Sunscreen is a must. It is essential that you protect your skin from the harmful rays of the sun. Taking the proper precautions when it comes to the sun can decrease signs of aging and reduce your chances of getting skin cancer. Below you will find the answers to common questions that you should know make a point to know and understand. Knowing what sunscreen is and how it works can help you in your efforts to protect your skin and keep yourself and the ones you love healthy.

Below are several common sunscreen questions with answers taken from the Skin Cancer Foundation:

What Are Sunscreens?

Sunscreens are products combining several ingredients that help prevent the sun's ultraviolet (UV) radiation from reaching the skin. Two types of ultraviolet radiation, UVA and UVB, damage the skin and increase your risk of skin cancer. Sunscreens vary in their ability to protect against UVA and UVB.

What Are UVA and UVB?

Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is part of the electromagnetic (light) spectrum that reaches the earth from the sun. It has wavelengths shorter than visible light, making it invisible to the naked eye. Ultraviolet A (UVA) is the longer wave UV ray that causes lasting skin damage, skin aging, and can cause skin cancer. Ultraviolet B (UVB) is the shorter wave UV ray that causes sunburns, skin damage, and can cause skin cancer.

What Is SPF?

SPF – or Sun Protection Factor – is a measure of a sunscreen's ability to prevent UVB from damaging the skin. Here's how it works: If it takes 20 minutes for your unprotected skin to start turning red, using an SPF 15 sunscreen theoretically prevents reddening 15 times longer – about five hours. Most sunscreens with an SPF of 15 or higher do an excellent job of protecting against UVB.

What Does Broad-Spectrum Mean?

Broad-spectrum sunscreens protect the skin from both UVA and UVB rays. Beginning in December 2012, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) began to implement new rules for "broad-spectrum" products.

So, next time you head outside to enjoy the outdoors, don't forget your sunscreen!!

Source:

http://www.skincancer.org/prevention/sun-protection/sunscreen

In dermatology, acceptance and responsibility are two key components that we need.  Why?  Well, I will tell you why.  

The lack of protection from the sun is one of the underlying driving forces to precancers (actinic keratosis), wrinkles, pigmentation, and even skin cancer. Unfortunately, most every person does not apply the amount of sun protection that they should. It’s essential that we wear sunscreen and protect ourselves.  Even a scientific study done on farmers in west Texas backs this up. When sunscreen was applied to one half of the face and not the other half during three months of summer, the side of the face with sunscreen applied every day has half as many precancer (actinic keratosis) growths as the other side of the face. 

This simple study demonstrated the power of daily sunscreen for reducing precancer lesions. On top of this, we know that age spots, wrinkles, and skin cancer are caused by sun exposure. 

So, to get our skin looking and feeling the best, we need to use sunscreen every day. This can be in the form of lotions, sunscreens themselves, and make up for women. In addition, choosing a sunscreen that has the proper ingredients is key. Finding sunscreen with Titanium Dioxide or Zinc Oxide is useful since these ingredients are physical blockers. This means that they bounce the sun off the skin. Another quality ingredient in sunscreen is Avobenzone or Parsol 1789. This is also an excellent ingredient which can be a powerful agent in preventing sun damage.  

Use daily sunscreen with Titanium Dioxide, Zinc Oxide or Avobenzone (Parsol 1789) to reduce your risk of sun damage and skin cancer. The simple habit could pay big dividends!

5 Health Benefits of Biotin

Vitamin H, or biotin, is a part of the complex B vitamins. Biotin is a vitamin that can be very beneficial to your health. Here are 5 health benefits you can garnish from taking biotin:

1.Strengthen hair and nails

Biotin can help to thicken nail cuticles and prevent breakage. While there is little evidence to support the idea that biotin increases hair growth, there is evidence to support that a deficiency can lead to hair loss. Many hair care companies are now including biotin directly into their products.

2.Improve health of your skin

B vitamins play a key role in the function of the nervous system and affect hormone function; therefore biotin can play a significant role in skin health. If skin is not nourished from the inside out, toxicities will form through the nervous system and manifest on the skin’s surface.

3.Aid in weight loss

Biotin supports metabolic function and helps to break down food, especially carbohydrates.

4.Lower cholesterol

When cholesterol levels are too high you are at a greater risk of developing health problems such as heart disease, heart attack and stroke. It is thought that biotin can help to reduce bad cholesterol levels.

5.Regulate blood sugar

Biotin has been associated with helping to prevent and fight off diabetes. A 2005 study conducted by the Biomedical Research Institute found that biotin deficiency has been linked to impaired glucose tolerance and decreased utilization of glucose. Therefore, taking biotin could help your body to properly use and absorb glucose.

It is always best to check with your doctor before adding any supplement to your diet. Biotin is found in many foods and most people already meet their daily requirements if they have a nutrient-rich diet. However, taking it as a supplement can be helpful. Consult your doctor before adding biotin to your diet.

Source:

Webstie: http://www.chatelaine.com/health/wellness/biotin-can-boost-your-health/

Study: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15992683

When Sunscreen Safety is Called Into Question

The Skin Cancer Foundation

Source: www.skincancer.org

For years, dermatologists have told us sunscreen protects skin. Now, many people are questioning that advice after an environmental group challenged the safety of many popular brands.

"Patients are confused," said Dr. Darrell S. Rigel, a clinical professor of dermatology at New York University who is a skin cancer researcher. "I've had patients come in and ask, 'Am I harming myself by using it?' I've spent a lot of time talking to people about it."

The latest report comes from the Environmental Working Group, which claims that in an investigation of nearly 1,000 sunscreen products, four out of five offer inadequate protection from the sun or contain ingredients that may pose a health risk.

