Home Treatments When You Get Sun Burned
January 19, 2010 by admin · Leave a Comment
Home remedies may provide some relief from a mild sunburn. Remember a sun burn is a like any other burn from heat in which the cells become damaged. Be gentle and try not to further irritate the area.
Use cool cloths on sunburned areas, you should gently pat to allow the heat to disperse from the cloth after it absorbs the heat from the sun burn. You can try to take frequent cool showers or baths also.
Apply soothing lotions that contain Aloe Vera to sunburned areas. Topical steroids (such as 1% hydrocortisone cream) may also help with sunburn pain and swelling. Note: Do not use the cream on children younger than age 2 unless your doctor tells you to. Do not use in the rectal or vaginal area for yourself or in children younger than age 12 unless your doctor tells you to.
There is little you can do to stop skin from peeling after a strong sunburn-it is part of the healing process. However application of a good natural or organic lotion may help because it will increase the antioxidants in the sunburned area and speed up the cell rejuvenation process. In addition lotion may help relieve the itching once the skin has started to peel.
A sunburn can cause a mild fever and a headache. Lie down in a cool, quiet room to relieve the headache. A headache may be caused by dehydration, so drinking fluids may help.
Other natural home treatments, such as essential oils like lavender, geranium, or calendula, may help relieve your sunburn symptoms.
You can try a nonprescription medicine to help treat your fever or pain, aspirin is great for lessening the effects of a burn if taken soon enough.
* Acetaminophen, such as Tylenol for pain and fever
* Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for swelling from the burn
* Ibuprofen, such as Advil or Motrin for pain and fever
* Aspirin (also a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug), such as Bayer for pain, fever and to thin the blood which will help reduce the burn
Talk to your doctor or your child’s doctor before switching back and forth between doses of acetaminophen and ibuprofen. When you switch between two medicines, there is a chance you or your child will get too much medicine.
Protection Daily from Sun Exposure for Healthy and Safe Skin
January 19, 2010 by admin · Leave a Comment
Some experts claim over half of sun damage occurs during our every day activities – walking to the car, going in and out of buildings, walking along the street shopping, and so on – not while we’re sunbathing. Unfortunately, this means we should to wear sunscreen just about every time we leave the house. Most sunscreens are fairly toxic and organic sun care is blooming. More products are becoming available that are organic, natural and eliminate harmful toxins. This is great news for all of us especially our younger ones and babies.
Remeber organic sunblock is only one step you can take to protect yourself from the sun. Covering up can be just as important as the type of skin care or sun care product you use. The clothes we would prefer on a warm summer day – lightweight, light-colored clothing made with loosely-woven fabric – do not offer much protection. That’s why kids who swim with T-shirts over their bathing suit still get burned.
To completely block UV rays you need clothing with a ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) of about 1700. A white T-shirt has a UPF of seven. The same T-shirt in green has a UPF of 10. A dark, thick fabric like velvet comes in at about 50. To reach 1700 you’d need a long-sleeved dark denim shirt. Not exactly anyone’s idea of fun in the sun.
The long and short of it is that while we may be willing and able to cover up with high UPF clothing in some circumstances, there’s no way that’s going to fly at the beach. So, you’re going to have to resort to sunscreen, and, to be safe, you’re going to need a skin care product that protects you from the sunscreen’s dangerous chemical ingredients.
How do you do that? Your first line of defense is natural sunscreen – check your local health food store. However, not all these products are completely toxic free so you’ll still some additional protection. Your best bet for that is a shielding lotion: A good shielding lotion bonds with the outer layer of the skin to form a new protective layer that keeps out chemicals. It also locks in natural moisture – another thing you have to be concerned with when you’re out in the sun: sunburn equals dehydration.
Summer sun care can be complex but remeber its sunlight is good. Try to use organic sunscreen, appropriate clothing, and a natural after sun lotion. These natural skin care products can help you enjoy your summer without concern for your health.
Facials – A History of Facial Skin Care
January 19, 2010 by admin · Leave a Comment
With all the billions of dollars spent yearly across the world in the world on cosmetics, often we may catch ourselves asking, “How did it get to this point? When did this become the standard for me to have to wake up every morning and before I even go out the door feel obligated to paint my face from top to bottom? It is certain a lady way back in the past did not simply wake up one day and decide to put on eyelashes, lipstick, eyeliner, base, and rouge all at the same time. As you might have guessed, it was a combination of thousands of years and lots of mistakes.
Who remembers the Egyptians? That was over four thousand years ago. Good hygeine and looks were very important to the people of Egypt. They had faith that the appearance had a direct juncture with the well being of the spirit. They attempted to always appear neat and smell agreeable. And with a society who values their appearance, they are inevitably going to have members who are going to make themselves stand out. The Egyptians, being the inventive culture they were, used cosmetics for reasons that were even more intelligent than just trying to look great.
