Dynamite News How Hyperpigmentation patients shield themselves from sun
The researchers at Boston Medical Center (BMC) and Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) suggested that sun protection is recommended for maintaining healthy skin and preventing skin cancer, but for the patients with hyper pigmentation it is also essential to their treatment
Washington D.C: A team of researchers has found that the patients with hyperpigmentation, a medical disorder that leads to darkening or increase in the natural color of the skin, are likelier to use sunscreen but not follow other sun protection measures like reapplying sunscreen after every two hours.
The researchers at Boston Medical Center (BMC) and Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) suggested that sun protection is recommended for maintaining healthy skin and preventing skin cancer, but for the patients with hyperpigmentation it is also essential to their treatment.
The findings indicated that Hyperpigmentation led to an increased use of sunscreen among patients, but only few reported taking other sun protection measures or reapplying sunscreen after every two hours.
Nearly half of the sunscreen users did not know if their sunscreen provided broad spectrum protection.
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"It is important for providers to educate patients on the many ways to keep their skin safe in the sun," said lead researcher Neelam Vashi.
"It's encouraging that so many patients are utilising sunscreen, but we can still improve the practice of safe sun behaviours by improving counseling early in patients' diagnosis, recommending sunscreen use for all ethnicities and providing a wide range of methods to decrease sun exposure," Vashi added.
The team analysed 404 adults who had a diagnosis of cutaneous hyperpigmentation and found that majority of the patients reported using sunscreen, a number significantly higher than the general public.
Women were more likely to wear sunscreen, as were white and Hispanic patients, which is consistent with other studies.
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The results further suggested that those with melasma, which causes brown patches on the face, were more likely to wear sunscreen than those with other disorders.
The study is published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. (ANI)