When sunscreen isn't enough...

Much like the Skin Cancer Foundation, we at Cosmopolitan Skin Care Solutions are all about sunscreen usage, ALL.year.long.

However, as the Skin Cancer Foundation constantly tries to remind us; even though sunscreen application is incredibly important, it is not enough to completely protect us from the risk of skin cancer.

Read on for the Skin Cancer Foundation's full list of skin cancer prevention tips:

• Seek the shade, especially between 10 AM and 4 PM.

• Do not burn.
• Avoid tanning and UV tanning booths.
• Cover up with clothing, including a broad-brimmed hat and UV-blocking sunglasses.
• Use a broad spectrum (UVA/UVB) sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher every day. (For extended outdoor activity, use a water-resistant, broad spectrum (UVA/UVB) sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher.)
• Apply 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) of sunscreen to your entire body 30 minutes before going outside. Reapply every two hours or immediately after swimming, or excessive sweating.
• Keep newborns out of the sun. Sunscreens should only be used on babies over the age of six months.

• Examine your skin head-to-toe every month.
• See your physician every year for a professional skin exam.

Winning! Solise Sun Wash and the doctor

As previously mentioned, Dr. Sobel is wonderful when it comes to taking care of other people's skin, yet never took the time to do anything for himself... 

...until now. 

Solise Sun Wash is a body-wash that you use as normal in the shower, but once you've toweled off-- you're left with a physical sunblock of SPF 15. As a devoted father, Dr. Sobel was happy to take this fresh-smelling body-wash home for his family to benefit from, and after putting it in the shower... he inadvertently found himself using it as well. (As an absolute sunscreen fanatic, this was a personal coup for yours truly.)

Suddenly finding himself covered head-to-toe in sunscreen everyday, Dr. Sobel was surprised at how nice the experience was...

Face of a 20 year old, body of a 60 year old?

The 80/20 rule is used all the time, and seems like a universal ratio that (somehow) can be used to attribute a mathematical equation to almost every relationship in the world. 

For example, in business they say things like 80% of your time is spent on 20% of your clients, and 80% of your profit comes from 20% of your clients. In social media, they say that 80% of your comments/interactions will come from 20% of your fan-base, and the equation can applied to such trivialities as 80% of the time you are wearing the same 20% of your wardrobe, etc., etc, etc. 

Since it is the 80/20 rule that is heard over and over, it was almost jarring to recently hear of the phenomenon called the 20/60 rule. 

At first I thought it must have been a typo, but then I read on to discover that the 20/60 situation is something actually occurring ALL the time. "20/60" refers to people-- female or male-- that have young, wrinkle-free faces, with bodies (hands, necks, and chests) that make them look decades older-- so that overall the face of someone in their 20s is on a body that looks at least 60. Certainly not a desirable combination...

It is great to be applying sunscreen daily to your face, but while your face is protected from the premature aging that comes with sun exposure, the rest of your body is left exposed. Skin experts across the world agree that it is vital to be diligent about applying sunscreen to the neck, hands, and any other body part that might be exposed to the sun throughout your daily activities (even for things as mundane as driving or a quick walk).

For easy all-over protection, Solise Sun Wash is a soap used in the shower that leaves behind a physical sunblock of SPF 15, or Eucerin makes a light-weight SPF 30 lotion called "Everyday Protection" that can be applied after the shower, is absorbed quickly. (Take advantage of current Solise special, and use coupon code 73483 to get 10% off all online orders.)

Taking care of a manly-man's skin

He may be annoyed that I am revealing his trade secrets here, but Dr. Sobel does so many Botox injections that he has developed an entire comedy routine around the procedure, which he has finessed to the point that it can be easily altered depending on the mood of the patient. However, despite mastering the art of "Vitamin B" injections, Dr. Sobel himself has lines across his forehead when he raises his eyebrows. 

Even though he is insistent that his young daughters use as many SPF-rich products as possible, he goes on 75-mile bike rides without a stitch of sunscreen on his body. 

When it comes to skin care, Dr. Sobel is a perfect case of "practice what I preach, not what I do." Excellent at advising skin care plans for others, he is incredibly remiss in the way he takes care of his own skin. (Being genetically blessed with an eternal baby face has allowed him a lot of slack in this area... so far.) 

