Some alarming news from the medical arena was recently rehashed in the news, and it gives just another reason to self tan with sunless tanning products instead of bathing in the sun and/or indoor tanning to get that natural earthy glow that everyone craves these days.

The bad news is that melanoma skin cancer, the most deadly form of cancer of the skin, has increased 50% since the early seventies in women alone. Men have only slightly increased, as expected, and then leveled off, meaning there is some other factor that makes women more susceptible to melanomas than men.

Many researchers think that it may be a combination of factors, but cite one, indoor tanning amongst women (who frequent tanning salons more than men), as perhaps being the largest factor in the singular increase.

Although they have no direct proof of this, and the indoor tanning industry of course vehemently denies this correlation and instead cites better screening factors for more melanoma identifications, there does seem to be a valid point to the theory.

Also, they believe that women have significantly surpassed men in the incidence increase is that women tend to be sunscreen devotees more than men, and this may make them feel more protected out in the sun for long periods of time, when in fact they are really just exposing themselves longer to the UV rays that theoretically cause melanoma.

I've recently been made aware, since I myself am from a family that has a history of melanoma skin cancer since my grandfather on my father's side succumbed to it years ago, that you should really get regular screenings for skin cancers from a dermatologist or general practitioner, at least once to twice a year. It is also important to know that the highest incident rate of melanoma skin cancer, for unknown reasons, tends to be on the torso and lower body in women, and this may be where you want to specifically be aware to keep an eye out for suspicious spots on the skin.

There are a couple of schools of thought on exposure to the sun's rays though as well, which you may have been exposed to, which actually might cause confusion. Some say that it is not actual sun exposure that causes melanoma and other skin cancers, but rather UV ray exposure can help protect you from skin cancer because it helps promote the production of a vitamin D.

Vitamin D has been revealed as a significant factor in the survival and deflection of different types of cancer, and the only way we have of manufacturing it is naturally in our bodies. This naturally made form of vitamin D is the best, most protective kind of the vitamin we can have, and can only be synthesized through sunlight exposure. However, many experts say that this theory can be misleading, since over exposure to sunlight definitely plays a large role in skin cancer development.

They say that sun exposure is ok, as long as you are not constantly exposed to it and you do not repeatedly burn your skin. Burning the skin over and over creates cell mutations which lead to cancer, and this is definitely not something you want to take a chance with. So, as with almost everything else under the sun (no pun intended), take precautions not to overexpose the skin, but also don't be so afraid of sunlight that you do not ever venture outside, especially because not only does sunlight make vitamin D, but it also plays a role in mood control.

All of this leads me to believe that if you want the natural, healthy "looking" glow that it so popular and in vogue today, and has been for several years, the way to go may be a prudent combination of occasional natural sunlight exposure, with caution, and when you want that extra natural glow, to use a self tanner.

Self tanning does not cause wrinkles, dryness or age spots and freckles like UV radiation does, and has not been shown to cause any unhealthy mutations in skin cells, and the great self tanners of today really create a beautiful, natural looking tan that lasts for days.

After all, it's nice to know you can still create this coveted, sexy look without over exposing your skin, your largest and most protective organ, to anything that could harm it's long term health and beauty.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Danna_Schneider

Humans have been living on this Earth for at least four million years. The sun has been shining for about 4.6 billion years and it has been shining on our Earth for most of that time. Strangely, no animal ever contracted skin cancer from being out in the sun and humans rarely did until about 50 years ago.

We have been told that this increase in skin cancer is due to a "hole" in the ozone layer. Actually there is no "hole". However, the ozone layer is thinning in some areas, predominately at the South Pole in the fall and winter seasons. The ozone layer, approximately 10 kilometers (6 miles) above the earth, acts as a shield to prevent dangerous radiation from reaching the biosphere. There is also a minor amount of thinning in the northern hemisphere and little or none in the tropics.

The incidence of all forms of skin cancer are highest in the tropics, where there is virtually no thinning of the ozone layer.

In 1991 Professor Johan Moan of the Norwegian Cancer Institute found that the yearly incidence of melanoma in Norway had increased by 350% for men and by 440% for women between 1957 and 1984. He also determined that there had been no change in the ozone layer over this period of time. He concludes his report in the British Journal of Cancer by stating: "Ozone depletion is not the cause of the increase in skin cancers". Unless these folks spent a fair amount of time hanging out in the Antarctic wearing bikinis, he is probably correct.