Mesdemet was the most original kind of eye shadow- a substance made of copper and lead ore. The dark shades they thought would ward off evil eyes from their own. It was also an effective disinfectant and bug repellent. Kohl was a dark combination that was also put on around the eyes in an oval shape. Kohl was a combination of lead, ash, ochre, copper, and burnt almonds. To further enhance their appearance, they would apply a combination of water and red clay to the cheek area. They would also paint their nails colors of orange and yellow with a chemical named henna.
As time moved on and cultures were exposed to each other more often, the Greeks began to learn more of the multiple habits of the Egyptians use of cosmetics. Greek women would color themselves a pale hue with a base that had lead in it. This ended up being fatal more than once. As the Romans started to pick up the make-up practice, the pursuit of beauty became less about practicality and took a turn into much more peculiar routes. The Romans would decorate their nails with a combination of sheeps blood and heated body fat. An old Roman man once said, A woman without paint is like food without salt.
Long after the Egyptian empire faded, the fashion standard around the world was a white skin color. A dark, sun-dried face was associated with being a peasant who labored outdoors all day with her spouse. The upper class ladies obviously did not have to endure physical work like that therefore they were able to stay under the roof and had white
complexions.
Success was often measured by a person’s white skin tone. If people had enough wealth, then you did not have to work. So a pale complexion was very critical to some people. To get this look, women (and men as well) would use a combination of hydroxide, lead oxide, and carbonate in a powder form to put on their faces and skin. Unfortunately, this caused a sometimes lethal side effect, lead poisoning.To cure this, chemists in the nineteenth century at last invented a combination of zinc oxide that did not block the skin from being able to breathe and kept people out of that aggravating lead poisoning sickness. It was so effective that it is still practiced today by cosmetics producers.
In the era of King Edward of London, about the time of the turn of the century of 1900, society women with a recreational income would host swanky get togethers and do a lot of entertaining to exhibit their wealth. It was extremely important for a woman to be the most beautiful belle there, especially if they were the hostess of the party. Women in the past who underwent these extravagant lifestyles did not have good diets, would not work out, and breathed in the heavily polluted air that the cities of the time produced.
Women would rely on products like anti-aging foams and face creams to mask their blemishes. Routine ventures to the salon were also a normal part of the day. It was a bit different back then than it is today. Women would sneak into the back entrance of the salons and cover their faces as they entered. One of the most famous of these secret beauty parlors was the House of Cyclax, who would sell creams and rouges to ladies. Mrs. Henning, the owner, sold and created many products for her frantic consumers who did not want anyone to know that they were getting old.
Today’s woman is the benefactor of years of mistakes with a practically unlimited choice of beauty products for any look they want to get. The beauty product business has become a billion dollar industry with literally thousands of competing companies. Beauty products sell year round and even in times of recession. So ladies, give thanks to your ancestors and their concern for their personal looks for yours that you have today. They probably didn’t want to put on their face some mornings either.
Sun Care Facial Skin Treatments
January 19, 2010 by admin · Leave a Comment
Even though they may make you look scary for a little while, masks are a great way to treat your skin to a once a week spa type of treatment. You can find masks for any skin type with a variety of different ingredients. There are mud masks to help to smooth your skin as well as some that are specifically designed to help with acne problems. All masks are good for your skin and help to tone and sooth your skin.
A mask for your face should be applied once or twice weekly. You don’t want to use them too frequently as they can upset the balance of your skin. The way that most facial masks work is that you put them on your face and wait for a specified period of time until you feel it dry and your skins starts feeling a little tight. Don’t freak out, this is a normal part of the process and it is not taking over your face! After this you usually will give it another few minutes and then rinse your skin. Some people choose to use water by itself and others like to remove the mask with a wash cloth, it’s entirely up to you. Afterwards you should dry your face totally and moisturize it because masks remove some moisture from your skin. This is why I sad earlier not to use them too frequently.
There are also full body masks available that can treat all of your skin at the same time. These work in exactly the same way as the ones for your face and they can help renew the look of your skin all over. It is not possible to do this properly at home so you will have to have one of these applied by a professional. Thankfully, there are many full service salons that offer this service and it is a real treat to have done. When you schedule yourself for one of these be sure to drink lots of water before and after to help remove toxins, help replace lost moisture, and re-hydrate you body. Water is crucial because just as with a facial mask these also remove moisture but on a much larger scale.
