In our last entry, we told the harrowing story of an epidemic shining down all around us. Skin Cancer is the most common of all cancers, according to the American Cancer Society, and we think it’s for two reasons: we love the sun and we do not respect the responsibilities of our skin. Well think about this.

Ultimately, overexposure to UVA rays of the sun scramble cells on the surface of the skin. When our DNA can no longer heal the damage, the cells begin to grow and rapidly duplicate. This is the start of Skin Cancer. The damaged cells together will form a tumor, which are the markings that show up on the body. The only plus side to this type of cancer, over others, is that it develops on the surface of the skin, allowing for early detection. This is crucial. Once Skin Cancer begins to spread, it aims for the most vital organs first.

Skin Cancer begins by dining on our body’s largest organ, our skin. Never really thought about what the skin does for you? Well these are the vital features of our skin according to the American Cancer Society,

“The skin covers the internal organs and protects them from injury. It serves as a barrier between germs / bacteria and internal organs. It prevents the unwanted loss of fluids. The skin regulates body temperature, and helps the body to get rid of excess water and salts through sweat. Certain cells in the skin communicate with the brain and allow us to perceive temperature, touch and pain sensations.”

There are three major categories of Skin Cancer: the Non-Melanoma cancers (known as Basal Cell Carcinoma or Squamous Cell Carcinoma) and the commonly talked about Melanoma. Each of these cancers are named for the different cells in which they form. Melanoma is the deadliest, and fastest moving, form of Skin Cancer.

Nearly half of all cancers in the United States involve the skin, and more than 2 million cases of non-melanoma Skin Cancer develop in the U.S. each year. In 2010, Melanoma accounted for about 68,130 cases of cancer. Do you see the need to call it an epidemic?

Skin Cancer is a serious problem that we face, but fortunately, it is avoidable – and as millions have proven – survivable. The key is to know your body, and to care for your skin. A doctor should check even the smallest change to the size and color of a mole, or any new growth immediately. Also, monitor skin for: rough scales, bleeding, spread of pigmentation beyond the mole’s border, or a change in sensation, itchiness, tenderness or pain.

The best way to care for your skin is to protect it every time you leave your home. A sunscreen like Tikkun Ultra Shield doubles as a lightweight moisturizer that smoothly bonds to the skin, so it’s simple to protect the face – even under cosmetics.

Everyday, we face a battle; make sure you’re arming yourself with the right protection.

References
Skincarephysicians.com
Cancer.org

The sun was hazy, hot and dangerously hidden on the day the outbreak arrived. Not at all bright and shining as many assumed it would be. Just like a million times before – with no radiant rays to be seen – men, women and children moved about the world uncovered and unprotected. We had so many opportunities to rewrite destiny, if only we had properly protected ourselves. Instead here we stand, allowing this disease to claim a victim every hour (fact) – without ever learning a lesson.

An epidemic such as this escalates slowly, building a solid base in order to achieve pandemic ranking some day. One catalyst was all this disease needed. Perhaps it was the decision to deregulate the air industry, causing a boom in available commercial flights to tropical destinations (1978); or was it a new product on the market that created a radiant look without ever stepping outdoors (1980). Maybe it was a combination of factors that brought one in five Americans to battle this scarring illness (New cases spiked beginning in 1986 to present).

Burning clues appear on the infected. Unfortunately, only those in tune with themselves noticed the damage in time. Most did not inspect their bodies for changes. The signs were there for those who looked, and reward was found in discovering them early.

The cure lied within a few behavioral changes, but this deceitful silent killer fooled so many. The symptoms grew silently under golden skin. The body fought off invasion, sometimes for years, while not feeling ill or even any pain – until it was too late.

Often the signs began as simple dry or red patches of skin; other times an existing imperfection on the body slowly mutated. Some marks were raised, some lowered; some were symmetrical, some lopsided. You couldn’t look for a certain color because so many could be dangerous – red, black, blue, purple, brown and tan to name some common culprits. The real concern was in the body’s marks that had been around for ages. Although on the surface most never changed, dangerous battles played out below the skin.

This epidemic seems unfair because it comes from a trusted source; transferred to us through the sun’s ultraviolet glow. The same source that feeds us, cradles us and warms us: has the power to destroy our body’s largest and most important organ – the human skin – by scrambling DNA on the surface.

Skin Cancer, specifically Melanoma, is a gateway cancer, feeding on our skin for strength along its path of destruction. Caught early you may end up with only a chunk of skin removed. Left to progress, you will be surprised by how quickly this cancer spreads, eventually growing beyond control.

