Dermatologists and Skin Cancer Awareness Campaigns Encourage a Safe Approach to Sun Exposure

By Guest Bag Lady Diane Essig

May brings the full arrival of spring flowers and the promise of summer. It is the month when bicycle safety is stressed, nurses and teachers are officially appreciated and of course, mothers are honored. The season also marks the onset of longer days in the sun and more time spent pursuing outdoor activities like golf, swimming, biking and barbecues; all escalating the risk of damage to unprotected skin.

So, with that in mind–May is also Melanoma/Skin Cancer Awareness month. The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) is now in its 25th year of collaboration with dermatologists on this program to provide skin assessments and help educate the public on the importance of sun protection and early skin cancer detection. (The earlier melanoma is caught – the deadliest form of skin cancer – the greater the chance of survival.)

During May (and throughout spring), dermatologists are volunteering in clinics, offices and public venues to provide free skin cancer screenings to anyone interested. They are preaching early detection to help save lives. A pressing effort given the increase in the incidence of skin cancer-especially melanoma-in this country in recent years. Since the AAD program’s inception in 1985, over 2 million screenings have taken place and over 21,000 cases of suspected melanoma detected.

If you are concerned about the rising costs of health care, think about this: Skin Cancer Awareness Month offers a perfect opportunity to get a free skin check-up. Everyone should take advantage. Find a skin cancer screening clinic near you. The dates and locations are updated on a regular basis. If none of the dates work for you, call your doctor and ask if he or she provides this free service or can make a referral. Or, ask where you work; many businesses offer a similar program through employee health services.

Another option is to visit the Skin Cancer Foundation site for the dates and locations of their “Road to Healthy Skin Tours.” From March through September, the “Tour Bus” (a well-equipped RV with examining rooms) will be making stops in 80 cities in 24 states to conduct – again free – skin cancer checks. Dermatologists are volunteering their time to work on the bus providing full-body screenings.

As public awareness of the dangers of sun exposure grows, the Skin Cancer Foundation (SCF) is also taking steps to further promote prevention of sun damage. New efforts focus on changing perceptions about what constitutes “healthy-looking skin.” Beauty experts know a glowing, natural skin tone looks best and the Skin Cancer Foundation wants to spread the word: Tanning (even in a salon) is not only dangerous but becoming socially unacceptable. Why? Because it damages the skin and affects appearance. Sun damage leads to lines and wrinkles, dark spots, loss of elasticity and radiance, as well as keratoses and cancer. Even self-tanning perpetuates the myth that a tan looks best.

To achieve its goal, the Skin Cancer Foundation’s initiated the “Go With Your Own Glow” campaign, a public service  program that strives to change attitudes about untanned skin; it emboldens women to accept and take care of their skin, whether fair or not. The Go With Your Own Glow site provides skin care information, celebrity endorsements (guess who goes with their own glow?) and even makeup tips, all to encourage women to love and care for the skin they are in.

If attitudes and perceptions can be changed – a noble, but difficult undertaking – the incidence of skin cancer should eventually drop. This is a long haul, but a worthwhile effort; one that could save lives.

So with Helios rising, take care of your skin!

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(HealthNewsDigest.com) – You’re religious about slathering on SPF30….You’re the diva of exfoliation….You keep your peptide cream in your nightstand so you never go to bed without it. But what do you do when your skin care stops working for you? See a doctor!

The old way to look at aging is to wait until everything is sagging, crinkling and has hit rock bottom, and have it all done at once. But the advent of innovative non-surgical procedures that mimic the effects of surgery at reduced costs, risks, and recovery times has revolutionized the anti-aging world. If the idea of no-knife facelifts with fillers and skin tightening devices appeals, there are many techniques available that do a lot more than creams can do.

Our never-ending pursuit of a natural result without the telltale signs of surgery has led to a whole new generation of minimally invasive devices and techniques. They can deliver results that won’t elicit remarks like, “What did she have done?!!” For some, these treatments can delay the knife for as long as possible. The philosophy is to have smaller procedures at a younger age to delay the need for more drastic nips and tucks later on. You can make small, subtle changes that allow you to stay on top of the aging process, and save the surgery for when your sagging is out of control.

