As fall fast approaches, Johnson & Johnson skin care brand Neutrogena has teamed with actress Gabrielle Union to urge people to make skin cancer prevention part of their daily, year-round routines. A recent national survey commissioned by Neutrogena and executed by Harris Interactive showed that just 13% of all women in the U.S. wear sunscreen on a daily basis, and 56% of the women surveyed believe the growing rate in skin cancer is due to lack of education.
Additionally, among those who have ever used sunscreen, 76% of white women and 63% of Hispanic women use it to protect themselves from skin cancer, compared to just 46% of African American women. A common belief is that darker skin tones offer a natural barrier from the sun's damaging rays. However, these myths can often lead to lax and dangerous sun safety behaviors.
"Just because summer is ending, sun-safe behavior should not," says Union, who also appears in a PSA on the subject. "Skin cancer is the one cancer that's preventable, yet it's still on the rise. I'm glad that I can help Neutrogena educate people by spotlighting common sun protection myths and spreading the word that it doesn't matter the color of your skin; everyone can get skin cancer."
"There are many misconceptions about who can get skin cancer and how you get skin cancer," says dermatologist Dr. Darrell Rigel. "The fact that melanoma is the most preventable cancer yet still on the rise, shows that more education is needed."
Furthermore, the recent survey reveals that while 76% of all women believe daily sunscreen use is important in helping prevent skin cancer, the average woman does not begin using it until she is nearly 30, long after significant skin damage has already been done. As Union aims to help spread the importance of sun safe behaviors, Neutrogena and Dr. Rigel seek to educate women by dispelling common skin cancer myths.
Learn more about the current state of the sun care market from the May 2012 GCI magazine article “Sun Shining on Sun Care,” by Euromonitor International’s Nicole Tyrimou.