As frustrating as this might be (for me especially), Dr. Sobel represents a whole sub-group of men: for every one well-publicized man that embraces taking care of themselves and following a good skin care regimen, there is another man that abjectly rejects any notion of pampering him-self. 

If you're dealing with this sort of rugged, dogged, type of man, a little intervention can go a long way... by making teeny little changes to the inventory of his bathroom, he can go on with a very simple routine while protecting and nourishing his skin.

Problem: He washes his face with whatever hand-soap is closest. 

Solution: Place a facial cleanser within easy reach, that is packaged very simply (bright colors and flowers are not going to make this an easy transition) and make sure that the face-wash contains ingredients that provide the biggest bang for the buck. 

Depending on his skin-type, look for something that will solve as many issues as possible. If he has oily/acne-prone skin, find a cleanser with glycolic-acid-- it will help prevent ingrown hairs, and promote the natural exfoliating process. If he has dry skin, look for a "gentle" wash that will clean the skin without overly drying it. Spend time finding the right product, because if he doesn't like how it makes his skin feel or look, he's going to revert back to his old habits.

Problem: He hates using sunscreen. 

Solution: Swap the bar of soap in the shower, with a bottle of Solise Sun Wash. A body-wash with SPF built-in to it, while washing himself he will be protecting every inch of his body from sun damage without even thinking about it. Solise is safe enough to also use on the face, this non-greasy, hypoallergenic body-wash makes daily sun protection a no-brainer. (Plus, it has a light, fresh smell to it, so if he also hates cologne... this helps out with making him smell nice too.) 

Problem: He won't get Botox. 

Solution: Solicit every patient to ask him before a treatment, "Umm, so why don't you get Botox?" until he get's the message... (Just kidding!)

When it comes to things like Botox that are done purely for aesthetic reasons, not wanting to partake is a personal decision that can be 100% respected. Not using sunscreen however, which is paramount to future health and livelihood, is a completely different scenario that is worthy of a little manipulation. 

A manly man is not going to convert his ways easily, but with a little well-planned help from you, he can be encouraged to do the barest minimum to get the biggest return.

Wealthy women at biggest risk for melanoma

What slice of the population would you guess is at the highest risk for contracting skin cancer? 

Obviously, as the title of this article would indicate, we know the answer to the question... but before you read this, who would you have guessed is at the highest risk? 

As I try to mentally compartmentalize the study described below, part of me wants to say that I would have guessed lower class Caucasians-- both male and female-- as being at the highest risk.  This is based purely on assumption, but I would peg them to not be educated correctly about the important benefits of sunscreen, nor would I think that they have the expendable income to spend on something like sunscreen, which doesn't deliver a benefit that can be immediately seen. (Lower-income families of any other ethnicity most likely have darker skin-tones, which naturally provides a better defense against the sun.) 

My second guess would have been wealthier Caucasians, again-- male or female-- because of the outdoor leisure activities extra-wealth would allow them to do, combined with the fragility of pale skin. (Plus, the have the money and desire to invest in indoor tanning, in order to succumb to the "tan" peer-pressure.) 

Interestingly enough, it is my second hunch that is the accurate one, with occurrences of melanoma being much higher in affluent Caucasian women than men. 

Melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, killed an estimated 8,700 Americans in 2010 alone. Unfortunately, according to new research just published by the Archives of Dermatology, being a wealthy white female indicates a higher risk for contracting the deadly cancer...  

Researchers discovered that Caucasian females living in the most affluent California neighborhoods were almost six times more likely to be diagnosed with the disease than those living in the poorest California neighborhoods. 

The amount of ultraviolet radiation each geographical location received was also taken into consideration. Even then-- the females with the higher socioeconomic status were 73% more likely to develop melanoma than the poorer women living in areas that received equally high amounts of ultraviolet rays.

Previous studies suggest several possibilities for these findings, which neatly coincide with exactly what you would expect: greater access to outdoor recreational activities increases the risk of melanoma.

“Affluent women have been reported to have more leisure time, during which they may pursue outdoor activities such as gardening, playing sports, or walking,” noted the researchers. Visits to indoor-tanning salons, and tropical vacations are also leisure activities that well-off white women may be partaking in that potentially could increase their risk of melanoma. (It is speculated that melanoma occurrence is higher in women than men, because affluent men are usually working indoors during the day.)