But dermatologists who reviewed the group's research say the biggest problem is that it lacks scientific rigor. In particular, they are critical of a sunscreen rating system that they say is arbitrary and without basis in any accepted scientific standard.

"What they are doing is developing their own system for evaluating things," said Dr. Warwick L. Morison, professor of dermatology at Johns Hopkins and chairman of the Skin Cancer Foundation's photobiology committee, which tests sunscreens for safety and effectiveness. "Using this scale to say a sunscreen offers good protection or bad protection is junk science."

Dr. Morison has no financial ties to sunscreen makers, and his work with the Skin Cancer Foundation is unpaid. Sonya Lunder, a senior analyst with the Environmental Working Group, said the database and rating system were based on an extensive review of the medical literature on sunscreens. Of nearly 1,000 sunscreens reviewed, the group recommends only 143 brands. Most are lesser-known brands with titanium and zinc, which are effective blockers of ultraviolet radiation. But they are less popular with consumers because they can leave a white residue.

The group is especially concerned about the safety of a compound called oxybenzone, which is used in most popular sunscreens. But the research on oxybenzone is limited.

Most recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analyzed 2,517 urine samples collected in 2003-4 from a representative sample of the population over age 6 as part of a national health and nutrition survey. The analysis, published this month in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, found oxybenzone in 97 percent of the samples.

The study goes on to note that human exposure to oxybenzone "has not been associated with adverse health effects" and that sunscreen is an important tool to protect against sunburn and skin cancer. But the researchers said further study was needed to determine whether the chemical had any meaningful effect on the body.

"What's the meaning of it?" said Dr. Rigel, who has consulted for sunscreen makers. "Nobody's seen any problems from years of these agents being used. To call it dangerous is misleading."

A few animal studies have raised concerns that oxybenzone could disrupt endocrine functions. Several researchers say that this is a theoretical concern and that no such effect has been shown in humans.

Another study, published two years ago in Free Radical Biology and Medicine, raised troubling concerns about what happens when sunscreen is absorbed into the skin and reacts with the sun. The report suggested that under certain conditions, sunscreens with oxybenzone and other ultraviolet filters could lead to free-radical damage to the skin, a process that in theory could lead to skin cancer. The study used laboratory models of skin, so some researchers say it is not a reliable indicator of what happens in people.

But the authors noted that the damage occurred only when ultraviolet light reached sunscreen that had penetrated the skin. The solution, they say, is to keep applying sunscreen to block out the UV rays. "It may seem counterintuitive, but by reapplying sunscreen we protect ourselves from the UV light reaching any of the UV-filters that may have penetrated to the skin," said Kerry M. Hanson, the lead author of the report and a senior research scientist at the University of California, Riverside. "At this point, I don't think there's enough evidence to firmly claim that sunscreens containing oxybenzone are unsafe."

Still, Dr. Hanson added that the UV filters used in sunscreens needed testing "to give us a better understanding of how these molecules behave in the skin."

One solution, she said, may be to add antioxidants to sunscreen to counter the effect. She said she had consulted with sunscreen makers on the issue.??

The Food and Drug Administration is preparing rules that will give consumers more information on the label about the sunscreens they buy. Most doctors still recommend sunscreens with a high SPF number and a combination of avobenzone and oxybenzone, ingredients that protect the skin from two types of ultraviolet rays, UVA and UVB.

Avobenzone, also called Parsol 1789, can degrade quickly in the sun. But many top brands, including Johnson & Johnson's Neutrogena with Helioplex, Aveeno with Active Photobarrier Complex and several Coppertone brands, are formulated to prevent that. L'Oreal products containing the new ingredient Mexoryl also offer broad-spectrum protection, doctors say.

It is important to keep in mind that sunscreen is only one way to protect the skin. Not only do people typically not use enough sunscreen, but they don't take other steps to protect themselves from the harmful effects of the sun.

"People focus so much on sunscreens," Dr. Morison said. "It should be a package of protection. A hat, staying out of the sun, avoiding the hottest part of the day and covering up are all part of the whole story. It's not just the sunscreen."

An article from The Skin Cancer Foundation

Source: www.skincancer.org

Published on January 29, 2014

JAMA Dermatology has released a study, “International Prevalence of Indoor Tanning -- A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.”

Key study takeaways at-a-glance:

• The number of skin cancer cases due to tanning is higher than the number of lung cancer cases due to smoking.
• In the US alone, 419,254 cases of skin cancer can be attributed to indoor tanning. Out of this number, 6,199 are melanoma cases.

The Skin Cancer Foundation’s Position:
The study results demonstrate that tanning bed use, particularly among young people, is an alarmingly widespread behavior. In the US, 35% of adults and 55% of college students have tanned, and the study found there are more than 419,000 new skin cancer cases attributable to indoor tanning each year. Worldwide, there are more skin cancer cases due to indoor tanning than there are lung cancer cases due to smoking.

These results are not surprising given what we know about indoor tanning behaviors and society’s flawed view that an artificially tanned look is beautiful. The Foundation continually works to change perceptions about tanning through its public education efforts, including its PSA campaign Go With Your Own Glow, which is designed to encourage women to embrace and protect their natural skin tones.

The Skin Cancer Foundation recommends that people of all ages, genders, and ethnic backgrounds avoid indoor tanning and take precautions in the sun by limiting outdoor time between 10 am and 4 pm, seeking the shade when outdoors, using a broad spectrum SPF 15+ sunscreen (SPF 30+ sunscreen for extended stays outdoors), and wearing protective clothing, including wide-brimmed hats and UV-blocking sunglasses.

This is the first summary of the international prevalence of indoor tanning exposure. 88 records (studies) were included in the meta-analysis, and the results include data from 406,696 participants. Analyses were performed separately for three geographic regions: the United States and Canada, Northern and Western Europe and Australia, as well as for these regions combined.