Nothing compares to a relaxing day at the beach, but as with any activity, there are some dangers which can be easily avoided. In the case of the beach experience, it is the sunburn, which many prefer to either prevent by bringing a beach umbrella or sunscreen.
However, not much information was available regarding the best way to prevent a sunburn or any conditions caused by long exposures to high temperatures and sunlight. Therefore, researchers have conducted a study which showed the sitting under a beach umbrella does not have as many benefits as using sunscreen.
For their study, the researchers recruited 81 people with fair skin. All the participants were required to sit in the midday sun at the beach in Lake Lewisville, Texas for three and a half hours in August 2014. The researchers randomly assigned each participant to either use an SPF 100 sunscreen or a standard-sized beach umbrella.
After the experiment was concluded, the researchers analyzed a number of sunburns the participants in both groups experienced. They found that 78 percent of the participants who used the beach umbrella to protect themselves from the sun were sunburned the following day. However, only 25 percent of sunscreen users were affected by sunburns. More specifically, the researchers found 142 areas with sunburn on 41 people who used the umbrella, while among those who used the sunscreen, the researchers found only 17 such areas.
The findings of the study were published in the journal JAMA Dermatology, by a team of researchers led by Dr. Hao Ou-Yang, and was partly funded, Johnson and Johnson. In the study, the researchers explain that the beach umbrella was designed as a way to prevent contact with direct rays from the sun. However, they are unable to protect its users from scattered rays.
Although the study found that SPF 100 sunscreen is more efficient in preventing sunburns than the beach umbrella, while allowing greater freedom for the user, neither method is 100 percent effective in preventing sunburns in all users. Therefore, it is best to use a combination of preventative factors like protective clothing, as well as sunscreen.
What do you think about the study’s results? Do you get sunburnt easily?
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