BACKGROUND: Although sunscreen is used as a primary strategy for the prevention of sunburn, photoaging, and skin cancer, few people regularly use sunscreen. OBJECTIVE: To investigate awareness regarding the effects of sunlight, the extent of sun exposure, and sunscreen use behaviors in Korean subjects. METHODS: A questionnaire was administered to 467 adult patients who visited the Dermatology Department at Seoul National University Boramae Hospital. The questionnaire covered demographic characteristics, causes of wrinkles, sunspots, and skin cancer, awareness of the harmful effects of sun exposure, perceived and actual extent of sun exposure, and the use of sun-protective methods including sunscreen. RESULTS: Sun exposure was selected as the major cause of age spots (60.6%), skin cancer (60.9%), and wrinkles (25.9%). Respondents were likely to underestimate the extent of sun exposure. On average, quite a few respondents stated that they were exposed to sunlight for more than one hour per day (22.7% on weekdays, 52.4% on weekends). However, only 9.4% of respondents thought that their sun exposure was problematic and 62.7% of respondents considered moderate sunlight exposure healthy. Respondents' sun-protective behaviors were inadequate: only 29.8% used sunscreen regularly, and 16.5% have never used sunscreen. SPF was the most important factor in choosing sunscreen, and 83.3% used a sunscreen with a labeled SPF over 30. By contrast, only 34.6% of respondents used PA+++ sunscreen. CONCLUSION: Despite fairly good knowledge regarding the harmful effects of sunlight, subjects underestimated the risks of their sun exposure and sun-protective behaviors were suboptimal. Education on the risk of UV exposure and effects of sunscreen is still needed.
Adult ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Dermatology ; Education ; Humans ; Korea ; Seoul ; Skin Neoplasms ; Solar Activity ; Solar System* ; Sunburn ; Sunlight

OBJECTIVE: To investigate relationship of the long-term variation trend of the occurrence of sudden deafness respectively with solar activity and the global warming. METHOD: We utilized the empirical mode decomposition, cross-correlation, and the statistical test methods to analyze the yearly percent rate (PR) of sudden deafness patients at the second affiliated hospital of Xian Jiangtong University, the yearly mean sunspot number (SSN), and the temperature series (T) in Xi'an district during the years of 1980 to 2009. RESULT: The trend component of T was highly correlated to the trend component of PR, and the IMF (intrinsic mode function) component of SSN was highly correlated to the IMF component of PR. CONCLUSION The occurrence of sudden deafness is indeed statistically affected by solar activity and temperature. The trend component of PR is inferred to be probably caused by the trend component of T, and it is solar activity (SSN), especially its periodical wavelike component that should probably give rise to the wavelike component of the occurrence (PR) of sudden deafness. Some explanation has been given to issue the found relationship. Also given is the plausible mechanism of solar activity and temperature acting on occurrence of sudden deafness.
Global Warming ; Hearing Loss, Sudden ; epidemiology ; Humans ; Incidence ; Solar Activity

BACKGROUND: Skin cancer is one of the most preventable cancers by sun-protection and sunscreen is the most commonly used method of sun protection. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to evaluate the awareness of harmful effects of sun exposure and behavior of sunscreen use in Korean. METHODS: One thousand, two hundred and seventy-four subjects who visited Dermatology Department at Asan Medical Center between April and July 2000 were interviewed. The questionnaire provided information about demographic characteristics, daily sun-exposure time, and sunburn history in the year before. It also included the questions about the causes of wrinkle, sunspot, chloasma, and skin cancer, as the awareness of the harmful effects of sun exposure. The use of sunscreen or other sun-protective methods, and the knowledge about sun protection factor (SPF) were also reported. RESULTS: The harmful effects of the sun in causing wrinkle, sunspot, chloasma, and skin cancer were conceived by 11.1%, 24.4%, 41.4%, and 44.3% of the respondents respectively. Thirty nine percent of the respondents used sunscreens, and the other 61% hardly knew necessity of sunscreens. Those who understood the meaning of sun protection factor(SPF) were 23.7%. Sun-protective methods except using sunscreens were use of a hat or a cap(53.2%), long-sleeved clothing(27.2%), a parasol(27.0%), heavy make-up(11.2%), and a towel(3.8%). Male respondents, people who were younger than 20 or older than 70, and those who had not sunburned the year before were less likely to use sunscreens. CONCLUSION: The results indicate an urgent need for education about the harmfulness of sun exposure as well as benefits of sunscreens.
Chungcheongnam-do ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Dermatology ; Education ; Humans ; Male ; Melanosis ; Skin Neoplasms ; Solar Activity ; Solar System* ; Sun Protection Factor ; Sunburn ; Sunscreening Agents

BACKGROUNDOur previous studies revealed cyclicity in the incidence rate of skin malignant melanoma (SMM; ICD9, Dx:172) in the Czech Republic (period T=7.50-7.63 years), UK (T=11.00 years) and Bulgaria (T=12.20 years). Incidences compared with the sunspot index Rz (lag-period dT=+2, +4, +6, +10 or +12 years) have indicated that maximal rates are most likely to appear on descending slopes of the 11-year solar cycle, i.e., out of phase. We summarized and explored more deeply these cyclic variations and discussed their possible associations with heliogeophysical activity (HGA) components exhibiting similar cyclicity.

METHODSAnnual incidences of SMM from 5 countries (Czech Republic, UK, Bulgaria, USA and Canada) over various time spans during the years 1964-1992 were analyzed and their correlations with cyclic Rz (sunspot number) and aa (planetary geomagnetic activity) indices were summarized. Periodogram regression analysis with trigonometric approximation and phase-correlation analysis were applied.

RESULTSPrevious findings on SMM for the Czech Republic, UK and Bulgaria have been validated, and cyclic patterns have been revealed for USA (T=8.63 years, P<0.05) and Canada (Ontario, T=9.91 years, P<0.10). Also, various 'hypercycles' were established (T=45.5, 42.0, 48.25, 34.5 and 26.5 years, respectively) describing long-term cyclic incidence patterns. The association of SMM for USA and Canada with Rz (dT=+6 and +7 years, respectively) and aa (dT=-10 and +9 years, respectively) was described. Possible interactions of cyclic non-photic influences (UV irradiation, Schumann resonance signal, low-frequency geomagnetic fluctuations) with brain waves absorbance, neuronal calcium dynamics, neuro-endocrine axis modulation, melatonin/serotonin disbalance and skin neuro-immunity impairment as likely causal pathways in melanoma appearance, were also discussed.

CONCLUSIONThe above findings on cyclicity and temporal association of SMM with cyclic environmental factors could not only allow for better forecasting models but also lead to a better understanding of melanoma aetiology.

Cosmic Radiation ; adverse effects ; Female ; Forecasting ; Humans ; Male ; Melanoma ; epidemiology ; etiology ; Models, Biological ; Neoplasms, Radiation-Induced ; epidemiology ; etiology ; Periodicity ; Regression Analysis ; Skin Neoplasms ; epidemiology ; etiology ; Solar Activity