Skin Cancer Awareness-Making sense of SPF and do YOU need it?

Ok I'll answer that now. Yes we all need it! Why don't you wear it?
Some people ask:
1. Don't I need my Vitamin D from the sun?
Vitamin D is produced in the body when exposed to sunlight and can help combat seasonal and other depression, and in some cases actually help reduce cancer, but more isn't always better. A daily dose of D can be received from about 10-15 minutes of sunlight. Most of us can get this through windows of buildings, cars, and walking in between. If you think you have SeasonalAffectiveDisorder or that you need more sun exposure, go for it! Take a quick walk and soak up some rays, although to decrease aging skin, feel free to do this WITH sunscreen on at least your face and hands. The rest of the body can absorb light too, without making you look older faster ;)
Did you know that a white cotton shirt has very little sun protection, you can get your Vit. D, tan and even burn right through it. Darker colors absorb light and protect your skin more.
2. People in the past didn't wear sunscreen and didn't all die of skin cancer...
It's true that diagnosis of skin cancers are on the rise. Some of this may be because tanning was not popular until our great-grandparents made it fashionable and we have become more efficient at creating tanning environments, beds, lotions, and time spent outside. In addition, ozone depletion and other factors have increased the amount of radiation we receive daily and unless protecting our skin everyday, it will most likely see some damage.
3. Why do I need sunscreen when my skin produces melanin to protect me?
While your natural melanin gives you some protection, a tan is an increase in melanin production. When your skin tone darkens, melanin is being produced more rapidly as a defense mechanism, which means it is responding to a threat and damage already incurred. A tan is not a preemptive strike in the sun war. It is a regrouping and arming of troops after the missile hits. Therefore, a tan is not effectively keeping your skin from damage if you keep getting darker. Australia and South Africa are good examples here. Australia has a 1 in 3 skin cancer rate, but awareness is nationally sponsored and respected, which makes early detection and treatment more common and death far less likely. South Africa and a few other countries now fine parents that don't protect their children from the sun due to the excessive sun exposure and damage there. Those with darker skin may be less likely to burn but are also less likely to think they need protection or check themselves for skin cancer. While deeper completed people may have less cancer, they die more often from those few cases, since they don't detect problems as early as those who can more easily see their skin reddened or damaged by sun or tanning.

4. Aren't chemical sunscreens dangerous and do they even work?
Do they work is a good question. The answer.. depends on the sunscreen in question.
Until this year the FDA didn't regulate SPF claims on drugstore products, so they recently found all kinds of sunscreens, especially those labeled SPF 80 and over, including kid/baby products, that weren't effective at all. Now that regulation has started, the highest SPF you will see will be labeled as SPF 50+ to avoid a false sense of protection some high SPF users reported. Other changes include cutting out advertising claims that can't be validated. Water-proof has no proof, you will find water-resistant products instead. Sprays and towelettes will be cracked down on since they rarely deliver an effective SPF dose and powders are more closely watched as well. All SPF products must protect against UVA and UVB, which is new. And while this sounds dandy, it took years of pressure, petitions, etc... to enact this and even so we are years behind Europe in our product claim and safety regulation.
Sunscreen basics:
SunProtectionFactor doesn't mean the minutes you can safely be in the sun as many think, but how many times longer you can not burn, based on the ingredients plus your own sensitivity. So if you burn in two minutes, an SPF of 15 should keep you from burning for a half hour... Regardless of SPF, products must be used as directed to be effective, meaning reapplied in a proper amount every few hours.
There are chemical and physical sunscreens.
Physical blockers come from minerals like zinc and titanium dioxide. They are typically the least irritating to the skin, and don't let UV penetrate your skin, but can wear off like any makeup or product that sits on the top layers of dead skin. A risk to consider is that they are often in powder makeup or powder sunscreen form and should never be inhaled and can rub off.
Chemical absorbers like those including the chemical name -methoxycinnamate- and variants absorb the radiation, so it doesn't penetrate further into the skin and will slough off with dead skin cells, where the product is absorbed and sits. It does have higher irritation risks, since it is a chemical being somewhat absorbed and stops being as effective after 2-3 hrs.
Most sunscreens have a combo of blockers and absorbers and all are recommended to be reapplied every few hours, or after 45 min of sweating, swimming, etc... Also, note that most products are underused and therefore ineffective. You will at least need a shot glass full for the body and nickel-sized squirt for the face. Some residue should be seen to ensure enough is on the skin.
EWG website is pretty thorough and some say sensationalist about displaying chemical risk factors in skin products, but they do have an SPF guide and Hall of Shame which found that most high SPF claims weren't accurate, so if you want to see how your pre-FDA regulated sunscreens stack up, check it out and make sure YOUR sunscreen actually works.
http://breakingnews.ewg.org/2012sunscreen/

