BACKGROUND: This is the first local study to assess the level of sun awareness among Filipinos, and the need for a formal national campaign to promote sun protection.
OBJECTIVE: To assess the knowledge, attitude and practices concerning sun exposure and sun protection among adult Filipinos at the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) and to determine if these are associated with demographic characteristics.
METHODS: A questionnaire was developed, pre-tested and validated prior to administration to the study population. It consisted of questions aimed at evaluating the respondent's knowledge, attitude and practices regarding sun exposure, and their knowledge on sun protective practices, including sunscreen use. Gamma and Cramer's V correlation coefficients were used to analyze the associations between the variables.
RESULTS: Among the 249 respondents who completed the survey, 97% had adequate knowledge concerning sun exposure (mean score of 81.57). However, knowledge was limited to certain aspects such as the role of childhood sun exposure in carcinogenesis. Older respondents and those with lower socioeconomic status tend to have inadequate knowledge. Most respondents endorsed the desired (negative) attitude towards sun exposure and suntan. Majority (82.5%) spent ≤ 1 hour/day under the sun between 10am-4pm. Younger respondents, those with higher socioeconomic status and skin type III were prone to sun-seeking behaviors. Among the 94% of respondents who demonstrated sun-protective behaviors, staying in the shade (76.6%) was the most common method used.
CONCLUSION: Future sun awareness campaigns in the Philippines should focus on the importance of childhood sun exposure and sunburn as risk factors for developing skin cancer, address misconceptions such as the need for sun protection even on a cloudy day and target subgroups at risk.

Human ; Male ; Female ; Adult ; Adult ; Carcinogenesis ; Demography ; Hospitals, General ; Philippines ; Risk Factors ; Skin ; Skin Neoplasms ; Social Class ; Sunburn ; Sunscreening Agents ; Suntan ; Surveys And Questionnaires

BACKGROUND: Aloe vera has been used for medical purposes since antiquity, so it is known as the healing plant or silent healer. It has been claimed that aloe has several important therapeutic properties, including wound healing, thermal injury healing and anti-inflammation and immunomodulation properties. Because of these effects, it has become an ingredient in a wide variety of cosmetic products, including night creams, soaps, shampoos, suntan lotions and cleansers. OBJECTIVE: In order to determine the anti-irritant effect of aloe vera, we compared the degree of stinging intensity caused by 10% lactic acid solution and a mixture of 20% lactic acid and 100% aloe vera. METHODS: We carried out sting tests on 34 volunteers who were all over 20 years of age and they had no past and present history of atopic dermatitis and other eczema. The lactic acid sting test consisted of a 10-minute exposure on the left cheek with 10% lactic acid solution using a Hilltop chamber and the subjects recorded the degree of stinging intensity by themselves every 1 minute during 10-minutes of exposure. We also carried out a sting test with a mixed solution of 20% lactic acid and 100% aloe vera, and we compared the intensity and onset time of the stinging sensation. RESULTS: Aloe vera had some effect to ameliorate the intensity of the stinging sensation and also to delay the time required for the stinging sensation caused by lactic acid. There was a significant difference between the two groups (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: We found that aloe vera has an anti-irritant effect on the stinging sensation caused by lactic acid.
Aloe ; Bites and Stings ; Cheek ; Cosmetics ; Dermatitis, Atopic ; Eczema ; Immunomodulation ; Lactic Acid ; Plants, Medicinal ; Sensation ; Soaps ; Suntan ; Wound Healing

BACKGROUND: Aloe vera has been used for medical purposes since antiquity, so it is known as the healing plant or silent healer. It has been claimed that aloe has several important therapeutic properties, including wound healing, thermal injury healing and anti-inflammation and immunomodulation properties. Because of these effects, it has become an ingredient in a wide variety of cosmetic products, including night creams, soaps, shampoos, suntan lotions and cleansers. OBJECTIVE: In order to determine the anti-irritant effect of aloe vera, we compared the degree of stinging intensity caused by 10% lactic acid solution and a mixture of 20% lactic acid and 100% aloe vera. METHODS: We carried out sting tests on 34 volunteers who were all over 20 years of age and they had no past and present history of atopic dermatitis and other eczema. The lactic acid sting test consisted of a 10-minute exposure on the left cheek with 10% lactic acid solution using a Hilltop chamber and the subjects recorded the degree of stinging intensity by themselves every 1 minute during 10-minutes of exposure. We also carried out a sting test with a mixed solution of 20% lactic acid and 100% aloe vera, and we compared the intensity and onset time of the stinging sensation. RESULTS: Aloe vera had some effect to ameliorate the intensity of the stinging sensation and also to delay the time required for the stinging sensation caused by lactic acid. There was a significant difference between the two groups (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: We found that aloe vera has an anti-irritant effect on the stinging sensation caused by lactic acid.
Aloe ; Bites and Stings ; Cheek ; Cosmetics ; Dermatitis, Atopic ; Eczema ; Immunomodulation ; Lactic Acid ; Plants, Medicinal ; Sensation ; Soaps ; Suntan ; Wound Healing