Skin cancer has increased all over the world, about 90% in the USA from 1974-1990. This skin cancer increase is too large (90%) compared with the expected value (40%) from ozone depletion. Also, cancer does not develop immediately after exposure to the sun. The sunburns may occur within hours, but cancer development and detection may take years or decades. If the depletion of the ozone layer over Antarctica is not causing the huge increase in skin cancer, what is?

It is interesting to note that chemical sunscreen was introduced in the late 1920's and by 1936 the first commercially available sunscreen product was being sold by L'Oreal. Also, Monsanto began producing artificial chemicals in 1901. Why is this bit of information important?

First, let's take a look at our skin, and the damage we do to it before we even go out into the sun.

There are an estimated 250 species of bacteria that reside on your skin. They are there for a reason. Sebum, secreted by the sebaceous glands in the skin, is an oily substance composed of wax monoesters, triglycerides, free fatty acids and squalene, and again, it is there for a reason. These bacteria and oily substances PROTECT the skin. We seem to have invented endless ways to destroy this protective barrier starting with the water we bathe, shower and swim in. A survey by the Environmental Working Group found 141 unregulated chemicals and an additional 119 for which the Environmental Protection Agency has set health-based limits. Most common among the chemicals found were disinfection byproducts, nitrates, chloroform, barium, arsenic and copper, and of course chlorine, fluoride and PCBs ,THMs and heavy metals. These chemicals not only strip the skin of its natural protection, they are absorbed through the skin and into the bloodstream where they continue to cause damage.

We also have a tendency to destroy this protective barrier with various chemicals and soaps. We slather our skin with every toxic chemical imaginable, most of which gets absorbed into our bloodstream. There are over 150 cancer-causing chemicals currently used in cosmetics. Although federal law requires products containing these ingredients to carry a written warning label, the FDA does not enforce this law. The FDA claims that these products are safe because they are not consumed orally. Can it be possible that the folks at the FDA are not aware of the many drugs that are administered through the skin because the skin is porous and allows most drugs and chemicals to be absorbed?

You would be amazed to find what the FDA allows to be sold as long as it says, "for external use only." The assumption is that it will stay external and not be absorbed into the body, so its toxicity is irrelevant. Hello!! Who are we kidding? Sunscreen ingredients absorb into the blood, and most are linked to toxic effects. Some release skin-damaging free radicals in sunlight, some disrupt hormone systems, several are strongly linked to allergic reactions, and others build up in the body or the environment. According to the Environmental Working Group only 15% of 952 products analyzed actually block UVA and UVB radiation, remain stable in sunlight, and contain few toxic chemicals.

Here is a short list of some of the stuff we regularly put on our skin without a second thought. The toxic effects recognized by the FDA are included:

OXYBENZONE (BENZOPHENONE-)
(Active Ingredient)858%Developmental/reproductive toxicity, Violations, Restrictions & Warnings, Allergies/immunotoxicity, Persistence and bioaccumulation, Enhanced skin absorption, Biochemical or cellular level changes

PEG-100 STEARATE 479%Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs), Contamination concerns

(ETHYLENE OXIDE 1,4DIOXANETRIETHANOLAMINE767%Cancer, Allergies/immunotoxicity, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Contamination concerns

(NITROSAMINES) MICRONIZED ZINC OXIDE
(Active Ingredient)276%Violations, Restrictions & Warnings, Persistence and bioaccumulation, Occupational hazards

TITANIUM DIOXIDE 173%Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Occupational hazards, Biochemical or cellular level changes

(HYDROQUINONE)OCTINOXATE (OCTYLMETHOXYCINNAMATE)
OCTINOXATE (ETHYLHEXYL METHOXYCINNAMATE)
(Active Ingredient)478%Allergies/immunotoxicity, Persistence and bioaccumulation, Enhanced skin absorption, Biochemical or cellular level changes

BUTYLPARABEN 477%Developmental/reproductive toxicity, Allergies/immunotoxicity, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Biochemical or cellular level changes

There are HUNDREDS more but I don't want to bore you here, just WAKE you up!! Is it logical to cover yourself with this stuff, then go out into the sun and let it bake in? Geez, you can cause untold damage to your largest external organ AND your internal organs simultaneously!

The sun is NOT your enemy! Sure, in some areas at some times you will have to spend less time in the sun to avoid getting burned, but sunlight is VITAL. Sunlight allows your body to produce natural vitamin D and increased melatonin, both of which are essential.

