Americans Aren't Wearing Enough Sunscreen, Study Shows

Putting on a healthy dose of sunscreen isn't always America's strongest suit. Now researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have found that only about one-third of Americans use sunscreen on both their face and remaining exposed skin.

"Women may be more likely to use sunscreen on the face because of the anti-aging benefits, or because of the many cosmetic products on the market that contain sunscreen," Dawn Holman, lead author of the study, said in a statement. "However, it's important to protect your whole body from the sun, not just your face."

For the study, researchers examined the results of a 2013 survey that asked participants how often they used sunscreen when outside.

Findings revealed that just about 14.3 percent of men and 29.9 percent of women reported that they regularly use it on their face and exposed parts of skin. Furthermore, men were more likely than women to never use sunscreen. with 43.8 percent of men (compared to 27 percent of women) saying they never use sunscreen on their face and 42.1 percent of men (compared to 26.8 percent of women) saying they never use it on other exposed skin.

"The low sunscreen use we observed among men is consistent with other studies that found men may view sunscreen as too feminine, and the low sunscreen use among non-whites may indicate low perceived susceptibility to sun damage and skin cancer," Holman added, via Reuters. 

Researchers also noted that sunscreen use was lower among those with lower incomes, particularly non-Hispanic blacks.

More information regarding the findings can be seen via the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.