The Effects of Tanning – What You Don’t Know CAN Hurt You

By Dr. Wendy Myers

Summer is notorious for parties, weddings, graduations and barbeques where everyone strives to look their best. Unfortunately, for many people, the notion of looking their best is inevitably tied to having a bronze glow or some kind of just returned from an island tan.

As a result, despite all the warnings to the contrary, some people still insist on making tanning an essential part of their grooming ritual. But here’s the deal, whether you do it the old-fashioned way (baking in the sun), or by cheating, i.e., sitting in a tanning bed or under a sun lamp—exposure to concentrated amounts of ultraviolet rays is still incredibly hazardous to your health, and, you guessed it, your skin.

Increased exposure to ultraviolet rays is never good.

Although it may not feel as inherently dangerous as bronzing in the sun for an afternoon at the beach or pool, whenever you step (or lie down) in a tanning bed, your skin is exposed to a seriously concentrated amount of ultraviolet rays, both UVA and UVB.

UVB rays penetrate the top layers of your skin and are most responsible for causing sunburns. UVA rays penetrate the deeper layers of your skin and are often associated with allergic reactions or rashes. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, UVA and UVB rays can also wreak all sorts of havoc on your skin. For instance:

• Premature skin aging. Excessive exposure to UV rays can cause your skin to age, causing leathery, wrinkled skin and dark spots. It also breaks down the collagen and elastin fibers in younger skin, causing loosened folds.
• Eye damage. According to the FDA, photokeratitis and cataracts can be produced by exposure to intense artificial sources of UVC/UVB light, found in certain types of tanning lamps. For photokeratitis, a person can experience swollen eyelids, decreased vision as well as tearing or pain. For cataracts, a person can experience clouded or spotty vision and pain or soreness in and around the eyes.
• Immune suppression. UVB radiation may suppress proper functioning of the body’s immune system and the skin’s natural defenses, leaving you more susceptible to diseases, including skin cancer.
• Greater risk for developing skin cancer. Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States. Studies have found that people who use tanning beds are 2.5 times more likely to develop squamous cell carcinoma and 1.5 times more likely to develop basal cell carcinoma (both forms of skin cancer). And an alarming 3.5 million people are diagnosed each year with a form of skin cancer, this is more than breast, prostate, lung and colon cancer combined.

Additionally, studies have shown that indoor tanning before the age of 35 increases the risk of melanoma by as much as 79 percent, while tanning before the age of 25 increases non-melanoma skin cancer risks from 40 to 100 percent.  In case you didn’t know it, melanoma is the most dangerous form of skin cancer, and it is mainly attributed to intense UV exposure (most often from the sun or tanning beds). Statistics say that over 420,000 cases of skin cancer are diagnosed annually due to tanning bed exposure. Of those cases, it's been reported that 6,299 are melanoma. The message here? Tanning beds are unsafe for all, but especially dangerous for teens and those in their early twenties.

When you weigh the positives versus the negatives, it’s surprising how many people continue to subject themselves and their skin to these harmful UV rays. My advice? Skip the tanning rituals altogether, and concentrate on celebrating the summer season with your friends and family. For more information, visit www.windsordermatology.com or call 609-443-4500 to make an appointment for a skin screening today.

Graduating to Healthier Skin: Do’s and Don’ts

By Teresa Zawada, Licensed Aesthetician

Ah, graduation…whether it’s High School or College, it’s a time of celebration…and why not?! No more oppressive rule of teachers or professors. For many, it’s a first taste freedom from parents or freedom to become (gasp) an adult!  But wait, being free and an adult means responsibility. Responsibility means accountability for oneself. What you do today will somehow find its way into tomorrow and either help you or hinder you. Seems like this calls for a plan.

Let’s take a quick look at Hollywood. Remember that certain double-initialed starlet, who has spent her nights drinking, and smoking, and her days in a courtroom, and how she has aged beyond her years? This is the poster child of my DON’T List.  It goes as follows:

DON’T smoke.  Smoking robs your skin of crucial oxygen.  Without the O2, your skin starts breaking down collagen and elastin.  Broken down collagen and elastin = dull prematurely crinkly skin.  Not to mention the vertical lip lines. Even if you quit smoking, they will pop up to remind you later in life of your not so glamorous youthful rebellion.

