Health Team

Sunburn still a problem despite sunscreen benefits, new research shows

Most people have heard that using sunscreen and avoiding overexposure to the sun can help protect them from harmful rays, but a new study shows that many people still get burned.

Posted Updated

By
Allen Mask
, M.D., WRAL Health Team physician

As warmer weather approaches and people start to get outside more, the risk of getting sunburned increases.

Most people have heard that using sunscreen and avoiding overexposure to the sun can help protect them from harmful rays, but a new study shows that many people still get burned.

Researchers who looked at data on more than 30,000 adults found about a third of them experienced sunburn during the course of a year. The data spanned various ages and ethnicities.

"If you looked at young people – people in their twenties – about 50 percent of them experienced a sunburn," said Dr. Melissa Piliand, a dermatologist at the Cleveland Clinic.

Piliand and other researchers found that people most likely to get a sunburn were young adults, people with sensitive skin and people who exercised outdoors. People who used sunless tanners and those who were obese were also more likely to be burned.

One or more bad sunburns increases a person's risk for skin cancers and skin aging, doctors said.

Too much sun is not only risky for people with fair skin, though — even people with darker skin tones have a 13 to 30 percent risk of getting sunburned.

Most people have heard that using sunscreen and avoiding overexposure to the sun can help protect them from harmful rays, but a new study shows that many people still get burned.

People who enjoy aerobic exercise outdoors also have a higher risk due to increased time spent in the sun. They also tend to sweat off sunscreen protection, according to the research. Doctors recommend using waterproof and sweat-resistant sunscreens to prevent it washing away.

Piliang said people often assume sunless tanners will protect them from the harmful effects of the sun, but they don't. Her advice is simple: slather on the sunscreen.

"Wear sunscreen," Piliang said. "You want to really follow the directions on the package very carefully. You want to apply it before you go outside; put on an ounce of sunscreen — that's the amount in a shot glass — to cover your whole body, and you want to reapply every few hours, especially after swimming or sweating."

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