Evaluation of sunscreen application and level of photoprotective knowledge in dermatologists and photo sensitive patients

Abstract

Objective To evaluate the sunscreen application and the level of photoprotective knowledge in both dermatologists and photosensitive patients. Methods The style, sites and amount of the sunscreen applied were examined by 0. 05 % dipyridamole cream in 39 dermatologists and 41 photosensitive patients with Wood's light. The participants were asked to fill in a questionnaire about the photoprotective knowledge. Results Frequent mistakes made by participants in this study were as follow: (1) using an inadequate amount of sunscreen; (2) putting sunscreen in the palm of the hand and rubbing the hands together before application; (3) lacking a systematic approach to sunscreen application. The median quantity of individual sites ranged from 0. 5 mg/cm2 to 1 mg/cm2 except for the forehead of the female dermatologist that had a median thickness of 1. 5 mg/cm2. The questionnaire survey showed that dermatologists also had less knowledge on sun protection even though better than photosensitive patients. Conclusions Dermatologists and photosensitive patients always fail to apply sunscreen in some prominently exposed sites and to paint the average thickness of sunscreen used far less than that of experimentally measured dose (2 mg/cm2). Continuing education and training about pho-toprotection for dermatologists should be carried out to provide better education for the patients on sun protection. Key words: Photosensitive; Dipyridainole cream