Sunscreen slows wrinkles: Will this evidence increase the use of sunscreen?

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This week, new research was released suggesting that sunscreen not only reduces the risk for skin cancer, but that it also slows skin aging. In this study, people who were told to use sunscreen daily had fewer lines and less coarse skin after four years than those who used it as they normally would. I’ve seen this study all over the news (here, here, and here)! Though doctors say they have long been telling patients that sunscreen protects against skin aging, they are now excited to have solid evidence to support their claims and are hopeful this will encourage people to use sunscreen more often.

Why might this evidence be such a big deal? Doesn’t the risk of skin cancer seem more serious than premature wrinkles? For lots of individuals, the threat of skin cancer is enough to get them to slather on sunscreen every time they hit the beach. But that threat doesn’t prompt everyone to use sunscreen. Many people have an appearance-based concern that takes precedence. They want a nice suntan! With this new evidence about skin aging, doctors can now pit one appearance-based concern against another: a tan vs. fewer wrinkles. For individuals who don’t use sunscreen because they care about appearances, the evidence that wrinkles may form faster without sunscreen may be more effective at changing behavior than the threat of cancer.

Now it’s time to see what psychological science says about using appearance concerns to change behavior. Does appealing to people’s concerns for their looks alter their use of sunscreen? In one study addressing this question, researchers tested two appearance-based interventions with undergraduates in San Diego.

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In a photoaging video intervention, students watched a video about photoaging that described how sun exposure can affect the skin, showing pictures of wrinkles and age spots, and that also explained how people can protect against photoaging. In a UV photo intervention, students had a UV photo taken, which had a special filter that emphasized spots in their skin due to the sun. They were told that the spots showed skin damage, which would worsen without increased sun protection. Those in a control group participated in neither of these interventions. 

When compared to the control group, both interventions led to greater intentions to protect oneself from harmful sun exposure. However, intentions aren’t always linked to behavior, so the researchers also checked in with participants at the end of the summer (4 to 5 months after the interventions) to examine evidence of sun-protective behaviors. Engaging in more sun-protective behaviors (such as using sunscreen with a high SPF) should lead to less skin darkening over time. Researchers found that people in the intervention groups showed significantly less skin darkening after the summer than those in the control group. In addition, in the photoaging video group, this difference remained significant even a full year after the intervention.

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It looks like doctors’ excitement about the benefits of the new research on sunscreen and skin aging is well-founded! Appealing to people’s concerns about their looks appears to be both a time- and cost-effective strategy that can alter behavior. Hopefully, those concerned about looking their best will respond to this research by using sunscreen more frequently, and in the process, minimize both skin aging and their risk of skin cancer.

If you don’t use sunscreen very often, does the evidence about premature skin aging convince you to change your behavior? If you have tried to convince someone else to use sunscreen, what strategies have you found most effective? Let us know in the comments!

Reference:

Mahler, H., Kulik, J., Gerrard, M., & Gibbons, F. (2007). Long-term effects of appearance-based interventions on sun protection behaviors. Health Psychology, 26 (3), 350-360 DOI: 10.1037/0278-6133.26.3.350