Block or Screen: The best Sun Protection?

Winter snows are glistening and the exposure you get to the sun just keeps coming. As you wander down the slopes, or slip along with your doggie on a morning stroll thinking, "save my skin" or "just lather up the baby oil" one last glow of tan can't hurt, right? Wrong! Protect Protect Protect! You're a woman, and probably hormonal, or taking hormones, or taking birth control pills, or leaking a bit of progesterone into your system from your IUD, or if you have a belly full of some baby and placenta: the hormones are summoning skin damage as that first ray of light beams in your morning window. So what's the scoop sunblock or sunscreen? Well, technically, blocking or screening are not the professional terms. And realistically, it's not the exact way it's applied either whether it be a powder, a gel, a lotion, a sprays, or an ointment, if it has Sun Protection Factor (SPF) then you have some protection. Now you may have to watch expiration dates on some of the more fragile formulation, so read labels. The rays of the sun damage the skin by exposing it to  UVA and UVB rays. UVB has always been the big bad UV to avoid, the "B" we nickname for the "Burn", but "A" could be thought of as the "Aging" UV. And as for the SPFs. The FDA has approved 17 agents for use in sunscreens that will provide SPF. Some are organic or the chemical sunscreens which absorb the UV before it strikes and others are the inorganic literally forming a physical barrier that also works by being strongly reflective. And lots of products have a bit of both. You can read an entire review the UVA and UVB at the Skin Cancer Foundation.
 So back to SPF, what exactly are you getting. Well, first of all there is no known UVA rating for protection. No SPF grading system is for UVA. So all of the grading is for UVB. And the ratings are for "amount of time, relatively, it takes you to burn.." A very general term. So if you normally burn in 10 minutes and you are wearing SPF 30, you should be able to stay in the sun for 300 minutes before you burn. But that doesn't mean that you haven't absorbed a lot of heat during that time, nor that the product has stayed on  that long, nor does it really mean that you really took that long to burn in the first place. Nor does an alarm sound when you have incomplete or inconsistent application, are at altitude, or exposed to conditions like wind, or taking medication that can compound the effects of the sun. Nor do these figures correct for age or ethnicity, that's basically up to us, so these products have a lot to be desired in their labeling. .And the concern over the lack of UVA protection was so great that last  July 3, 2009 caused a lot of alarm when they reported that three of five brand-name products "either don't protect the skin from sun damage sufficiently, contain hazardous chemicals, or both, according to a report by the watchdog organization Environmental Working Group."


And if you want to see just how smart you really are about this:
How about the sun safety IQ

Screen The Sun: Anti-Age Your Skin

New reports calling Sun Screens a cause of cancer is not true, nor its it technically possible to decrhonify (anti-age) your skin with sunscreen alone. Anti-oxidants, retinols, and a regimen of care and consultation is the best for these purposes. Nor is it true that there is any evidence that the products actually promote cancer instead of protect. I feel that our sun screens are extremely safe, but if you want to just use the powdered on minerals you will likely be the safest of all. Lots of public stories circulating in all aspects of medicine, but with sun screens, it seems the myths multiply rather than mumify. Your skin story should start like this: 1. Do you have healthy skin, for that you need to have a discussion with a health care provider who understands your body and your skin, 2. Can you persevere the health you have in your skin, for that you need MORE sun protection, 3. Can you reverse the damage and reduce your changes of skin cancer, again, back to the professional to discuss and to really understand how to dechronify your skin.

Smoke, Secondary Smoke, Firesides and Candles: Causes of Acne

Adult skin is sensitive to smoke. Smoke of all kinds. Most adult women have acne with large comedones (are you still being unscientific and calling these black heads and white heads?!). Smoke, especially cigarettes are a common cause of these types of acne lesions. So experiencing an increase in skin issues. Think about total smoke exposure and how much protection your skin needs for those winter fireside family get-togethers.And come to Hada to get a consultation on getting clearer skin Other factors to watch for in your skin issues: stress, milk intake, high glycemic index foods (those that release sugar).

Rose Blush or Skin Problem?

If you are fair and flush easily, it may not just be shyness, you might have rosacea. It is a skin condition but it's precipitated by anything irritating: could be hot food, or a menopausal flush or medications. There are actually four subtypes of rosacea, but all cases have the flush, most have inflammatory papules (red bumps), some pustules(pimples), and telangiectases. Some people will have these conditions in a background of a dry sting or swollen face. It would be rare to have associated other symptoms such as eye symptoms, so if your flushing has dry mouth, or eye itching, consult your health provider. We all have certain triggers that make the flush worse, and helping you skin is to learn them and avoid your triggers. Effective treateaments include topical antibiotics or oral antibiotics, retinoids, both the intense pulsed light (IPL) or vascular laser treatments give better long term control of symptoms. Consulting a trained laser therapist can help you plan your treatments.

Stop the Sweat Drip

Do you have 2 million or do you have 24 million sweat glands? Some of us actually have fewer than others, so the amount you glisten in the sun will vary! Either way, we can actually produce up to 10 liters of sweat a day. Impressive. It's necessary to have bacteria around to product the odors we think of as associated with our sweat. We do swat salt with our water, but actually the ducts in the sweat glands reabsorbs most of the salt, so we don't loose enough to be dangerous, on a typical day. There are three cell types, the clear, the mucoid and the myoepithelial ones. Being dehydrated will decrease your sweating but that is not a pleasant or healthy way to do it. Not moving much and of course being cool with air conditioning or in a pool will decrease the amount you perspire. There are medical grade antiperspirants that will help with this also. For when that won't work you can use Botox. The ingredient in Botox which is Botulinum toxin prevents the actylcholine release and it's what is usually secreted in response to sympathetic nerves. This can be used under your arms, in the groin area, on the forehead or on the palms to decrease sweating. The most common use of Botox for decreasing sweating is under the arms, which is very effective, and only has to be repeated every 6-12 months for most individual. Risks and side effects can be discussed with your provider at your next visit.

Glistening Smiles are Beyond Just Thermoregulation

Feel your forehead, is it dry, lick your lips, are they dry, feel the back of your neck, dry as well? Then drink a long glass of plain water, and when your done with that, set this blog to speed dial as healthy skin needs to be hydrated, and our mission will be to teach you that to Glisten is to Glow. And that there is an entire science behind maintaining renewed skin that focuses on the youthful fullness of retained hydration.. It takes good health, proper circulation through rest, exercise and yes, even massage. It takes appropriate banishment of damaging free radicals and protection against the glare of the sun. A bit of spritz or spray to the face can help the hydration as well. Even the natural glow of that which we so often work to ban: perspiration. While it may bother you to perspire when nervous or stressed, it is not, by definition, a psychological disorder. Sweating in fact helps us thermoregulate, or control our temperature. Other responses or physiologic to the consumption of certain types of foods. Spicy foods for instance naturally cause sweating around the lips and nose and forehead.