DON'T go into tanning beds. A deeper, clearer complexion, with whiter teeth and eyes, is only temporary. The long term effects include not only aging of the skin, but invasive cancers. Micrographic surgery can save your life if skin cancer is caught early, but many times, it’s left undiagnosed.

DON'T over-tweeze. Subconsciously, we assume the age of a person without even knowing. As a person ages, hair not only recedes in some places, but also overgrows in others.  Eyebrows, which can frame the face, when over-tweezed, fail to return as you get older and yen for a fuller shape.  The “thin” eyebrows can register as “thinning” eyebrows and cause others to believe that you are older than your chronological age.  It's best to have them professionally framed, starting at a young age, so that thoughts of permanent tattooing don't seduce your mind.

DON'T pick!!!!!!  Very important!  Picking is not only a habit, but can become an addiction. Some people even find it to be a stress relief. Aestheticians and derms, however, find it to be "post inflammatory hyperpigmentation."  If you're lucky enough to only have a few dark marks, then you went easy on your skin. Some people, however, find that picking has led to ice pick scars, pock marks, and also nail marks.  I see many clients who come in and tell me that they had acne as teenagers, and with one glance at their skin texture, I can tell if they were pickers or not.  Picking, not only makes bacteria more mobile, but also semi-permanently to permanently, it leaves an impression on your skin.  My advice:  leave it up to a professional. They know how to pick without leaving evidence.

DON'T overtone!!!! Yes, the slick feeling feels nice if you're oily, but, in the long run, stripped skin is like a table you bought at a flea market and tried to repair, but lost all of its luster.  Alcohol based products literally strip your skin of oils and essential barriers, leaving it prone to dehydration and infection; not to mention that taking off oil without replenishing will propel you to an endless cycle of oiliness and breakouts.

Back to Hollywood, let's now take a look at, yes a pale, but crease free award winning songstress/actress.  How does one who doesn’t have Hollywood’s secrets at their disposal achieve this look?  This takes me to my DO List:

 

DO drink water.  This is not a myth.  Just as your body requires oxygen, water is essential to replenish your cells.  Take a look at a potted plant. If you let it dry out, it will begin to look dull, the

leaves will crease, and flowers will shrivel. However, if you water it regularly, it will live up to its full potential.

DO eat your fruits and vegetables. As an infant, one of the first tastes we get of baby food are of the fruit and vegetable variety. Just as it nourished us then, it nourishes us now and delivers essential vitamins and nutrients that can act as antioxidants and fight off skin damaging pollutants and free radicals.

DO use a sunscreen. Any dermatologist will tell you this is key to young looking skin.  What most people don’t know is that most sunscreens only protect from the UVB rays, which are the burning rays. It’s the UVA rays that age the skin, but most ingredients don’t fight these rays. End result: a sunscreen-wearing beachgoer will spend extra hours soaking up the aging rays because they’re not getting burned by the sun. Make sure any sunscreen you are using is broad spectrum UVA/UVB or opt for the sunblock for complete protection.

DO exfoliate…in moderation. Young skin is usually exfoliates properly on its own. That’s the “youthful glow.” It’s when you get older and the exfoliation slows down that skin begins to look dull.  Look for a cleanser with a mild AHA, or glycolic acid, in it.  If scrubs are more your cup of tea, keep it to a maximum of 2-3 times per week.

DO use an eye cream.  Don’t run to the department store and buy the most expensive brand. An over- the-counter hydrating cream is all young eyes need.  Most people like to place their daily moisturizer around their eyes, and for many, that’s ok, but eye skin is the thinnest and most sensitive, so many face moisturizers can actually irritate that delicate skin.

DO wear sunglasses and/or hats.  Not only are they fashionable, but sunglasses prevent you from squinting and in return, less crow’s feet will develop. Hats will be your saving grace during outdoor activities ESPECIALLY if you forget the sunscreen!

DO find a dermatologist and aesthetician that you are comfortable with. Just like with any other specialist, such as your dentist, you want someone to develop a relationship with that will keep you abreast of new treatments and also specialize in any afflictions your skin may have.

Following these steps will nearly guarantee that people will not believe your age later in life!

Check out our aesthetician services to see how you can take your skincare a step further.