Despite a woman's economic status, data shows that all females had significant increases in melanoma incidence. Between 1980 and 2004, the occurrence of melanoma amongst young American women increased by 50 percent!

  

Everyone, regardless of wealth, location, age or skin color, needs to take precautions to help protect themselves and their loved ones from melanoma. 

• To learn more about your risk of skin cancer, take The Skin Cancer Foundation's Fitzpatrick Skin Type Quiz to find out your skin type.
  
• For information on how to protect your skin every day, see The Skin Cancer Foundation's Prevention Guidelines.

The skin type most likely to die from skin cancer

It seems almost morbid to pose the question, but... which of the two cutie-pies featured here do you think is more likely to die from skin cancer? 

Since the answer seems like it would be obvious, you're probably guessing this is a trick question. 

It is. 

Even though your first guess would most likely be to pick the redheaded baby (after all, redheads are known for extremely delicate skin), it is actually in fact the African American baby that is most likely to suffer from a fatal case of skin cancer.

Pale skin inherently has less natural defense against the sun, as opposed to the already melanin rich skin of a person of darker color. (It is estimated that an African American's darker skin provides them with a natural SPF of about 13.) However, with the advent of sunscreen, smart marketing has directed the importance of sun safety primarily to those that need it the most-- Caucasians-- which has left those with darker skin under the impression that they don't need to worry as much about sun protection. Due to this type of thinking, Latinos, African Americans, Asians, etc., are unknowingly exposing themselves to the deadly UV rays of the sun on a daily basis. Which, leads us to the startling reality: African Americans, Latinos, and Asians, are much more likely to die from skin cancer than a Caucasian.

The problem stems from multiple causes. Firstly, darker-skinned people are under the false impression that they don't need to be as vigilant as sunscreen, which is true... but protection is still needed. The issue is compounded by the fact that since they don't view skin cancer as a risk, they are less likely to check themselves out for suspicious moles or lesions, and even less likely to go to a doctor regarding a suspicious spot. (To their defense, cancerous lesions can be difficult to spot on darker skin.) Because skin cancer on darker skin is usually diagnosed on the late side-- they statistically experience a much lower survival rate than their pale, early detecting counter-parts.

While it is true that those with darker-skin have a lower risk overall of getting skin cancer, sun safe practices (such as wearing sunscreen, or even bathing with a Sun Wash) and annual skin exams should still not be ignored because the fact remains-- nobody is immune to skin cancer.

The premature aging that is occurring during your manicure...

Despite having to engage in activities that wreck my nails all day long, I love getting manicures. It's such a pleasure to sit back, and let someone else take care of you. 

Plus-- no matter how hard I try, it is impossible to ever get my nails to look as perfect as the professionals.

I enjoy every moment of the actual manicure process, the color choosing, the gossip, the hand massage, but despite all the extra frills, obviously the point of going for a manicure is to attain nice looking nails-- and to that effect I try to be as compliant as possible to the nail drying rules. 

If they tell me to put my hands under the drying UV fan for three sessions, even if I'm bored out of my mind and jumping out of my skin with pent-up energy-- I keep my fingers exactly where they're supposed to be for the recommended time-span. 

Three cycles? No problem. As soon as the one session ends, I dutifully tap the restart buttons, and wait until I can leave with my perfect, completely dry nails. 

And then, a horrifying thought occurred to me... what's the difference between the UV rays I willingly expose my hands to under the nail dryer, and those that I daily try to protect myself against from the sun? According to some experts-- none. 

Hands are the number #1 victims of premature aging, because unlike the face, they are not constantly being covered in makeup that has an SPF in it, or, if you are one of those that does take the time to sunscreen your hands year-round, chances are that you don't reapply after each time you wash your hands throughout the day. Because of this, the skin on the backs of your hands are extremely vulnerable to the environmental damages they are constantly exposed to, and are usually the body-parts that show the most signs of aging; with brown-spots, wrinkles, and rough, leathery looking skin.

Willingly subjecting your hands to 20 minutes of direct UV rays during a manicure just adds insult to injury... However, instead of giving up your self-indulgent self-maintenance (because I know I'm not!), the prevention against this abuse is easy-peasy: click off the UV light and only use the fan to dry your nails.