Long lasting but temporary, resorbable fillers that dissolve over time are widely considered to be the safest substances available. Among these, the most commonly used are hyaluronic acid gels such as Juvederm®, Restylane® and Perlane®. Many injectors prefer to use a combination of fillers to achieve the most beautiful result. For example, Sculptra® Aesthetic is popular for lifting sagging cheeks and jowls combined with one of the hyaluronic acid gels for lip enhancement. Sculptra® stimulates your own body to produce more collagen and Juvederm® or Restylane® are ideal to reshape and restore soft volume to the lips. To get good correction with injectable treatments, most people will need multiple syringes of fillers in more than one area. A combination treatment may depend on the location to be treated, and the amount needed to fill, and by using BOTOX® Cosmetic or Dysport® with fillers, results may last even longer. Since the effects are temporary, you can expect to need touch ups to maintain your youthful look along the way.

To complement injectable treatments, lasers and light based devices have earned their place as mainstays of any age defiance program. Thermage® CPT is the newest generation of radio frequency based skin tightening systems that works on the deep tissues to give sagging skin a nice lifting effect. Resurfacing devices, including Fraxel® Re-Store Dual, help to improve skin texture, sun damage and pigment.

Although these procedures are non-surgical, they are not non-medical. They should be performed in a clinical environment under good lighting and under the direction of a qualified medical professional, which may include surgeons, doctors, and in some cases, nurses, nurse practitioners and physician assistants.

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WHAT’S IN A SERUM?

Reprinted from www.healthnewsdigest.com

Serums can go a long way to make visible improvements in your skin, but it all depends on the potency and quality of the ingredients, the delivery system, how well you follow usage directions, and whether it is the right product for your skin type and condition. If you are expecting high tech wrinkle serums to give you the skin of a 25 year old when you’re in looking down the barrel of age 50, you’re destined to be disappointed. Serums are NOT surgery, lasers or injections.

Some women are diehard serum users, whereas others may prefer the luxe feel of a lovely cream. Most of us will benefit from a combination of both. Typically serums are more concentrated and thus, tend to be more expensive. However you also don’t need to use more than a few drops daily. We are so programmed to think that if we see wrinkles, we need moisturizers, and the richer the better. This is an all-too- common misconception among all skin care users. Women tend to over-moisturize in an attempt to obliterate lines and creases. If your skin is oily and you still break out occasionally, you really do not need extra cream. A light lotion or lotion/gel type formula might be better for your skin type. Eye serums are particularly well suited for dark circles, puffiness and crepey skin due to the lightweight texture that can feel like velvet. Creamier formulas tend to attract water which creates more fullness and shadows under the eyes.

Serums may be water or oil based formulations, and they are not strictly moisturizers; in fact they are often meant to be used under your moisturizer or work to enhance the effects of a moisturizer. Some formulas may contain moisturizing ingredients, such as hyaluronic acid and glycolic acids and other hydrators. Serums usually take the form of syrupy liquids, gels or solutions, which is also why they are often applied with an eye dropper or from an ampoule or pump dispenser.

Dior Capture Totale Multi-Perfection Correction Serum works to correct most of the visible signs of skin aging including loss of firmness, lines and discoloration, ( $135)

Skinceuticals Phloretin CF is a super charged antioxidant serum that protects and corrects sun damaged skin by strengthening its resiliency, ($150)

DDF Wrinkle Resist Plus Pore Minimizer™ is an ideal serum formula for oily skin types that have some areas of wrinkles along with enlarged pores around the nose, chin and forehead. It exfoliates and tightens up pores to make them look invisible, ($85)

iS Clinical C E Serum Advance Plus is a highly potent Vitamin C and antioxidant based serum that also helps to enhance sun protection when you wear it during the daytime under makeup, ($120)

Olay Regenerist® Daily Regenerating Serum is a great choice for beauty buyers on a budget that crave the look and feel of an age defying peptide-rich serum without the high price tag, ($19.99)

The general rule for applying a serum is to start with the most highly concentrated product first so that it gets absorbed by your skin. Then you can apply a moisturizer, with sunscreen by day. Foundation should go on last. If your serum of choice contains antioxidants that enhance sun protection, use it in the A.M. when your skin needs extra defenses against UV rays. Serums containing retinol, peptides and other active ingredients may be better used in the P.M. when your skin has more time to repair itself.

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