As far as chemical danger, I urge you to use physical blockers from an organic based skincare and body product line, as I agree there are some scary chemicals in mass-produced products. While some colors, preservatives, and other chemical ingredients have been linked to cancer, they aren't going to carry the same skin cancer risks as the sun, so I do not agree with those that say sunscreens are the reason for increased skin cancers.
The least irritating sunscreen is going to be one with those mineral blockers, and like any moisturizer for breakout prone or sensitive skin go for one that is oil, fragrance, dye, and paraben free. If you care about the environment and reducing your chemical intake, there are plenty of amazing brands that don't just plaster "Natural" on their umbrella-owned product, but actually are sustainably produced, vegan, organic, and contain healthy skin ingredients.

And finally I know that in addition to irritation, many people don't wear sunscreen because they find it greasy, smelly, or sticky. Finding the right product and application is the key there. They are not all alike. Find somewhere with a good return policy, read your ingredients, and product reviews, and try a few. Ooooooorrrr... Just read my next blog.
My next blog will feature favorite sunscreen products, correct application and the how, when and where to use it.

Skin Cancer Awareness- Tanning

For Skin Cancer Awareness month I am posting about tanning and sunscreens. We all know a tanner and we all need sunscreen whether we like it or not, so please take this info seriously, I may have a few things you haven't heard before and more questions are welcome.

First- the basics.
Melanin is the natural pigment and color of our skin. To give you an idea of where it comes from:
The outmost layer of skin is the epidermis, underneath lie lthe dermis with our blood vessels, collagen, elastin, and a necessary layer of subcutaenous fat between our skin structure and muscles. The uppermost layer of the epidermis is the stratum corneum which consist of dead layers or skin, this is where most skin and makeup products are applied, absorbed and seen. Deep in the epidermis melanin is produced and distributed to create skin color and some natural sun protection.
Darker skin has more, lighter skin has less, sun spots or age spots are clustered melanin typically due to sun damage. Although overall freckles are clustered melanin, they are genetic and while typically sun-senstive are not initially caused by sun damage.
We all have some melanin (unless you were born with Albinism- a complete genetic lack of melanin) and it does help protect us, but chomp on this food for thought:
We all know the tanning bed users that over an over say they use it for a "base tan", meaning they purposefully irradiate themselves with UVA and UVB (most tanning beds use both kinds, some have just one) in order to have an all-over boost in their natural melanin production, but a base tan only gives a natural SPF of about 4. I'll explain more about SPF further down, but know that a lot of lip balms have twice that. And they are damaging their skin and raising their chances of skin cancer.
OK: skin cancer and tanning. How scary is it? REALLY freaking scary is the correct answer. Even heroine is not proven to cause cancer, yet it kills most of it's long-term users. Why do I mention this? Because tanning has been proven to be as addictive as heroine!
As we cook our skin, our body sends us feel-good chemicals so we aren't caused more pain by radiation exposure. This chemical reward in the brain is how drugs form addictions. We are thinking that we are healthy and taking care of our appearance because it makes us feel warm and slightly euphoric as we absorb endorphins. That positive glow we get once subconciously influences us to do it again. This becomes habit and in many cases, soon begins to interfere with life which defines addiction or dependency. It can take far too much time and money, or become a self-esteem or other emotional crutch.
But considering how horrible it is for your health would make any regular tanning fit the description of an addiction and can raise your chances of melanoma by 75%.

What about beds that call themselves safe because they only use one type of UV light? The carcinogenic mutations in some skin cancers have been linked to UVA radiation more than UVB, suggesting that beds have different risks than natural light. The UVA light is also more strongly associated with skin aging than UVB, and with genetic damage. UVB burns the skin quicker, which may create your tan faster, so using only UVA will only tan you slower, have you exposed to radiation longer and age your skin faster. No amount of Botox or facelifts can give back the healthy, plump, springy skin of youth and nothing ruins it faster than lots of UV radiation.