Another very easy way to protect your hands from future sun damage is by using Solise Sun Wash. It's the first of it's kind, and combines a moisturizing hand-wash with an SPF. By using this product, you're coating your hands in an FDA approved, non-greasy, hypo-allergenic, nice smelling sunscreen, every single time you wash your hands. Makes your life a lot easier, and will help keep your hands looking as pretty as your nails. (Use coupon code #73483 at check-out to receive 10% off purchase.)

The 5 factors (YOU CAN CONTROL) that cause unhealthy skin

Genetics aside, there are many aspects that you do have control over when it comes to the appearance of your skin.

The following list details daily changes you can make to your lifestyle to help ensure the clearest, youngest, healthiest looking skin possible, and yes-- you can do them all!

1. Sun Damage

The TOP skin offender, the sun is a major contributor to unhealthy skin. "Repeated sun exposure depletes collagen and elastin from within [the skin], making the skin less elastic, and thinner, which leads to premature wrinkles," says Dr. Callahan, a Florida based dermatologist.
The sun is a known contributor of dark-colored spots and leathery, wrinkled skin-- an obvious sign of unhealthy, aged skin. 

"The effects of the sun begin as soon as we are exposed to it at an early age. Years later, we start to see the brown spots, red spots, and wrinkles, and, if there is extreme damage, precancerous patches and skin cancer can also occur" shares NY dermatologist Dr. Michael Kurzman.

In addition to premature aging, the sun can also worsen acne-prone skin. As the surface of the skin becomes inflamed in response to the sun's rays, your skin is unable to properly shed and exfoliate itself, leading to debris trapped within pores. While a tan might momentarily even out your skin tone to camouflage the presence of acne, in the long run sun exposure makes problematic skin that much worse. 

To prevent against all forms of sun damage, a sunscreen should worn daily. (Solise, a new bodywash with sunscreen built-in, is a great solution, as it covers every body part you would wash in the shower or bath, leaving you protected without the application time.) 

2. Smoking Cigarettes

As you've undoubtedly been told for years, smoking is extremely bad for you in many aspects-- although we are just going to concentrate on the skin related side-effects here. 

Smoking is the antithesis to skin-care, as it depletes the body of Vitamin C and accelerates the break-down of collagen and elastin. In addition to breaking down the skin from the inside out, the chemicals in cigarettes also suck the moisture out of your skin, leaving it feeling and feeling dry. 

The solution sounds easier in theory than it probably is in practice: quit smoking. 

3. Dehydration

When the body is dehydrated, your organs become dehydrated too-- and as your body's largest organ, your skin is no exception. If your body is dehydrated, your skin will feel very dry and inflexible, your overall skin color will be flat, and fine lines and wrinkles may be prevalent than normal. 

Drinking plenty of water is the best way to keep the body hydrated. (If you don't like the taste of plain water, add some lemon or cranberry juice to it-- which will improve the taste, while giving you the extra benefit of some anti-oxidants.)

4. Poor Diet

The skin is essentially a mirror for the overall health of your body, and because your skin is so sensitive to internal functionings-- if you are putting bad stuff into your body, it will show on the outside. Since the skin is a functioning organ, when not enough vitamins and minerals are ingested, the skin suffers.

Try to frequently eat as many fruits and vegetables as possible, or if your lifestyle absolutely cannot support a healthy diet-- at least incorporate some Vitamins into your daily routine.

5. Lack of exercise

Similarly to how smoking negatively affects multiple aspects of your health, exercise has multi-fold benefits. In addition to keeping your heart and lungs healthy, you are also stimulating the lymphatic system which keeps everything moving in your body-- including your blood. Proper blood flow is crucial as it provides a healthy glow to the skin, while also giving your underlying cells the fuel it needs to function properly. 

It goes without saying that you should try to exercise as much as possible, but in regards to your skin-- make sure to wash your face as soon as you can afterward to prevent any sweat-induced break-outs.

Cleanliness vs. sunscreen? It's a wash!

Time and time again skin care experts extol the importance of applying daily sunscreen to your hands. The rationale is easy to understand; your hands are consistently exposed to environmental damage, and after years and years of exposure the fragile skin of your hands can look years older than the skin on your face. (Especially with the new trend of SPF makeup formulas, sun protection of the face is much more prevalent than hand or decolletage protection.) 

