disorders," Dr. Bergfeld said. "People need to be aware of the impact these
 hazards have on the skin, and measures need to be taken to prevent, treat
 and control them."
         More than half of the survey respondents believed additional
 research and public education would assist in controlling or preventing
 skin-related problems. Other actions respondents indicated might help
 included: better product labeling (41 percent) and government regulation (33
 percent). Almost two-thirds (59 percent) believed industry should be
 responsible for the clean up of environmental hazards affecting the skin.
 
Factors




        The AAD consumer survey gathered information and opinions from 1,008
 adults 18 and over. Overall, the higher the household income, the more
 frequent the experience with environmental skin problems. For example,
 household incomes of $50,000 or more had the highest incidence rates for
 sun-related injuries (59 percent), poison ivy (42 percent), and insects and
 spiders (41 percent).
         Women respondents more frequently reported experience with skin
 problems perceived to be related to cosmetic products (21 percent) and
 response to metal jewelry (20 percent). Men, on the other hand, more
 frequently mentioned problems with industrial chemicals (13 percent).
         "This survey confirms how widespread environmental skin damage is,"
 Dr. Bergfeld said. She added that some types of environmental problems were
 cited far more frequently than expected.
         "Only about 2 percent of the patients we dermatologists see come to
 us because of actual reactions to cosmetics, while 12 percent of the men and
 
                                   -more