Making a mature tanning decision:Age limits and taxes on indoors tanning are sweeping the US and Europe since school age girls do not often take tanning risks seriously and have the fastest growing rate of melanoma, due to the number of habitual tanners between ages15-24. If the taxes seem unfair, consider how much money is spent on cancer treatment or even just an appointment to check on a new skin abnormality. The cost of medical treatment is for many reasons, beyond most people's means. This is another thing people often don't think about when they risk their health for peer pressure or vanity.
There are a few hyped stories about tanning deaths, that I can't find much on, but use your judgement. If you can get "sun poisoning"  as a result radiation and raised body temp in a day at the beach (which can need hospitalization or in some cases kill), you can definitely get it from a tanning bed which usually has a normal day's worth of UV exposure in about a 20 minute period. That's an extreme short term risk. The long term risks are irreparable saggy leathery skin, uneven skin tone/sun spots, and cancer.
 Other common risks include skin irritations from beds that haven't been sanitized properly, painful burns, allergies to tanning lotions, dry skin, and freckles in those that don't normally get them.
 If someone has tanned their entire life and doesn't look the worse for it, they are an exception, not a tanning expert. They may have a naturally high amount of melanin, they may not tan as often as they say, or they may use a bed with weak bulbs, they may have undiagnosed cancer while they are talking to you, or they may be very very lucky, which only means that for one that's escaped damage (so far) there are more that haven't. I have been in a tanning bed, with my fair skin and all. It felt great and was only tanning a few times a month for 1 summer at age 20. In only a few years I have pigmented areas on my face, more freckles on my arms and chest, and now burn easier even with two kinds of professional brand, medical grade sunscreen and spf makeup on. And this is after I browned up like a berry as a kid. We aren't young forever.
If you refuse to stop tanning, I encourage you to pay attention to your skin for the signs of cancer and for cosmetic reasons to wear SPF at least on your face and then use a little bronzer if you feel there is a difference.
The early signs of skin cancer are:

A = Asymmetry: Melanoma lesions are typically irregular in shape (asymmetrical); benign (noncancerous) moles are typically round (symmetrical). B = Border: Melanoma lesions often have irregular borders (i.e., ragged or notched edges); benign moles have smooth, even borders. C = Colors: Melanoma lesions often contain many shades of brown or black; benign moles are usually a single shade of brown. D = Diameter: Melanoma lesions are often more than 1/4 inch or six millimeters in diameter (about the size of a pencil eraser); benign moles are usually less than 1/4 inch or six millimeters in diameter.

Some melanomas may be other colors, including brown, pink, and even white. While some melanomas develop slowly, any sudden and rapid change in the size, shape, or color of a mole or spot on the skin should prompt you to seek medical attention immediately.
Have a trusted friend, lover, or family member do a thorough full body check if you don't go to a dermatologist regularily, don't forget between toes, in skin folds, and through hair. Please watch and make every you love, or anyone who tans watch:
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=1&sqi=2&ved=0CFQQtwIwAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D_4jgUcxMezM&ei=_5-4T6XUPIKQsQLZkPCKDA&usg=AFQjCNGbvfINMrylKj8vRSXt4HyIJMoFTg
Ok scary tanning talk over, but I hope you do take it seriously.

Other tanning facts, I find interesting:
A tan used to be a sign of poverty, since those with them typically worked outside, as opposed to the white skin of aristocrats who spent most of their time indoors.
Tans may be so attractive to us, because of Carotene. This is a vitmain found in carrots and some other veggies. Every heard that too many carrots will actually make you turn orange? It's sorta true. Some natural sunless tanners even contain liquid carotene for that reason. Perhaps that glow we find attractive isn' because of the sun, but because of nutrition... A healthy diet with lots of veggies will also help you maintain clear, skin, weight, nails and hair! That carrot is looking sexy!

Tanning became more popular because of Chanel. Not the perfume of bag, but the lady CoCo, herself. She was very fit and loves to play sports outside. Her own tan and fashion influence created a "Tan=Health and Wealth" mentality that has lasted almost a hundred years. Indeed the very wealthy may have more eleisure time spent outside.

Wild how we got here, huh?

Oil and Sweat Proof Makeup Techniques and Products

Today's Topic-
How on earth do I keep my makeup on in the summer or when my skin is oily?
Well... Here are the Dos and Don'ts.
Don't put antiperspirant/deoderant on your face to keep it from sweating. It clogs your follicles, and blocks your pores. This IS how it works on underarms, but the face is much more sensitive and must "breathe". Sweat helps us regulate our body temp and get rid of toxins Oil holds moisture in the skin, and keeps it supple and helps protect from wind, pollutants, etc... So proper sweat and oil function is especially important in having great skin and we don't want to impede that. If you try this you may experience deadly trapped heat in the face, acne breakouts, skin irritations, or overdrying which can be painful and aging to skin.
Don't spray your face with hair spray! Many swear by this, but if they have any skin complaints, this is an obvious contributor. Even if no irritation is revealed, it can still be clogging, drying, and otherwise unhealthy for the skin, not to mention it is extremely flammable and harmful if inhaled in large amounts.

