Sun-protective behaviors in patients with cutaneous hyperpigmentation: A cross-sectional study.

Abstract

Disorders of hyperpigmentation are seen commonly in clinical practice. Despite numerous studies investigating sun-protective habits among healthy persons, little is known about these behaviors within patient populations with hyperpigmentation disorders. We sought to examine photo-protective behaviors and their associations in individuals with disorders of hyperpigmentation. This cross-sectional study was conducted with 404 adults who complained of cutaneous hyperpigmentation. About 67.5% reported using a product containing sunscreen, and 91% endorsed using one with a sun protection factor of 21 or higher. Among the participants, 48.5% were not sure if their sunscreen provided broad-spectrum protection, and only 7.6% reapplied every 2 hours. The odds of a patient with melasma using sunscreen were 6.7 times the odds of a patient with postinflammatory hyperpigmentation using sunscreen (P < .001). Additional predictors for sunscreen use were female sex (OR = 3.8, P = .0004) and disease duration of ≥1 year (OR = 2.1, P = .003). In a multivariate analysis, the odds ratio of sunscreen use among African Americans compared to whites was 0.31 (P = .008). Limitations included recall bias, question misinterpretation, and reporter bias. Patients diagnosed with postinflammatory hyperpigmentation, men, and those with disease duration <1 year reported lower sunscreen usage. These groups might benefit from increased counseling on sun-protective behaviors.