|
Disturbing Melanoma News for People of Color |
While darker skinned people and Hispanics are at lower risk for melanoma than Caucasians, one recent study published in Archives of Dermatology found they were more likely to be diagnosed later, when the disease has spread to lymph nodes or other organs and is potentially fatal.
Read more about skin cancer in people of color. |
|
 For most people, car safety means seatbelts and airbags. But there’s another important way to stay out of harm’s way on the road, and that’s by protecting your skin from the sun.
A recent study in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology revealed that nearly 53 percent of skin cancers in the US occur on the left, or drivers’ side of the body. If you’re one of the approximately 208 million licensed drivers in the US, take heed: “The increase in left-sided skin cancers may be from the UV (ultraviolet) exposure we get when driving a car,” said Susan T. Butler, MD, coauthor of the study.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
If Recent Attacks on Sunscreen Concern You. . . |
|
 Since its inception in 1979, The Skin Cancer Foundation has always recommended using a sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher as one important part of a complete sun protection regimen which includes seeking shade, covering up with clothing including a wide-brimmed hat and UV-blocking sunglasses and avoiding tanning and UV tanning booths. Recent attacks on sunscreens by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) and by the media point to imperfections and potential risks, but miss the point that sunscreen continues to be one of the safest and most effective sun protection methods available.
We are concerned that the criticisms will raise unnecessary fears and cause people to stop using sunscreen, doing their skin serious harm.
In general, the criticisms have not been based on hard science. In fact, The Chair of the Skin Cancer Foundation’s Photobiology Committee, an independent volunteer panel of top experts on sun damage and sun protection, reviewed the same studies reviewed by the EWG, and found that their determination of what made a sunscreen bad or good was based on “junk science.”
Click HERE to read the Photobiology Committee's response to topics including nanoparticles in zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, vitamin A in sunscreen, the false "connection" between sunscreen use and an increase in incidences of melanoma, and more.
|
|
Take Some Sun Safety Advice from a World Champion |
 |
If you plan on going to the beach, be sure to wear a sunscreen with at least an SPF of 15 and protective clothing. A person's risk for melanoma doubles if he or she has had five or more sunburns at any age. This is why the world's #1 surfer, Mick Fanning, wears a high-SPF sunscreen and a shirt or long-sleeved rash guard (an athletic shirt made of material such as spandex or nylon) when surfing.
While he's chasing waves seven days a week, the surfing champion from Australia is careful. "I avoid surfing in the middle of the day, when the sun is most intense, and every time I get out of the water, I reapply sunscreen." |
Click HERE to read about Team SCF member and Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Champion, Mick Fanning. Watch him discuss why protecting yourself at the beach is so important.
|
|
ASK THE EXPERT: Does a higher-SPF (sun protection factor) sunscreen always protect your skin better? |
|
 Q. Does a higher-SPF (sun protection factor) sunscreen always protect your skin better than a lower-SPF sunscreen? How high should I go?
Steven Q. Wang, MD, Director of Dermatologic Surgery and Dermatology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center at Basking Ridge, NJ. Dr. Wang is a member of The Skin Cancer Foundation’s Photobiology Committee.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
The Ten Percent Tax on Tanning Beds Could Save Lives |
|
The new federal law taxing individuals who use tanning salons went into effect on July 1. This may discourage people from using tanning beds, which greatly increase a person’s risk of developing skin cancer.
A new study shows that indoor ultraviolet (UV) tanners are 74 percent more likely to develop melanoma than those who have never tanned indoors. The more time a person has spent tanning indoors, the higher the odds of developing the disease. According to the study, the type of tanning machine used affects melanoma risk – some tanners were 4.44 times as likely as non-tanners to develop melanoma.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
Watch "The Tanning Tax" on Nightline |
The indoor tanning debate is getting even more heated as the new tax goes into effect. The Skin Cancer Foundation’s Senior Vice President Deborah S. Sarnoff, MD educates ABC’s Nightline about the dangers of tanning and how it is no longer in fashion.