It seems silly I know, but in regards to these misuses, note that it is technically illegal to use a product other than it's intention. This means that any horrible reaction you may experience, you legally can't sue or otherwise be compensated for damages if you weren't using the product as directed..
Have I dissuaded you? I hope so.

Here's what you can Do:
Use mattifying skincare and makeup products .
If you are not oily, but sweat more, don't overstress your skin with mattifying skin care or acne products, cleanse and moisturize more gently and focus on the mattifying makeup primers, complexion and setting products.
Also be aware that sebaceous gland activity can function as a defense mechanism of the skin and overdrying or other skin irritation as well as stress or other hormone changes can cause an abrupt increase in your oil production. For this reason, it's important to keep the skin well hydrated and a good hydration regimen helps clear and heal skin faster and often reduces excess oil production .
The recipe for healthy, glowing, hydrated skin:
Drink plenty of water, cut out or reduce your intake of caffiene, alcohol, and smoke, wear daily moisturizer and SPF and night moisturizer.
Also: Radiation (shrinks oil glands) and planes (stale cabin air) also dehydrate the skin so be extra careful to hydrate and moisturize on days when getting sun exposure, x-rays, or traveling.

To start every application:
Cleanse the face for 1-2 minutes, pat dry and apply your moisturizer/spf product, allow to absorb until the skin is no longer tacky and then apply your primer and other makeup.



Application:
The more you pile on, the more it'll slide off so build your complexion as needed. Here I will show you the path to 4 levels of coverage from lightest to fullest.
1. Sometimes a primer and a setting powder will give a nice finish alone. Add one or all of the following for a natural look: a bit of concealer/bronzer/blush/highlight.
2. If you feel your skin tone needs a bit more balancing, use a tinted moisturizer after you prime, a bit of concealer (lightly blended under eyes, around nostrils, on blemishes or red areas) and the bronzer/blush/highlighter as desired or not at all.
3. If you are covering acne or have much uneven skin tone, follow a tinted moisturizer and concealer with powder foundation, and setting spray.
OR
After priming, use a full coverage liquid foundation, setting powder and optional spray.
4. The ultimate in coverage: primer, liquid Foundation, concealer, powder foundation, setting powder, and setting spray.


Products I recommend-
Skincare:
Clay cleansers or those that contain salicylic acid will leave you grease-free.
I like Dermalogica Dermal Clay Cleanser for a gentle but oil-absorbing cleanse.
Image Salicylic Gel Cleanser for incredibly oily or acne-prone skin.
Image Skincare Matte Moisturizer SPF 30 or another moisturizer with microsponge technology.
Primers:
Urban Decay DeSlick Primer (Color corrects without green!)
Murad Skin Perfecting matte Primer
Jane Iredale Absence Primer
BareEscentuals i.d bareVitamins skin rev-ver-upper (light)
Tarte Clean Slate Poreless (light)
Complexion:
Tarte tinted moisturizers, liquid foundation, and powders are clay based and therefore asborb some oil.
Urban Decay Tinted moisturizers are amazingly non-greasy, and have a decent amount of coverage.
Jane Iredale Dream Tints suit oily skin well with a dewy finish and for more coverage their PurePressed powder will not budge once set with Balance (see below) 
Urban Decay  24/7 Concealer Pencils can be used alone over primer, blended into tinted moisturizers for more coverage, or with any other foundation, just remember to set with a powder.
Setting Products:
Balance Antioxidant Hydration Spray
Urban Decay DeSlick Setting Spray
Urban Decay Razor Sharp Ultra Definition Finishing Powder
Jane Iredale Amazing Matte Loose Powder or Brush Me Matte (light)

The ones labeled (light) are just that- not as heavy duty but good for perhaps just a shiny T-zone.

Other sweat and oil friendly products and tips:
Waterproof/water-resistant mascara: Maybelline XXL Waterproof, Urban Decay Big Fatty (essentially water-resistant)
Tinted eye primers alone for light color or under eyeshadow to preserve: Jane Iredale Eyegloss, Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion
Lip and Cheek Stains Like those from Benefit, Urban Decay, Tarte, Revlon.
Lip and Eye Pencils: Urban Decay 24/7, or most firmer pencils set with powder (for liners you can use eyeshadows of the same or more intense color for a bright pop or rich depth!).
FYI: I love doing this^ with a green, navy, or black eyeliner and then an intense shimmery aqua shadow over it or black on black for the blackest black ever!

