STUDY ON PHOTOPROTECTION: THE ROLE OF SUNSCREENS IN PREVENTING ULTRAVIOLET IRRADIATION OF THE SKIN.

Photoprotection is a set of measures that are applied to protect the skin from the side effects caused by exposure to ultraviolet radiation from natural or artificial sources. The purpose of this study is to highlight the role of solar photoprotection through the use of both cosmetic products and other photoprotective methods and to find out the level of information of the population regarding protection measures against ultraviolet radiation, the main risk factors that should be avoided and the consequences of uncontrolled exposure to the sun and other sources of UV radiation. One hundred people (61 women and 39 men) from the western side of Romania, aged between 18-65 years, were enrolled in a survey between April and May 2021. The recruited people answered a questionnaire consisting of 17 questions. The study shows that the people surveyed are well informed about risk factors (period of sun exposure, skin phototype, medications, diseases), photoprotection measures (SPF creams, appropriate clothing, accessories such as hats, sunglasses) and pathologies that could develop due to uncontrolled exposure to the sun (sunburn, pigment spots, dysplastic nevi, skin cancer, etc). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]