Educating yourself about different types of lotions and masks will help you keep your skin clear and give you the healthy glow you want. Water is a beauty secret that many women overlook. The key to beautiful clear skin is adequate hydration and water is crucial in this process as it not only helps your skin hydrate itself but also helps to remove toxins. Utilize what you have learned here and you will have beautiful and radiant skin that others will envy.
Sun Protection Factor (SPF)
January 19, 2010 by admin · Leave a Comment
The SPF of a sunscreen is a laboratory measure of the effectiveness of sunscreen — the higher the SPF, the more protection a sunscreen offers against UV-B (the ultraviolet radiation that causes sunburn).
The SPF is the amount of UV radiation required to cause sunburn on skin with the sunscreen on, relative to the amount required without the sunscreen. So, wearing a sunscreen with SPF 50, your skin will not burn until it has been exposed to 50 times the amount of solar energy that would normally cause it to burn. The amount of solar energy you are exposed to depends not only on the amount of time you spend in the sun, but also the time of day. This is because, during early morning and late afternoon, the sun’s radiation must pass through more of the Earth’s atmosphere before it gets to you. In practice, the protection from a particular sunscreen depends on factors such as:
* The skin type of the user.
* The amount applied and frequency of re-application.
* Activities in which one engages (for example, swimming leads to a loss of sunscreen from the skin).
* Amount of sunscreen the skin has absorbed.
The SPF is an imperfect measure of skin damage because invisible damage and skin aging are also caused by ultraviolet type A (UVA, wavelength 320 to 400 nm), which does not cause reddening or pain. Conventional sunscreen blocks very little UVA radiation relative to the nominal SPF; broad spectrum sunscreens are designed to protect against both UVB and UVA. According to a 2004 study, UVA also causes DNA damage to cells deep within the skin, increasing the risk of malignant melanomas. Even some products labeled “broad-spectrum UVA/UVB protection” do not provide good protection against UVA rays. The best UVA protection is provided by products that contain zinc oxide, avobenzone, and ecamsule. Titanium dioxide probably gives good protection, but does not completely cover the entire UV-A spectrum, as recent research suggests that zinc oxide is superior to titanium dioxide at wavelengths between 340 and 380 nm.
Owing to consumer confusion over the real degree and duration of protection offered, labeling restrictions are in force in several countries. In the EU sunscreen labels can only go up to SPF 50+ (actually indicating a SPF of 60 or higher) while Australia’s upper limit is 30+. The United States does not have mandatory, comprehensive sunscreen standards, although a draft rule has been under development since 1978. In the 2007 draft rule, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed to institute the labelling of SPF 50+ for sunscreens offering more protection. This and other measures were proposed to limit unrealistic claims about the level of protection offered (such as “all day protection”).
UV-B sunlight spectrum (on a summer day in the Netherlands), along with the CIE Erythemal action spectrum. The effective spectrum is the product of the former two.
The SPF can be measured by applying sunscreen to the skin of a volunteer and measuring how long it takes before sunburn occurs when exposed to an artificial sunlight source. In the US, such an in vivo test is required by the FDA. It can also be measured in vitro with the help of a specially designed spectrometer. In this case, the actual transmittance of the sunscreen is measured, along with the degradation of the product due to being exposed to sunlight. In this case, the transmittance of the sunscreen must be measured over all wavelengths in the UV-B range (290–320 nm), along with a table of how effective various wavelengths are in causing sunburn (the erythemal action spectrum) and the actual intensity spectrum of sunlight (see the figure). Such in vitro measurements agree very well with in vivo measurements. Numerous methods have been devised for evaluation of UVA and UVB protection The most reliable spectrophotochemical methods eliminate the subjective nature of grading erythema.
Mathematically, the SPF is calculated from measured data as
where E(λ) is the solar irradiance spectrum, A(λ) the erythemal action spectrum, and MPF(λ) the monochromatic protection factor, all functions of the wavelength λ. The MPF is roughly the inverse of the transmittance at a given wavelength.
The above means that the SPF is not simply the inverse of the transmittance in the UV-B region. If that were true, then applying two layers of SPF 5 sunscreen would be equivalent to SPF 25 (5 times 5). The actual combined SPF is always lower than the square of the single-layer SPF.
Measurements of UVA protection – Persistent Pigment Darkening (PPD)
The Persistent Pigment Darkening (PPD) method is a method of measuring UVA protection, similar to the SPF method of measuring UVB light protection. Originally developed in Japan, it is the preferred method used by manufacturers such as L’Oreal.
Instead of measuring erythema or reddening of the skin, the PPD method uses UVA radiation to cause a persistent darkening or tanning of the skin. Theoretically, a sunscreen with a PPD rating of 10 should allow you to endure 10 times as much UVA as you would without protection. The PPD method is an in vivo test like SPF. In addition, Colipa has introduced a method which, it is claimed, can measure this in vitro and provide parity with the PPD method.