For those that do take the time to sunscreen their hands everyday(such as myself), the simple act of hand-washing becomes a more time consuming ordeal. Especially in a job industry where frequent hand-washes are required (medical, food, or small children related, to name a few...), washing your hands, and reapplying sunscreen 15x a day easily becomes a burden too time and product-consuming to maintain. 

With much genius, Solise has come up with an elegant solution. Intent on figuring out a way to safely protect his young children from sun damage, at each seeming dead-end Dale Lillard reminded himself of Thomas Edison's famous quote "I have not failed, I have just found 10,000 ways that don't work."

Finally teaming up with an inventor/engineer neighbor, a product that could clean and provide simultaneous sun protection was born. 

Solise is available as either a hand wash or a body wash. It won't clog pores, is hypoallergenic, moisturizing, anti-aging, never tested on animals, and non-greasy. After you wash your hands or body with Solise, your hands/body are protected with an SPF 15 sunscreen. Gentle enough to use on your face, or on children, your first defense against sun damage is now as easy as washing your hands, or taking a shower. (Imagine if after every morning bath, your baby was automatically covered in SPF 15, and every time you washed your hands-- you were protecting yourself?)  

Since Solise only provides an SPF of 15, they classify themselves as your "first step against sun damage," meaning that if you are going to be spending time outdoors additional sun protection will be needed. However, for the kids playing outdoors during the winter, or the adults that spend a lot of time driving, or a million other applicable situations, Solise seems like a perfect time-saving skin-saver. (Not to mention it won the 2010 Skin Cancer Foundation's most prestigious Seal of Recommendation award.)

Does it sound like I'm hyped about this product? Currently only available on the West Coast, Solise will be hitting Philadelphia shelves very shortly, and at about $15 per 8 oz., it is a steal considering it is a body/hand wash AND a sunscreen. (Or, if purchased online at www.Solise.com, use coupon code 73483 to save 10% off any purchase.)

A cheeky way to prove seriousness of sun damage

Take a good, hard look at this image. Can you determine which derriere belongs to a 25, 35, 45, 55, and 65 year old? 

Now take a look at this image. Can you identify which face belongs to that of a 25, 35, 45, 55, and 65 year old?

 

My patients often tell me that their friends make fun of them for being so diligent about sun-protection, and to those that don't know-- I suppose applying SPF 50 all winter long can seem silly? However, to brilliantly demonstrate the subversive effects that sun damage has on our skin, day-in and day-out, Julie Kenner, M.D., PhD recently constructed a very simple experiment that was published in Cosmetic Dermatology. 

The "Cheek Quiz" consisted of five women, each in different decades of life (20's, 30's, 40's, 50's, and 60's) that agreed to have both their faces and their bare buttocks photographed. 

The sets of pictures were randomly mixed, and then 50 participants were asked to look at the pictures, and identify which picture went with which age. 

Whereas over 75% of the participants were able to correctly identify the women's age group based on their facial pictures, less than 5% were able to guess the women's age based off the appearance of their buttocks. (Can you? Answers are at very bottom.)

The organizers of this experiment were pleased with their findings, because it provided such a clear example of the importance of sun protection. The faces, which are exposed to UVA and UVB radiation all year long, showed the distinct passage of time, whereas the skin of the rear-ends look almost indistinguishable from each other, despite the chronological age, because that skin is always covered up and protected from the sun's damaging rays. (The presence of cellulite provides the only clue about the age of the rear-ends.)

This goes to show that the signs of aging are mostly caused by sun damage, and it is a unique concept to think that we'd all be better off if our face's looked more like our buttocks... 


It probably goes without saying, but daily sun protection is vital-- whether it is winter and you are in the office all day, or it is summer and you're spending time at the beach. Your skin is being exposed to harmful UVA and UVB rays all the time, whether you're cognizant of it or not. It is in your best interest from both a health and aesthetic stand-point to nip the danger in the bud(dock?) and simply protect your skin. Solise sun-wash is a body wash with built in SPF, (so that once you're dried off from the shower or bath, you're already covered in a mineral based physical sun block) that makes your first step towards sun protection something you barely even think about, and SkinCeuticals makes an array of wonderful sunscreens that can be used year-round with no greasy/shiny/bad-smelling after-effects.

Age of buttocks, clockwise: 45, 65, 55, 25, 35

Age of faces, clockwise: 35, 25, 55, 45, 65