The moral at the end of this heavy tale is that this fate is avoidable. You can live a healthy life in the sun by limiting daily sun exposure, using sunscreen with both UVA and UVB protection, and consistently monitoring skin for changes.

The battle against Skin Cancer rages on every day, so protect your armor.  

FACTS PROVIDED by SKINCANCER.ORG and WIKIPEDIA

The sun is a source of pleasure, dating back throughout time. However, the sun is also a source for three different cancers — basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and the deadliest, Melanoma – as well as premature aging, blood vessel damage, skin texture changes, pigmentation changes, and wrinkles. That is why sun protection is so critical. However, up until now regulation on sunscreen was in some considerations a joke that took 30 years to overhaul, and during that time our bodies soaked up the punchline.

Putting the past aside, the FDA made changes that will greatly help to educate about the proper levels of sun protection; levels that we strongly agree with and utilize in our own product, Tikkun Ultra Shield. The following explains the new regulations, information on sunscreen and cancer and what you should demand from the products you buy.

Covering the Whole Broad Spectrum

The Change: Previously, sunscreen companies had no restrictions on claims of Broad Spectrum protection. Now companies must test both UVA and UVB to get the distinction. Products that don’t meet a Broad Spectrum standard will have a warning that the product prevents sunburn but not cancer or aging.

What does that mean?

Most sunscreens have only ever printed the protection against UVB rays, and not the more harmful UVA. By requiring testing across a Broad Spectrum, the FDA is requiring companies to inform percentages on both. This change is long overdue for a country riddle with different cancers.

UV, or Ultraviolet, refers to the different wavelengths that reach our skin as rays from the sun. Most understand the idea that we absorb UVA and UVB rays, but do you know the varying effects from each? UVA are the rays that scramble DNA. UVA causes premature aging, wrinkles and arguably more cases of cancer than UVB, which are the rays causing our skin to turn red. UVB only comprises about 1% of the sun we absorb.

Very few sunscreens on the market today protect across the entire Broad Spectrum to fight cancer and aging in addition to giving you the perfect tan. What makes Tikkun Ultra Shield different from other brands is that we use protection from four different spectrums of light to formulate large, over-lapping molecules that bond with the top layer of skin forming a protective shield against both UVA and UVB light.

Word of caution, beware of products claiming Broad UVA Protection. This definition of broad means varying protection across the UVA spectrum, not our definition which is complete protection across the vast UVA and UVB spectrums.

SPF: Sun Protection Factor

The Change: Only sunscreens with an SPF of 15 or higher can claim to lower the risk of cancer. The SPF number will cap at 50 unless the company can provide results proving a higher distinction necessary.

What does that mean?

SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor. This factor is a measurement of how long a person of light skin color can stay under a UV light source, be it the sun or a tanning bed. A critical piece of information that most people don’t know is that after an SPF of 35, the increase to protection percentage is so insignificant that a higher SPF number is a useless classification.

Tikkun SPF 20 – as all sunscreens should – gives you 70% protection against UVA rays and 92% protection against UVB rays. The SPF 35 has even higher percentages. An SPF higher than 50 really only indicates a denser or thicker cream, not a significantly higher protection. The FDA made the right decision to cut out this wasteful marketing.

UVA

The Change: Companies can no longer use the 4-star rating on bottles to indicate UVA coverage.

What does that mean?

The star rating that some companies use needs to phase out for the more complete Broad Spectrum coverage monitoring, which will measure both UVA and UVB protection. Both spectrums affect our bodies, so we must monitor both.

Waterproof

The Change: The FDA now prohibits sunscreen claims to “waterproof” or “sweat proof” which are said to be exaggerations of performance.

What does that mean?

The degree to which a product can claim waterproof or even resistance depends on the stability of the product’s molecules. Sunscreens made from smaller or weaker molecules literally fall apart when frequently rubbed or after extended exposure to moisture. Tikkun Ultra Shield continually earns top marks because our large molecules weave a tight bond with the top layer of skin.

Want to do a simple test to determine the integrity of your sunscreen? Apply a normal amount of your brand to the palm of your hand and allow the recommend 20 minutes to dry. Next, cup the hand on which you applied the sunscreen and place a few drops of water in your palm. If the water becomes cloudy then your sunscreen has broken down on your skin’s surface. A strong sunscreen will keep the water clear. That breakdown occurs with every brush of the hand, wipe of a towel or dip in the pool. We demanded that our sunscreen products maintain strength inside or out of the bottle, which means the sunscreen will bond with your skin properly.  

(Source: tikkunsunscreen.com)