Sloppy Sunscreen Habits

Posted on May 30, 2009 in Consumer Goods, Recent Studies, The Environment

Are you one of the 31% of Americans who never wear sunscreen? A poll conducted by Consumer Reports National Research Center shows that many Americans are either not using sunscreen correctly or at all, leading to a high rate of skin cancers.

Sixty-nine percent of Americans said they were only occasional users of sunscreen, despite the fact that only ten minutes in the sun can expose you to cancer-causing ultraviolet UVA and UVB rays. Top reasons for slacking on the sunscreen included getting it in eyes and sand sticking to skin. Forty percent of respondents cited cost as bothersome, while about a third mentioned stains and smells that wouldn’t wash out and not being able to wash sunscreen off their hands.

The news isn’t all bad: 22 percent of those polled said they’d been examined by a doctor for something they thought might be skin cancer, a sign that awareness is rising. Consumer Reports’ survey also included tips for sunscreen use, such as religiously checking the expiration date. If an expiration date isn’t clearly marked, write the purchase date on the bottle with a marker.

Sunscreen alone may not protect skin, so invest in tightly-woven clothing and a broad-brimmed hat and limit sun exposure during the hottest time of the day. Researching purchases is also a wise idea, since past tests have shown that different formulas or SPFs within the same brand may not rate the same.

ALSO FEATURED: The Environmental Working Group names best sunscreens.