Click HERE to view the segment and learn more about the risks of tanning. |
|
When Tanning Turns Into an Addiction |
New York Times health columnist Jane E. Brody recently reported on the hazards of tanning and the phenomenon of tanning addiction. In the article, she investigates the connection between tanning and skin cancer and refers to a report by The Skin Cancer Foundation on tanning addiction that is published in the 2010 edition of The Skin Cancer Foundation Journal.
In a new report in The Skin Cancer Foundation Journal, Dr. Robin L. Hornung and Solmaz Poorsattar of the University of Washington in Seattle wrote that the “continued purposeful exposure to a known cancer-causing agent suggests that factors besides lack of knowledge are driving individuals to tan.” Although many say that a tanned appearance is their strongest motivation for sunbathing and tanning bed use, “tanners also report mood enhancement, relaxation and socialization” as their reasons, the authors wrote.
Click HERE to read the full article about tanning addiction on The New York Times web site. |
|
Team SCF consists of athletes from all around the world. Members of the Team are champs on land, sea, and, in one case, in the air. These athletes play and compete in many different sports, but all have an interest in skin cancer prevention, a following, and the respect of their peers. Currently, the Team SCF roster includes:
- PGA Tour golfer and skin cancer survivor Brian Davis
- Thirteen members of the World Professional Surfers (WPS) organization, including 2009 World Champion Mick Fanning
- Soccer players and Olympic Gold Medalists Christie Rampone and Lindsay Tarpley
- Record-setting angler Preston Clark
- Snowboard champion Shayne Pospisil
Members of Team SCF know that almost 90 percent of nonmelanoma skin cancers like basal and squamous cell carcinoma, the two most common skin cancers, are associated with exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun. And recent research has found a strong link between UV radiation and melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. This is why they are so committed to raising awareness of skin cancer and damage caused by the sun.
Check out the Team SCF member bios, videos, and more on the Team SCF web page at www.SkinCancer.org/Team-SCF
|
|
Indoor Tanning Increases Melanoma Risk by 74 Percent |
 Indoor ultraviolet (UV) tanners are 74 percent more likely to develop melanoma than those who have never tanned indoors. Additionally, the more time a person has spent tanning indoors, the higher the risk. Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer, killing approximately 8,650 Americans in 2009. “We hope that these findings, along with what we already know about the risks of indoor tanning, will keep people from using tanning beds,” said Allan C. Halpern, MD, MSc, Chief of the Dermatology Service at New York City’s Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and Vice President, The Skin Cancer Foundation.
In a study of 1,167 melanoma cases and 1,101 people without melanoma (controls) appearing in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, researchers, led by DeAnn Lazovich of the University of Minnesota, found that almost 63 percent of the melanoma patients but just over 51 percent of the control group had tanned indoors. Ultraviolet radiation from tanning machines is cancer-causing to humans, according to a 2009 report released by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), affiliated with the World Health Organization. The IARC also includes solar radiation in its list of the most dangerous types of cancer-causing substances.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
A Great Resource for Kids (and Their Teachers) |
 |
 |
 |
|
 The Skin Cancer Foundation’s award-winning The Sunsational Guide to Smart Sun Safety: Fun in the Sun 101 introduces children in grades 6-8 to the fundamentals of sun safety. With its interactive website and free downloadable materials, including a poster and activity sheets, The Sunsational Guide to Smart Sun Safety offers age-appropriate information on skin cancer, ultraviolet radiation, and more.
This year, the poster features surfing champ Mick Fanning and soccer superstar Lindsay Tarpley.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
A Great Deal for a Great Cause |
|
|
|
 
When you get a great deal from our partners, you’re also helping The Skin Cancer Foundation.
|
|
|
Want to look good outdoors while staying safe in the sun? Today, stylish clothing and accessories made especially to shield your skin from the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays can help prevent the damage that can lead to skin cancer.
