Sun protection, far from being a reflex for the majority of French people

More than 80% of skin cancers are linked to excessive sun exposure, according to data published by Public health France. Edifying figures which testify to the need to adopt simple actions to protect oneself from the harmful effects of ultraviolet rays, especially since nearly 100,000 skin cancers are detected each year in France, a number which has more than tripled in almost four decades according to the National Cancer Institute (INCa). Reflexes that are far from being acquired by the French population, as revealed by a new study carried out by Ipsos as part of the last summer campaign of the National Syndicate of Venereologist Dermatologists (SNDV). Nearly three-quarters of French people (74%) admit that they do not systematically protect themselves from the sun when they engage in leisure activities or outdoor sports, including 23% who rarely protect themselves and 4% who never do so. .

Sunscreen, not automatic

Contrary to what one might think, if the so-called risk profiles – namely people with a clear phototype, having suffered severe sunburn during childhood, with many moles – protect themselves more than the he population as a whole (37% do it systematically, against only 26% of the French), the majority of them are not assiduous when it comes to sun protection. It should also be noted that more women systematically protect themselves from the sun (31%) than their male counterparts (21%) when they practice this type of outdoor activity.

Positive lesson, the French are more and more numerous to adopt certain reflexes intended to protect themselves from the harmful effects of the sun, but they are far from being automatic. Only a third of respondents (34%) say they systematically wear clothes – including at least one T-shirt – outdoors, just over a quarter (28%) say they constantly put themselves in the shade so as not to be exposed in the sun, and only a fifth of the panel claim to systematically apply sunscreen to exposed parts and wear a headgear. Figures that testify to the need to remember the right actions to adopt during these periods of exposure.

The study shows many disparities according to the age of the respondents. While they are respectively only 46% and 51% to often or systematically wear a hat or a cap to escape the harmful effects of the sun, the under 25s and the 25-34s are the most diligent when it comes to is to apply sunscreen (66% and 70%). On the other hand, 80% of people aged 60 and over say they often or always prefer shade during their daytime outings, but only 51% cover their body with sunscreen every time, if not often.

Risky practices

At the same time, the French sometimes make the wrong choices in terms of sun protection, especially when they decide to expose themselves to the hottest hours of the day. More than eight out of ten respondents (83%) say they expose themselves between noon and 4 p.m., including 34% who say they do so often or systematically. It should be noted that here again, the youngest generations, namely French people aged between 25 and 44, are the most likely to be exposed in the middle of the day (between 91% and 93%). In addition, 20% of the general population admits to preparing their skin through UV sessions before prolonged exposure to the sun.

On the occasion of its annual prevention campaign, the SNDV also took an interest in people regularly exposed to the sun as a result of their work. And here again, the figures are surprising since 79% declare that they do not systematically protect themselves in the context of their professional activity, including 9% who never protect themselves.

Simple and essential gestures

Faced with these figures, health professionals and health authorities reiterate their recommendations for protection from ultraviolet rays, especially as the summer season approaches. Simple gestures, which require no particular effort, but which can help protect against irreversible damage caused by exposure to the sun. It will be understood, it is above all a question of wearing covering clothes, as well as a hat and suitable sunglasses, of favoring shaded corners, of avoiding exposure between 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. , and to apply a sunscreen adapted to its phototype and to the conditions of sunshine to be renewed every two hours. Of course, children should be given special attention when engaging in outdoor activities, even at school, as should people whose work exposes them to the sun.

*This survey was carried out online by the Ipsos institute for the SNDV, from May 25 to 26, 2023, among 1,000 people, constituting a national representative sample of the French population aged 18 and over.