Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine, Dokuz Eylul University, İzmir, Turkey.
J Cosmet Dermatol. 2022 Dec;21(12):7107-7115. doi: 10.1111/jocd.15401. Epub 2022 Nov 23.
BACKGROUND/AIM: Melasma, a significant cosmetic problem, has been accepted by some authors as a photoaging illness in recent times. There is no published study evaluating the effects of the clinical and sociodemographic findings on illness perception and sun protection behaviors (SPBs) in patients with melasma.
PATIENTS/METHODS: Sociodemographic data, personal characteristics, and clinical features of 150 patients with melasma were recorded in this cross-sectional study. They were analyzed for their SPBs in three groups as "never," "rarely/sometimes," and "often/always." Patients completed the Melasma Quality of Life (QoL) Scale and Revised-Illness Perception Questionnaire.
Melasma patients with higher clinical severity and Qol scores, lower education level, concomitant chronic illness, and a history of previous melasma treatment thought more frequently that melasma had negative serious consequences. Majority of the patients blamed sun exposure as the cause of the melasma. However, SPBs were more frequent only in patients with higher socioeconomic and educational levels, a previous history of melasma treatment, and evaluating their disease as a chronic condition. Neither Qol nor clinical severity score had a significant effect on sun exposure causal attribution or SPBs. No significant effect of patients' perception of melasma was determined on the use of sunscreen or protective hat.
Being aware of the factors affecting the perception of melasma and QoL of patients might be helpful in making persistent individual recommendations for the regulation of SPBs.
背景/目的：近年来，黄褐斑已被一些作者认为是一种光老化疾病，是一个重大的美容问题。目前还没有发表的研究评估黄褐斑患者的临床和社会人口学发现对疾病认知和防晒行为（SPB）的影响。
在这项横断面研究中，记录了 150 名黄褐斑患者的社会人口学数据、个人特征和临床特征。他们根据 SPB 的“从不”、“偶尔/有时”和“经常/总是”分为三组进行分析。患者完成了黄褐斑生活质量（QoL）量表和修订后的疾病认知问卷。
临床严重程度和 QoL 评分较高、教育程度较低、同时患有慢性疾病以及有既往黄褐斑治疗史的黄褐斑患者，更频繁地认为黄褐斑有负面的严重后果。大多数患者将日晒归咎于黄褐斑的原因。然而，只有社会经济地位和教育程度较高、有既往黄褐斑治疗史且将疾病评估为慢性疾病的患者，SPB 更为频繁。QoL 或临床严重程度评分均对日晒归因或 SPB 无显著影响。患者对黄褐斑的认知对防晒霜或防护帽的使用也没有显著影响。
了解影响黄褐斑患者疾病认知和生活质量的因素，可能有助于针对 SPB 的调节提出持续的个体化建议。
