Types of Shade Vary in Protection Just Like Sunscreens—Reply

In Reply We read with interest the comments of Opene et al related to our study that evaluated the sunburn protection of beach umbrellas vs that of sunscreen with sun protection factor (SPF) 100. However, we must disagree with their interpretation of our findings. The clear message from our study remains that, although the SPF 100 sunscreen performed better, neither of these 2 measures alone completely blocked sunburn, so a combination of sun protection measures should be considered for extended outdoor exposures. We demonstrated in a typical-use setting that a beach umbrella was not as effective as sunscreen for sun protection, despite it being a widely used beach shade structure. We consider this an important public education point, since there may not be many practical shade structure choices at a beach.

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