Sunscreen Use

The results of a study done last year on sunscreen usage in the U.S. absolutely shocked me.
Despite years of public health messages warning about the potential ill effects of the sun, only about one-third of Americans use sunscreen. This study was done by the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Women are a bit more diligent than men and 34% use sunscreens on exposed skin while just 20% of men do. Usage on the face only was a bit better as 43% of women wore sunscreen on their faces while just 18% of men did.
Some other interesting facts:
• 36% of Hispanic women use sunscreen on their faces
• 15% of black women used facial sunscreens
• 16% of Hispanic men and just 4% of black men use facial sunscreen


The results mirrored studies in other countries with Australia having higher percentages as a result of their governments slip, slap, slop campaign.
Even those that do use sunscreen are sorely lacking education about the product. More than 10% did not know the SPF of their product while m40% did not know whether their product was broad spectrum. Many sunscreens just protect against UVB light (the kind that burns the skin) and not UVA light (the kind that ages the skin).
The study points out one reason that Melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, has been on the rise. In 1975 just 8.7 per 100,000 people had Melanoma while that figure has quadrupled in recent years. Ironically, this is happening despite very high SPF’s on the market. Some researchers think, and I agree, that the high SPFs (50 and above) are dangerous as they fool people into thinking they are protected more than they are.
Remember all Absolutely Natural sunscreens protect against both UVA and UVB and have no harmful chemicals the can potentially damage you’re the eco system and have long term negative effects on your skin and health.

Best regards,
Charley


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