Finally, 17% of the skippers had used sun protection >90% of the time exposed to the sun and had suffered no sunburn over the last 6 months. Almost all skippers reported severe sunburns of at least one of their passengers over the last 6 months; 90% of them recommended sun protection at the beginning of the cruises and half of them had spontaneously intervened at least once with advice for passengers not having adequate sun protection. This is the second study concerning sun-protection knowledge and behavior of professionals with extreme UV exposure. Although the majority

of professional skippers consulting at the Maritime Affairs Health Service in Martinique had quite good sun-protection knowledge, behaviors

left room for improvement. This study has some limitations, such Selumetinib in vivo as its small sample size; however, because of systematic annual convocations of skippers, it is believed that this sample is quite representative of professional skippers (nonprofessional skippers were not investigated). The absence of a question concerning the wearing of sunglasses is also a limitation. The 75% simple sunburn rate over the last 6 months selleck inhibitor in this environment is similar to the 87% sunburn rate during the previous year among French adults who had visited a high UV-index country for >1 month.[4, 5] Moreover, this frequency is not much higher than that estimated by French dermatologists (50% during the last 6 months, for all French territories combined), perhaps a more exact estimation by the latter.[6] The frequency of severe sunburns (6%) reflected the intense, natural UV irradiation, in a context where the absence of protective care for as little as 15–30 minutes may be sufficient to cause severe sunburn. In addition, the frequency of sunscreen application, recommended every 2 hours, is probably not suited to the sea in the tropics. Nitroxoline That

aspect remains to be evaluated, as do situations involving the impact of ocean bathing or sweating on decreasing efficacy.[7] Moreover, the sun-protection factor (SPF) of 50, deemed sufficient in most cases, is perhaps not adequate in this environment, as shown by the results of a study comparing SPF50 and SPF85 at high mountain elevations.[8] Furthermore, promotion of regular skin-cancer screening for these maritime professionals, similar to that for mountain guides routinely exposed to high UV radiation, appears necessary.[3] The frequency of passengers with severe sunburns observed by skippers is still unclear, because of the methodology used and the questions asked. However, severe sunburns are real for these passengers. Sun-exposure prevention among pleasure craft passengers in the tropics appears crucial, and the results of this study showed the interest and involvement of sailboat captains in the subject.