Photoprotection Prevents Skin Cancer: Let’s Make It Fashionable to Wear Sun-Protective Clothing
Protection from UV radiation (UVR) is of paramount importance in preventing skin cancers, the majority of which occur on sun-exposed areas of the face, ears, and neck. A reusable, inexpensive, and truly simple measure of personal protection that greatly reduces exposure to UVR, thereby reducing the risk for developing skin cancers, can be achieved simply by regularly wearing a wide-brimmed hat. In some areas of the world where sunny climates are pervasive and exposure to UVR is part of everyday life, fashion trends, policy, and public health initiatives are in sync, and photoprotection with wide-brimmed hats is embraced as a common and fashionable practice. Unfortunately, the wearing of wide-brimmed hats is not universally accepted. A change in policy, culture, and fashion to one that more widely embraces this simple photoprotective garment is needed.
Practice Points
- Routine wear of wide-brimmed hats is the simplest, most inexpensive, and only reusable form of photoprotection for the head and neck and should be an everyday practice for reducing the risk for preventable skin cancers.
- The regular wear of clothing and head cover with adequate UV protection factor is equally as important to utilize in the prevention of UV-induced skin cancers as the application of topical sunscreens and sunblocks.
- The medical community should make a concerted effort to dispel any public policy or fashion trend that does not promote personal protection from sun-induced skin cancers. Policies that restrict wearing photoprotective garments, such as in schools and in the military, need to be changed.
Final Thoughts
The battle to educate the public about adequate photoprotection to prevent skin cancers caused by UVR exposure applies to all providers, both military and civilian. Our ongoing initiatives should not only sustain current practices but should further stress the importance of wearing wide-brimmed hats as a vital part of coverage of the skin and protection from UVR. We must combat the public perception that wearing wide-brimmed hats is a detractor of personal fashion and that instead it is desirable to reduce the risk for skin cancer. The wide-brimmed hat is a simple, reusable, and easily executed recommendation that should be made to all patients, both military and civilian, young and old. In conclusion, by improving patients’ perceptions and acknowledgment of the importance of photoprotection as well as making a concerted effort to integrate our knowledge in the fashion industry, in policies at schools, in the military, and in popular culture, we will undoubtedly come to agree that it is not unfashionable to wear a wide-brimmed hat, but it is unfashionable to risk developing skin cancer.
,false
