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(Reuters Health) – When applying sunscreen, people tend to forget the spots on the face. A new study suggests that this is even more likely when they use SPF moisturizers.
Many moisturizers contain ingredients that offer a sun protection factor (SPF) comparable to that of sunscreens. In theory, both options could offer similar protection against harmful ultraviolet (UV) light.
Previous studies have shown that people do not use enough sunscreen, but less is known about how they apply SPF moisturizers thoroughly, note the study authors in PLoS ONE.
To find out, the researchers invited 84 people to perform two laboratory visits. During a visit, they were asked to apply sunscreen on their face and, on the other hand, a moisturizer SPF. Before and after these applications, the researchers exposed the participants to UV radiation and took pictures using UV-sensitive cameras to show they had totally protected their faces at the camera. 39; helps with sunscreen or moisturizer.
Overall, 17% of participants, or nearly one in five, failed to cover their entire face when they used a moisturizer SPF, while 11%, or about one in 10 have not achieved this goal with sunscreen.
This difference is mainly due to the decrease in coverage around the eyes: about one in six participants forgot the areas surrounding the eyelids with sunscreen, just like one in five participants using SPF moisturizers.
"We expected moisturizers to better cover eyelid areas than sunscreens because we thought that moisturizers would cause less tingling in the eyes if they accidentally entered the eyes or we did not think they were safe." There is a difference between the two, "said Austin McCormick, lead author of the Aintree University Hospital study in Liverpool, UK.
"Instead, we found that when we used a moisturizer with SPF, we less covered the area of the face and in particular the area of the eyelids, which was missing more," McCormick said by e-mail. "This is important because eyelids are a common site for skin cancer."
Participants were largely unaware that they had forgotten sunscreen stains or moisturizing SPF, leaving the areas of the face at increased risk of unprotected cancer, stress the study's authors.
According to Elizabeth Elizabeth Martin, President of Pure Dermatology & Aesthetics in Hoover, Alabama, people may be more careful with sunscreen than with moisturizer because they use them differently in their daily routine, since not participated in the study.
"Maybe there's a difference because, when people are considering applying sunscreen, they know that they're going to put it to a specific purpose – to protect themselves from the sun – and that They may be a little less diligent with the moisturizer with SPF such that it is a part of their daily routine, regardless of sun exposure, "Martin said. email.
Some participants might also use separate moisturizers for their eye contour and deliberately avoid using moisturizer SPF around the eyes for this reason, Martin said.
As they may miss certain places, it is essential that people take other measures to protect themselves from the sun, including hats and sunglbades with UV protection, advised Martin.
Regardless of the form of moisturizer or SPF sunscreen used, users must reapply every two hours when they are active on the outside, Dr. David said. Leffell, a skin cancer specialist at the Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut. involved in the study.
"A moisturizer with SPF does not replace sunscreen or other sun protection best practices," Leffell said via email. "People should use sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or 50 but more than 50 is not usually necessary and less than 30 is also not enough in my opinion."
SOURCE: bit.ly/2Vl0lyD PLoS ONE, online April 3, 2019.
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