MICHELLE NIEDZIELA
HCD Research, Flemington, USA

Summer is coming to a close. The longer days and hotter weather, with higher UV levels, will begin to decrease.
The incidence of melanoma has been rising worldwide. One possible reason for this is natural and artificial UV exposure without adequate skin protection. Only little data on actual consumer skin protection behaviors and usage of sunscreen are available. Therefore, it is difficult to describe trends for both and identify the impact of preventive measures.

SkinStore.com conducted a survey of women across the US and found that only 28% use any SPF on a daily basis. The study also found that more women are concerned about premature signs of aging than developing skin cancer, possibly explaining why more women (80%) rely on sunglasses as their main sun protection (protecting skin against formation of crow’s feet and other wrinkles around the eyes) rather than an SPF product.

The elevated rates of sun exposure and low rates of sun protection in adult women indicate a need for age- and gender-appropriate interventions that address these behaviors. A study from Lawler et al. (2012) sho ...