BACKGROUND: Aloe vera has been used for medical purposes since antiquity, so it has been known as the healing plant or silent healer. It has been claimed that aloe has several important therapeutic properties including promotion of wound healing, thermal injury healing, anti-inflammation and immunomodulation. Using these effects, it has become an ingredient in a wide variety of cosmetic products including night creams, soaps, shampoos, suntan lotions, and cleansers. OBJECT: In order to investigate the anti-irritant effect of aloe vera we measured transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and erythema index (E-index) after performing a patch test using sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and aloe vera we then compared the extent of damaging effect on the skin barriers and the difference of the recovery process in each case. METHODS: Fifteen volunteers, all over 18 years of age, who hadn't had past or present history of atopic dermatitis and other eczemas, were tested in this study. SLS was dissolved in distilled water to the concentration of 1% and aloe vera gel was dissolved in distilled water to the concentrations of 10, 20, 50, and 100%. Then we mixed 1% SLS solution and each concentration of aloe vera solution with the ratio 1: 1. Each solution was applied to marked sites of both volar aspect of the forearm at random, for 24 hours, using large Finn chamber with filter paper. TEWL and E-index were measured before test (BL) and at 30 minutes (D0), 1st day (D1), 2nd day (D2), 1st week (W1), 2nd week (W2), and 3rd week (W3) after removal of the patches. RESULTS: TEWL after removing a patch of 0.5% SLS was higher than that of 100% aloe vera mixed with 1% SLS. In addition, TEWL after removing a patch of 0.5% SLS and 100% aloe vera patch mixed with 1% SLS were higher than that of 100% aloe vera. E-index after removing a patch of 0.5% SLS was higher than that of 50% aloe vera mixed with 1% SLS, 100% aloe vera mixed with 1% SLS, and 100% aloe vera. CONCLUSION: We have come to know that aloe vera has an effect in the recovery of skin barriers and erythema induced by irritant such as SLS. However, it only happens when the gel of aloe vera has a high concentration.
Aloe* ; Dermatitis, Atopic ; Eczema ; Erythema ; Forearm ; Immunomodulation ; Patch Tests ; Plants, Medicinal ; Skin ; Soaps ; Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate* ; Sodium* ; Suntan ; Volunteers ; Water ; Wound Healing

Increased pigmentation of skin after sun exposure is a normal response to solar radiation. Like sunburn, suntan can also be produced by natural solar radiation and by artificial, narrow-spectrum ultraviolet B and ultraviolet A sources. The tanning response is a sign of ultraviolet damage. The western search for the suntan has led to an increased incidence of photoaging and skin cancer of light-skinned individuals. Photoaging is characterized by wrinkling, coarseness, dryness, mottled pigmentation, loss of elasticity, easy bruising, telangiectasias, and benign, premalignant and malignant growths on sun-exposed areas. Photoagings is a slow process, taking decades to become clinically apparent and even longer for all the manifestations to occur. Development of photoagings is determined both by genetic skin type and by the total lifetime radiation dose. Photoaging is more apparent in light-skinned Caucasians than in dark-skinned people. Although it is not possible to state what proportion is due to chronologic aging and what is due to photoaging, it has been estimated that photodamage may account for greater than 90 percent of the age- associated cosmetic problems of the skin. The proliferation of natural tanning and tanning salons should be discouraged by physicians. There is no safe tan.
Aging ; Elasticity ; Incidence ; Pigmentation ; Skin ; Skin Neoplasms ; Solar System ; Sunburn ; Suntan* ; Tanning ; Telangiectasis ; Triacetoneamine-N-Oxyl