Vitamin D levels are linked to survival rates for cancer patients. Those people who live in sunnier southern latitudes and have higher vitamin D levels are less likely to die from cancer than people in northern latitudes.

Rates of major cancers such as colon, lung, breast and prostate increased from north to south, while survival rates decreased from north to south.

Vitamin D may protect against cancer by discouraging out-of-control cell reproduction and hindering the formation of new blood vessels for tumors. Receptors that respond to vitamin D have been found in almost every cell in your body, from your brain to your bones. Optimizing your vitamin D levels, (through safe sun exposure) could help you to prevent as many as 16 different types of cancer including pancreatic, lung, breast, ovarian, prostate, and colon cancers. Vitamin D does not just impact your cancer risk slightly; it can cut your risk by as much as 60 %.

This is not to say that you should not be cautious. A severe burn is obviously damaging. However, a mild sunburn is not dangerous as long as the skin has been allowed to retain its natural protective barrier and is not marinated in a chemical cocktail. A slight sunburn is your body's natural way of letting you know that it's time to get out of the sun, it also helps to remove the outermost layer of dead skin with fresh new skin, thus reducing wrinkles! People pay money for this, it's called "dermabrasion" and "chemical peels", you can have it done naturally at no charge by getting a mild sunburn.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rebecca_Jablonski

The skin cancer is a cancer that features a malign development on the skin owing to various determinants. Its progress initializes in the epidermis which makes the tumor visible even in the very initial stages. Ongoing researches and studies have concluded skin cancer to be the kind that spreads the fastest.

Amongst the different types, basal cell carcinoma, the squamous cell carcinoma and last but not the last the malignant melanoma are the most common. Off these the later is the most perilous. Though the chief cause is attributed to maximum exposure to the ultraviolet rays a direct relation between the two has not been proven. Amongst the other symptoms witnessed are the sudden changes in the skin that do not respond to respective treatment, ulcers in the skin and also discoloration and change in to name a few. Regular use of sunscreen is highly recommended by the medical experts.

Amongst the most popular treatment methods that are metted out to the skin cancer patients involve the removal of lesions from the skin making sure that the edges become devoid of the destructive cells. As mentioned its employment as a chief treatment method for both the initial and the later stage cancer categories is quite common. Albeit if diagnosis is made in the inceptive stages the common mode of treatment exercised is the radiation therapy and cryotherapy which result in the effective restrain of further spread. In contrast amongst the cases where the disease has already spread considerably, surgery and chemotherapy may be required. Research is being carried out for the efficacy of the helper T cells in the treatment for the skin cancer. It has no known side effects and if successful may change the entire course of the cancer treatments.

Sarfaraz was born and raised in Karachi, Pakistan, surrounded by traffic and technology. He writes mostly about diseases, the storybooks, futuristic columns, mysteries, as he likes to call it. He enjoys writing for web.

He wrote his first book (The Black Bodyguard of Stone-Pyramid) in 2003 and since then has provided the picture for 1 more title. His book was honored as a BEST SELLER.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sarfaraz_Ali

The bad news is that there are more diagnosed cases of skin cancer every year than any other kind of cancer. The good news is that there are very, very few deaths attributed to this disease.

Skin cancer is the most treatable of all types, and the results of treatment are almost always positive. This year, there are expected to be a million new cases of skin cancer diagnosed, but only 1,000 deaths are expected that are caused by the disease. So you can see that even if you are diagnosed with skin cancer, your odds are 1,000 to 1 that you will beat the disease. Those are terrific odds!

There are several different kinds of skin cancer. The one that forms in the cells that make pigment is called melanoma. Skin cancer that forms in the small, round cells in the base of the outer layer of skin is called basal cell carcinoma. The type that forms in the flat cells that form the surface of the skin is called squamous cell carcinoma. Skin cancer that forms in the cells that release hormones in response to signals from the nervous system is called neuroendocrine carcinoma of the skin.

Most cases occur in older people, and generally on parts of the body that are exposed to the sun or in people who have weakened immune systems. Those with very fair skin are most prone to developing the disease.

Many risk factors are associated with the development of skin cancer, but the number one risk factor is unprotected exposure to the sun's rays. Simple preventive measures like wearing sunscreen, avoiding being directly in the sun between 10 AM and 2 PM, wearing a hat, sunglasses, and protective clothing (long sleeves and long pants) could prevent many cases of skin cancer.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Milos_Pesic