Abstract:

Background: Epidemiological studies around the world have shown that exposure to ultraviolet radiation is a leading cause for the development of dermatological conditions such as premature aging and skin cancers. Basal cell and squamous cell cancers are the most frequent form of cancers and are linked to accumulated sun exposure in early stages up to youth. Little attention is paid on availability of sunscreen in the world marked. There are limited data regarding sun protection and availability of sunscreen.

Methodology: A cross sectional study was conducted June to July 2020 in 101 Pharmacies that are located at Nyamagana and Ilemela district. Data was collected through questionnaires that were designed on specific objectives.

Results: The questionnaires were answered by 101 pharmacies, among those pharmacies 26.7% sell sunscreen products and 73.3% don’t sell sunscreen products. 66.3% pharmacies were located in Nyamagana district and 33.7% pharmacies were located in Ilemela district. Among the 26.7% of those that sell sunscreen 26.7% said the demand was moderate and they rarely experience out of stock, 25.7% answered that customers complained that the product is expensive. 26.7% faced challenges of few customers. Similarly in a research that was conducted in 2014 in the United States, it showed that the cost of sunscreen is expensive making it not available in the market and also not bought by most people despite of its advantage to the skin. Physical sunscreen was available for 3.4% and more expensive.

Conclusion: Little attention is paid on the availability of sunscreen products.