schools and parks, where we can have more control over the physical environment than on beaches and lakes."

"We can not changing skin type we can work vigilantly for ourselves and our children to prevent sunburn, which has a negative effect on our DNA, "said Geller.

SOURCE: bit.ly/2JbBy9x JAMA Dermatology, online June 27, 2018.

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