The UVA seal used in the EU
As part of revised guidelines for sunscreens in the EU, there is a requirement to provide the consumer with a minimum level of UVA protection in relation to the SPF. This should be a UVA PF of at least 1/3 of the SPF to carry the UVA seal. The implementation of this seal is in its phase-in period, so a sunscreen without it may already offer this protection.
Teens And Tanning: A Dangerous Combination
January 17, 2010 by admin · Leave a Comment
With the incidence of skin cancer on the rise, it has never been more important to share the message that prevention and detection are the keys to avoiding this potentially life-threatening condition. Simple steps, such as using sunscreen, wearing a hat, and avoiding the sun when its rays are the strongest, are easy ways to help prevent skin cancer.
This message is particularly important for children and adolescents, since skin cancer is commonly associated with excessive ultraviolet light (UV) exposure before the age of 18. Yet recent studies of young people suggest that the prevention message is not being heard, or worse, is simply being ignored.
Speaking today at the American Academy of Dermatology’s Melanoma/Skin Cancer Detection and Prevention Month Press Conference, dermatologist James M. Spencer, MD, Vice Chairman, Department of Dermatology, The Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, discussed the dangerous mix of teens and tanning.
According to current statistics, nearly half of all new cancers are skin cancers and more than 1 million new skin cancer cases will be diagnosed in the United States this year. It is also estimated that skin cancer will claim 9,800 lives in 2003.
In a recent survey of over 10,000 young people ages 12-18 from all 50 states, it was found that the simple use of sunscreen on sunny days was practiced by only 34.4 percent of youths surveyed. In addition, the survey discovered that 83 percent of teens had experienced at least one sunburn in the previous year, and 36 percent of those who were burned had experienced three or more sunburns.
The survey also found that natural sunlight wasn’t the only significant source of UV exposure for teens. Approximately 10 percent of young people surveyed said that they had used tanning beds in the previous year. Of this group, young women were found to be most likely to use indoor tanning devices. This fact was supported by the results of a recent study of American attitudes about tanning conducted by the American Academy of Dermatology, which found that 26 percent of young people under age 25 had used a tanning bed in the past year. Of that 26 percent, more than half were young women.
“The incidence of indoor tanning is particularly troubling because it is so unnecessary,” stated Dr. Spencer. “It’s not associated with playing sports or other outdoor activities, but is practiced solely for cosmetic reasons. Teenagers are intentionally putting their health at risk.”
Current evidence also suggests that the use of artificial tanning devices increases with age. According to a recent survey, approximately 7 percent of girls age 14 had used tanning beds in the last year, while 16 percent of girls age 15 had reported doing so. By age 17, the statistic increased to 35 percent of girls who had used tanning beds in the last year. In addition, a recent survey of college students at a midwestern university found that 47 percent of students had used indoor tanning beds in the last year. Of those surveyed, 90 percent also admitted to knowing that tanning is a health risk, yet they continued to use tanning beds frequently.
Recent studies of the UV emission spectrum of tanning beds illustrate the similarities between tanning bed exposure and that of natural sunlight. Sunlight consists of two types of harmful rays – UVA rays and UVB rays. UVB rays are the sun’s burning rays, while UVA rays penetrate deeper into the dermis to cause skin damage. While the UVB exposure levels in tanning beds were similar to natural sunlight, the UVA levels were 10 to 15 times higher. These high exposure levels correspond to an overall UV “index” of 13. In comparison, an average UV index during a hot summer day is 8.5.
“There seems to be a popular misconception among young people that indoor tanning is ‘safer’ than exposure to outdoor sunlight,” explained Dr. Spencer. “However, tanning beds still emit dangerous levels of UV rays and are considered a serious health risk.”
This fact was supported by the Department of Health and Human Services December 2002 report that added “broad spectrum ultraviolet radiation produced by the sun and artificial light sources” as a known carcinogen to the 10th annual cancer listing of 228 substances linked to cancer.
It is still uncertain as to what is the most influencing factor in a young person’s decision to tan. When asked in recent surveys about their desire to tan, teens replied that they simply “preferred” tanned skin, they wanted to emulate friends that were tan, or they felt that receiving a sunburn was a good way to begin the tanning process. What is certain from this information is that the risk of skin cancer does not seem to be a factor in a teen’s decision to tan.
“Pressure to conform to cosmetic ideals presented in popular culture and advertising are powerful factors influencing the young. These are pressures that can be changed,” said Dr. Spencer. “Parents, the medical profession, and the government, working with the media, entertainment and advertising industries, can change these unhealthy attitudes and help reverse the current trend of dangerous sun exposure for today’s teens.