The Paraben Debate

To begin with I'd like to start with my moral/natural/cautionary standards. Not everyone will agree, and info may be hard to find, but here's my conclusion in regards to chemical product safety.
I like to stick with products that are cruelty and paraben free as well as things that don't clog follicles and won't trigger allergies, so I may mention products that don't meet these goals, but generally stick to this for skincare and complexion products. I will try to flag "allergy risk" items, if I catch them.

The reason I believe we should avoid parabens when possible is that they add up too quickly when using multiple products to be considered harmless. Read on for the reasoning.

Why avoid parabens? Here's my case:

The official word:
The FDA has approved this class of preservatives as safe in tiny amounts within our food, face and body products. This is why they are there and companies claim they are safe.
Here's a snippet:
"Although the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) are advising a lower use level of butyl- and propyl-paraben than the maximum allowed in the Directive, the UK Cosmetics Trade Association (CTPA) says it nonetheless reflects the levels that are currently used. “The most important thing is that the levels they are suggesting for the substances approximately reflect current in use levels,” Emma Meredith from the CTPA told CosmeticsDesign-Europe.com.

Although officially a manufacturer could put higher levels into a product (up to 0.4 per cent), 0.19 per cent concentration is likely to be sufficient for most uses, she explained.

Within the opinion, which is open for comments until 28 January 2011, the SCCS also confirmed its view that methyl- and ethyl-paraben are acceptable for use at the levels described 0.4 per cent and 0.8 cumulatively, as described in the Directive."

Sounds reasonable, but then other info pops up and concern lingers:

-Denmark has banned parabens in childrens products.
-A study in which paraben containing creams applied to men's backs, showed that the parabens were evident in the bloodstream minutes later, chemically unchanged by the body.
-Parabens have been found in 18 out of 20 breast cancer tumors and are now present in unborn fetuses and nearly every American's blood.

Why are we scared of it? Not only because our body can't process or break it down, but it has shown some evidence of  having an estrogen-like effect on the body. Men and women are affected by hormones. They affect our immune response and fetal development and all the systems that trickle down. This means they are a concern for everyone.

Why I specifically avoid them:
What no one accounts for is the fact that most women often use more than 20 products a day between their hair, skin, makeup, etc...  Don't believe me? Let's spell it out. Some women have more simplified regimens and some more complex, but here's a typical day for me:
Facial Cleanser, SPF Moisturizer, Powder Foundation, brow pencil, Blush/bronzer, 2 eyeshadows, mascara, eyeliner, lipstick, hand/body lotion, hair protectant and dry shampoo styling product.
That's 13 products for the morning and a basic day makeup look.

And then: Shampoo, Conditioner, body wash, facial cleanser, night cream, body/hand lotion, and prescription steroid cream for my chronic skin condition.
There's the other 7 at night.
That's 20 products a day and then take into account that other women often use a few more makeup, hair and body products than that.

Think it's just a women's issue? A man hopefully uses soap, deodorant, sunscreen, a hair product or just shampoo and a hand lotion. You see where I'm going...

What I'm getting at here is that the "safe" levels of paraben usage do not account for the likely 20+ fold amount used in a day by most women (and perhaps 5+ fold a day usage by men).
If we are typically using 20 times more than a "safe level" a day, it is no longer safe!

For this reason I occasionally use paraben containing products, but keep them to a minimum to avoid this toxin accumulation. I also have experienced a slight burning sensation when using some paraben containing products.

The paraben group includes methyl-paraben, butyl-paraben, propyl-paraben, and other prefixes. A naturally derived paraben can also be found in grapefruit seed extract, but I would assume it is better tolerated, since it is not a synthetic.
It is true that more research on this substance would help us asses it's risk, but understand that evidence comes from clinical studies which are incredibly consuming of time, money, and other resources, so new, industry-challenging viewpoints are often hard to research, since the opposition typically controls more wealth. I'll say no more there, just ask you to consider that a lack of study is not always due to a lack of evidence only a lack of funds or influence.

I hope this made sense and increased your awareness. Parabens are not the very worst thing we encounter chemically, but there are safer preservative alternatives available, without compromising shelf life or sanitation.
The choice is always yours as to whether paraben presence concerns you, but this is why my focus is as such.


Stay safe and beautiful!