Brazilian Consensus on Photoprotection*

Sérgio Schalka, Denise Steiner, Flávia Naranjo Ravelli, Tatiana Steiner, Aripuanã Cobério Terena, Carolina Reato Marçon, Eloisa Leis Ayres, Flávia Alvim Sant'anna Addor, Helio Amante Miot, Humberto Ponzio, Ida Duarte, Jane Neffá, José Antônio Jabur da Cunha, Juliana Catucci Boza, Luciana de Paula Samorano, Marcelo de Paula Corrêa, Marcus Maia, Nilton Nasser, Olga Maria Rodrigues Ribeiro Leite, Otávio Sergio Lopes, Pedro Dantas Oliveira, Renata Leal Bregunci Meyer, Tânia Cestari, Vitor Manoel Silva dos Reis, Vitória Regina Pedreira de Almeida Rego

Brazil is a country of continental dimensions with a large heterogeneity of climates and massive mixing of the population. Almost the entire national territory is located between the Equator and the Tropic of Capricorn, and the Earth axial tilt to the south certainly makes Brazil one of the countries of the world with greater extent of land in proximity to the sun. The Brazilian coastline, where most of its population lives, is more than 8,500 km long. Due to geographic characteristics and cultural trends, Brazilians are among the peoples with the highest annual exposure to the sun. Epidemiological data show a continuing increase in the incidence of non-melanoma and melanoma skin cancers. Photoprotection can be understood as a set of measures aimed at reducing sun exposure and at preventing the development of acute and chronic actinic damage. Due to the peculiarities of Brazilian territory and culture, it would not be advisable to replicate the concepts of photoprotection from other developed countries, places with completely different climates and populations. Thus the Brazilian Society of Dermatology has developed the Brazilian Consensus on Photoprotection, the first official document on photoprotection developed in Brazil for Brazilians, with recommendations on matters involving photoprotection.