The use of sunscreen by elderly people attending a university in the Paraíba Valley, Brazil

Abstract

The study was conducted with 14 elderly people from a university in Vale do Paraíba, state of São Paulo, Brazil, aiming to investigate the daily frequency of sunscreen use; investigate what is the internalized knowledge about continuous and appropriate use, and whether they consider themselves sufficiently informed about sun protection. The results show that these elderly people make frequent and appropriate use of sunscreen, just because they have received safe guidance from health professionals about photoprotection. They consider that they have sufficient knowledge on the subject, among others as to the regular application of the photoprotector, even on days without apparent sun and even before rapid exposures, avoiding exposure at critical radiation times. Although it is considered a low frequency failure of elderly people to apply sunscreen to the skin throughout the day, they recognize that, in fact, its use should be seen as the most efficient mechanism to protect the skin from the effects harmful to the sun, in addition to the recommended use of glasses with UV protection. Finally, it should be noted that photoprotection studies need to continue in order to find and publicize new tools, especially for greater fragile skin protection of the elderly, including the discussion of new product components and dissemination of technological advances. that arise in this area.