When the weather is warm and the sun shines, people like to spend time outside. But it’s important to remember to protect your skin because all that fun in the sun can lead to serious sun damage!
In addition to sun damage, excess time in the sun without protection can lead to skin cancer. It’s important that Americans take sun safety seriously, but do they? According to a new report from Advanced Dermatology, not so much.
Americans are reportedly not using sunscreen or sunblock regularly on their body. Only 13% say they use sunscreen on their body most or all of the time, while 53% say they use it sometimes, and 34% rarely or never put on sunscreen. Nearly 2 in 5 men (39%) rarely or never use sunscreen, compared to 28% of women.
Only 31% of Americans say they wear sunscreen year-round. The majority of people (58%) report only wearing sunscreen during the summer months and even more concerning, more than 1 in 10 say they don’t wear sunscreen at all.
Just because Americans aren’t putting sunscreen on their bodies daily, more do apply protection to their face regularly. Nearly half (44%) of women use sunscreen on their face most or all of the time, compared to just 15% of men. Overall, 29% of Americans use sunscreen on their face most or all of the time, while 43% say they sometimes put it on their face, and 28% rarely or never use it.
Deciding when to apply sunscreen may depend on weather and plans, and more than half (52%) say they only wear sunscreen while doing certain activities on sunny days. However, ultraviolet (UV) rays can still impact your skin on cloudy days, so you should still be applying sunscreen even if the sun’s rays are on you directly. According to the survey, 61% of Americans say they never wear sunscreen on partly cloudy or cloudy days.
You can protect yourself from the sun with things besides sunblock and sunscreen, like hats and sunglasses. But that doesn’t mean Americans are always protecting themselves with hats or sunglasses, as 40% of Americans say they rarely or never wear a hat outside and 29% of people say they rarely or never wear sunglasses. It’s also important to make sure you know the sunscreen you’re using hasn’t expired, 48% report checking the expiration dates on their products.
More than 1 in 3 (34%) Americans say they’ve been sunburnt in the last year, primarily on their shoulders or back (53%), their face (49%), their neck (31%), and their arms (30%).
Just because Americans are burning doesn’t mean they’re concerned about skin cancer. Only 54% of respondents are worried about getting skin cancer, and 87% of Americans admit they don’t get annual skin cancer screenings. Additionally, 72% have never been checked by a dermatologist or medical professional for skin cancer.
As more people spend time outside this summer, it’s important to make sure you are taking precautions. Spending a few minutes to put on sunscreen or sunblock can make all the difference for your skin and overall health.
You can take a look at the full results of the survey here.
I always put SPF on my face as part of my skincare routine. I could do a better job of putting sunscreen on the rest of my body, as well.
Me too! I definitely need to use sunscreen more often. My Dad has had many skin cancers removed from his body.