Sunscreen use at Danish beaches and how to improve coverage.

Sunscreen use at Danish beaches and how to improve coverage. Dan Med J. 2018 Apr;65(4): Authors: Heerfordt IM Abstract Exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) from the sun is the main risk factor for development of skin cancer. The incidence of skin cancer in Denmark and worldwide is high and increasing. The overall aim was to achieve basic knowledge about sun protection with sunscreen among beachgoers in Denmark. Other aims were to establish a method to investigate sunscreen distribution on the body and to test two approaches to optimize the used amount and body distribution of sunscreen. Furthermore, time and duration of a beach visit and use of protective clothes among beachgoers were determined to investigate the risk the beachgoers expose themselves to. 
Of the counted number of beachgoers 46% were at the beach between noon and 3 p.m. where the UVR is strongest and a mean beach visit lasted 142 minutes. In the middle of the day 90% of the beachgoers wore swimwear and sunscreen application was their only possible sun protection. More beachgoers wore protective clothes in the morning and late afternoon.
 Seventy-eight percent of women wearing swimwear reported sunscreen use at the beach and 49% of men reported sunscreen use. They used a sunscreen with a median sun protection factor (SPF) of 20 (interquartile range: 15-30). The effective SPF probably decreases exponentially with decreasing quantity of sunscreen applied. Users a...
Source: Danish Medical Journal - Category: General Medicine Tags: Dan Med J Source Type: research