Millennials and Generation Xers have now taken enough trips around the sun to generate a boatload of regrets; regrets about relationships, career choices, children and, according to DermTech, how long they spent in the sun when they were younger.
DermTech, which is launching an at-home DNA risk assessment for skin cancer, found that 46% of people aged 26 to 57 years regret their prior exposure to the sun. The finding comes from a survey of 2,000 people, split evenly between millennials, aged 26 to 41, and Gen Xers, aged 42 to 57. DermTech tasked the market research company OnePoll with performing the survey late last year.
The finding forms the basis for the "Sun Regrets" campaign, a push by DermTech to educate Americans on the risk factors for non-melanoma skin cancer and potentially turn them on to its DNA test in the process. The regrets stem from the fact that around 20% of respondents never wore sunscreen as teens.
DermTech’s survey also looked at what people know about cancer risks and how they treat their skin today. According to the survey, almost 30% of Gen X respondents never wear sunscreen. Most, 75%, of respondents across the entire data set are mindful of their exposure to the sun, although 35% have used a tanning bed and 43% have used baby oil or tanning oil in the past.
The survey revealed gaps in respondents’ knowledge of skin cancer. Less than half, 44%, of respondents felt knowledgeable about any kind of skin cancer. That figure fell to between 10% to 16% for skin cancers other than melanoma.
In a statement, Elizabeth Hale, M.D., clinical associate professor of dermatology at New York University Langone Medical Center, said “the good news is that millennials and Gen Xers are concerned about how much sun they are getting” but cautioned that people “still aren’t following key steps to ensure they protect their skin, such as wearing sunscreen year-round.”
As part of its Sun Regrets campaign, DermTech is running a competition to win a DNA risk assessment when it launches the Luminate product later this year. The company is pitching the home-collection test as a way for people to check for DNA damage caused by sun exposure so they can take proactive steps to manage their skin health. DNA damage may increase the risk of developing types of skin cancer.