Why Do Men Refuse to Use Sunscreen?
Men and women have skin, they live on the same earth with the same sun overhead, and both are prone to skin cancer. (In fact, white men are more likely than white women to die of skin cancer.) So why do so many people refuse to wear sunscreen?
Dermatologist Anjali Mahto recently asked this question on her Instagram , noting that when she talks about skin care, the audience is overwhelmingly women. She points to research that found that men who agree with statements like “A man should watch football games, not soap operas” were more likely to have not used sunscreen lately. The authors speculate that skincare and sun safety may seem too feminine for guys to care about. Or perhaps – according to focus group research – men are less likely to ask friends to rub sunscreen on their backs. (Pro tip: Sunscreen also comes in spray form.)
Whatever the reason, only 15% of men regularly use sunscreen if they are in the sun for more than an hour. For women, this figure is 30%. So most of us should probably use sunscreen more often, but guys, you need to catch up.