Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology (Dec 2022)

Dermatology Patients’ Knowledge of Sunscreen Guidelines at a University Hospital in Saudi Arabia

  • Al-Balbeesi A,
  • AlMukhadeb E,
  • BinMayouf M,
  • AlNasser S,
  • Aldossari A,
  • Alfaiz F,
  • Alyamani A,
  • Alammari A,
  • Almuhaideb Q

Journal volume & issue
Vol. Volume 15
pp. 2915 – 2923

Abstract

Read online

Amal Al-Balbeesi,1,2 Eman AlMukhadeb,1,2 Mohammed BinMayouf,2 Sultan AlNasser,2 Abdulelah Aldossari,2 Fahad Alfaiz,2 Abduljabbar Alyamani,2 Ali Alammari,2 Qais Almuhaideb2 1Dermatology Department, King Khalid University Hospital, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; 2College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi ArabiaCorrespondence: Mohammed BinMayouf, Email [email protected]: The goal of this study is to assess the knowledge and attitude of dermatology patients regarding sunscreen use as recommended by the American Academy of Dermatology.Methods: This was an observational cross-sectional study at a university hospital in Riyadh. Participants were asked to complete a questionnaire to measure their knowledge and attitude regarding sunscreen use. Results were analyzed using a chi-square test.Results: Most participants heard about sunscreen (93.4%) and had indicated previous sunscreen use (72%). Sunscreen use was higher among women and participants with a postgraduate education. Sunscreen knowledge was higher among women, participants with non-photosensitive disorders, and participants with Fitzpatrick I, II, and III skin types. A total of 80% knew the worst time for sun exposure, but only 20.5% of the participants knew that sunscreen should be applied daily throughout the year, and 13.5% knew the correct minimum recommended SPF. A total of 34% were aware of the minimum time allowed for sunscreen application before sun exposure, and 20% were aware of the longest period allowed between reapplications. Only 4.5% knew the proper amount of sunscreen to cover the entire body.Conclusion: Our study revealed that most participants had heard of sunscreen, however their knowledge of the guidelines for sunscreen use was poor. Only 33% of the participants had received a recommendation for using sunscreen from their general practitioner or dermatologist. More comprehensive and directed efforts need to be made in counselling and educating these patients on proper sunscreen practice.Keywords: patient knowledge, dermatology, sunscreen, guidelines

Keywords