Individuals with skin of color experience barriers to proper sunscreen usage
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Key takeaways:
- Barriers to sunscreen use among individuals with skin of color include cost, product availability and white cast concerns.
- Dermatologists must be aware of these barriers to help find solutions.
Individuals with skin of color experience barriers to sunscreen usage, warranting dermatologists and other health care providers to address these challenges, according to a study.
“Our study has significant clinical implications for dermatologists and other health care providers,” Jared Jagdeo, MD, MS, associate professor of dermatology and director of the center for photomedicine at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University and a part of the dermatology service at the Veterans Affairs New York Harbor Healthcare System, told Healio. “It is important for clinicians to recognize and address the specific needs and challenges that [skin of color (SOC)] patients face regarding sun protection.”
To uncover the sunscreen practices, barriers and preferences of individuals with SOC, Jagdeo and colleagues conducted a cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study. The study included 150 individuals (mean age, 31.1 years; 58% women), of which 37% identified as non-Hispanic white and 63% reported having SOC.
Individuals with skin of color vs. those who were non-Hispanic white were less likely to wear sunscreen daily (25% vs. 31%) and reapply sunscreen at least once a day (45% vs. 76%). However, those with SOC also expressed higher levels of willingness to use sunscreen daily compared with non-Hispanic white individuals.
“This suggests that the lower usage rates are not due to a lack of willingness to use sunscreen, but external factors such as cost, product availability and concerns about white cast,” Jagdeo said.
Survey responses confirmed this reasoning, with a higher proportion of SOC vs. non-Hispanic white individuals facing barriers such as cost (16% vs. 2%), lack of knowledge in finding suitable products (41% vs. 22%) and concerns about white cast (25% vs. 7%).
“Clinicians should recommend sunscreens that minimize white cast, offer cost-effective options and educate patients about the importance of sunscreen use regardless of skin tone,” Jagdeo said.
Results also showed that an education barrier is present between these groups with only 29% of SOC respondents knowing the difference between mineral and chemical sunscreen vs. 49% of non-Hispanic white individuals. Additionally, the respondents with SOC reported being less likely to learn about sunscreen from their dermatologist vs. their non-Hispanic white counterparts (22% vs. 36%).
Those with SOC vs. non-Hispanic white individuals also expressed that they were more likely to prefer sunscreen from brands owned by individuals with SOC (47% vs. 13%).
“Dermatologists should be aware of the unique barriers SOC patients face,” Jagdeo told Healio. “By addressing these concerns and providing culturally competent care, clinicians can improve sunscreen adherence and overall skin health in SOC populations.”
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