title: Sun-reactive Skin Type in 4912 French adults participating in the SU.VI.MAX study.
abstract: Phototype classifications were initially developed in an attempt to predict the skin reactions of patients to phototherapy and are now widely used to advise individuals with regard to sun protection. A transversal study was conducted on the SU.VI.MAX cohort to estimate the frequency of sun-reactive skin features in a large, general adult population-based sample, and to describe the associations between these features. The data were collected 3 years after the beginning of the SU.VI.MAX nutritional intervention study on 4912 volunteers (2868 women aged 35-60 years and 2044 men aged 45-60 years). A multiple correspondence analysis was performed to study the associations between the features. The results showed that these features correspond to a one-dimensional phenomenon, which allowed us to establish a score to summarize skin sensitivity to sun exposure. Furthermore, we found a link between gender and phototype using the Césarini classification (phototype > or = IV: 37% of women, 47% of men). The analysis of the relationship with sun-reactive skin features and the score revealed the same trend. Phenotypic evaluation appears to be a good estimator of skin sensitivity to sun exposure for clinical screening or for use in research, and is easy to collect at a lower cost. Moreover, the sun sensitivity difference between gender should be considered in education about photoprotection.
authors.affiliation: CERIES, Neuilly-sur-Seine, France. christiane.guinot@ceries-lab.com
authors.forename: Christiane
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Guinot
authors.forename: Denis J-M
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Malvy
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Latreille
authors.forename: Khaled
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ezzedine
authors.forename: Pilar
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Galan
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tenenhaus
authors.forename: Laurence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ambroisine
authors.forename: Serge
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hercberg
authors.forename: Erwin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tschachler
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D005843:Geography; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012867:Skin / Q000528:radiation effects*; D012880:Skin Pigmentation / Q000528:radiation effects*; D013471:Sunburn / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013472:Sunlight; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays