FitSugar

Do You Really Need SPF 100 Sunscreen?

FitSugar — Fri, 15 May 2009 08:00:00 -0700

When it comes to exercising, there's strength in numbers, but that's not necessarily true when the subject is sunscreen. Compared to your 50 SPF sunscreen, one that has 100 SPF might give the impression that your product is inadequate. According to dermatologists interviewed by The New York Times, swapping out your 50 SPF for the 100 isn't a necessary move.

Sunscreen brands have been consistently raising the SPF bar. Coppertone started it with last year's groundbreaking launch of SPF 70+, followed by the introduction of SPF 85 from Neutrogena and Banana Boat, and most recently Neutrogena's 100 SPF sunblock. The numbers cause consumer confusion, but Dr. David M. Pariser, the president of the American Academy of Dermatology, says, "As you get higher and higher, it’s not really a practical difference."

To learn what is truly important about sunscreen, read more.

The Times points out the marginal difference in UVB protection: SPF 100 blocks 99 percent of UVB rays, SPF 50 blocks 98 percent, and SPF 30 protects against 96.7 percent of UVB rays. Some doctors argue that ditching your bottle of 30 or 50 for a higher SPF could lead to a false sense of security about staying in the sun longer without reapplying.

Dermatologists suggest that, rather than becoming consumed with the SPF number, it's more important to focus on wearing enough sunscreen. A full shot glass of the stuff should do the trick. What else do you know about sunscreen?

DrSugar Answers: Stretch Mark Prevention?

DrSugar — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 03:00:00 -0700

DrSugar is in the house and he's answering your health questions.

Dear DrSugar,
I will be leaving my teen years behind soon - thank goodness. But I've noticed red stretch marks around my breasts and am greatly concerned. I have not gained or lost any weight and cannot find a reasonable explanation as to why I am getting these red lines. I thought stretch marks only occurred in pregnant woman and obese people! Why do I have them? Are they permanent? What can I do to prevent them from staying there? Please help!
- Stressed About Stretch Marks

To see DrSugar's advice on stretch marks, read more.

Stretch marks, know as striae in medical terms, can be very frustrating because they seemingly come from nowhere and are very hard to get rid of. Unfortunately, as your experience attests, stretch marks are not limited to pregnant women. Stretch marks can commonly form during puberty on breasts or hips. They also can form on the abdomen, buttocks, or thighs during periods of rapid weight gain at any age. While the biggest risk factor for developing stretch marks is any type of rapid weight gain or increase in body size, certain medical diseases and medications can also cause them. Prednisone, a steroid pill commonly prescribed for inflammatory conditions, is the most common culprit in terms of medication. Cortisone creams can also lead to stretch marks because they cause thinning of the skin.

The fact that your stretch marks are only around the breasts makes the most likely cause normal breast growth. Unfortunately, the stretch marks you have are not easily reversible, but there are some treatments available. If there is redness or irritation along the stretch marks, this will generally fade and become less noticeable over time. If the stretch marks have occurred recently, like in the last two months, you can try a prescription of either tretinoin cream or Retin-A cream to improve their appearance. More expensive therapies are available as well; dermabrasion and laser therapy are two methods performed by dermatologists and plastic surgeons that can reduce the appearance of the marks. If you have a dermatologist, make an appointment to discuss strategies for dealing with stretch marks. Although I don't think you could have prevented your stretch marks, here are some tips for preventing and decreasing stretch marks.

Have a question for DrSugar? Send it by private messaging me here, and I will forward it to the good doctor.

DrSugar's posts are for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment recommendations. Click here for more details.

Fact or Fiction: Food and Your Skin

FitSugar — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 04:32:00 -0700

Do you sometimes feel that if you are what you eat, you're wearing the result of last night's dinner on your face? Take this quiz and see if you can debunk the myths of nutrition and the health of your skin.

Source

Take the quiz

5 Things About the Wonders of Watermelon

FitSugar — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 04:30:00 -0700

No backyard barbecue would be complete without some refreshing watermelon. This Summer fruit has more to offer than the raw material for a seed spitting contest. Here are five great things about watermelon:

Red, juicy watermelon is high in the super antioxidant lycopene. Lycopene can be found in few other red and pink foods, including tomatoes and pink grapefruit, and it looks like it might play a significant role in preventing certain kinds of cancer.
Watermelon is beneficial to the skin and aids in the regenerative process. Eating the melon has benefits, but you can make a toner with it too. What else are you going to do with all the post BBQ melon?
This red melon is a low calorie food and one cup of melon balls contains just under 50 calories. It is also high in vitamin C.

To see if watermelon is nature's Viagra, just read more.

It lives up to its name: cooling food during the dog days of Summer.
Surprising new research out of Texas (the largest producer of the seedless variety of the melon) indicates that watermelon has an effect on the human body similar to Viagra. The big red fruit cannot completely replace the little blue pill, but it does contain citrulline, which jump starts production of a chemical compound that helps relax the body's blood vessels, similar to Viagra. Melon, however, is just not "organ specific" and can benefit the entire cardiovascular system. However, citrulline is found in higher concentrations in yellow watermelon, not red. Looks like you can't get your lycopene hit with the benefits of citrulline.

If you're a watermelon fan, I'd like to hear about it in the comment section below.

Source

How to Combat Winter Itch

FitSugar — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 03:00:00 -0800

When the cold wind blows outside, we fight it by cranking up our heaters. Unfortunately, that heat makes the air super dry, which can take a toll on your skin leaving you incredibly itchy, scaly and uncomfortable. You can't help but scratch, which leaves it even more irritated.

Here are some tips to help you keep the moisture in your skin:

I know there's nothing like a hot shower to warm you up in the Winter, but the hotter the water the drier it makes your skin. Try a 15 minute soak in a warm bath instead, using a moisturizing soap like Pre de Provence Shea Butter Soap. Try some essential oils in the water to up the moisturizing potential of your bath.
If you can't stay away from showering, use warm water, and only wash your face, hands, feet, and between folds of skin. Take short showers, every other day. Too much cleansing removes your skin's natural moisturizers.
User 7kimba7 reminded me that using a body scrub or loofah gloves in the shower can help to slough off itchy dead skin cells.

Want to see the other tips? Then read more

After your shower or bath, dry yourself off slightly and while your skin is still damp, apply moisturizer all over, like this Body Time Shea Butter Moisturizer. Users bhilb and Martini Rossi also are fans of Eucerin because it really helps to moisturize their dry skin.
Purchase a humidifier if you don't already have one and use it in your bedroom at night. It'll help with a dry throat as well.
Try turning the thermostat down a little. Keeping your home on the cool side might help.
Drink water throughout the day, even in the Winter (It's easy to forget since we're not hot). It'll hydrate your skin from the inside out.

Source

Aerobic Exercise and Your Skin

FitSugar — Wed, 09 May 2007 12:30:00 -0700

We all know that regular aerobic exercise is good for our cardiovascular system (they don't call it cardio for nothing). But do you think it is beneficial for your skin?

Thinking of Getting Inked?

FitSugar — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:00:09 -0800

I have never gotten a tattoo unless you count the temporary henna kind, but it looks like I might be in the minority. About 25 percent of 18- to 30-year-olds have been inked, and 65 percent of them are women. If you've always wanted to get your fave butterfly etched onto your ankle, here are some things WebMD wants you to know before anyone puts a needle to your skin.

Pay the money and go to a shop that has licensed tattoo artists. Since getting a tattoo involves breaking the skin with a metal object and coming into contact with blood, you want to make sure the studio is clean, so there's the lowest risk possible for infection.
There are serious risks involved, such as contracting life-threatening HIV or hepatitis C from unclean equipment. You could also get other infections including impetigo, MRSA, or cellulitis. It's OK if you don't know what these are, just know you don't want them.
It's also possible to have an allergic reaction to the tattoo ink, so before getting an enormous fairy imprinted across your back, you probably want to do a small patch test on your skin first.

To find out what else you should know, read more.

Also note that your skin will look a lot different at age 25 than it will at 65, so keep that in mind when choosing the design, size of tattoo, and area of your body.
The artist should thoroughly wash his or her hands before they begin, and wear gloves to prevent the spread of infection.
Be sure all needles are removed from a sterile, single-use package, and all equipment is sterilized after each use.
Make sure you don't drink alcohol or take drugs (including aspirin) the night before or while getting a tattoo.
If you're sick, wait until you're healthy to get your tattoo, since you'll need energy to heal.
Follow the after-care instructions so your skin heals quickly and without any complications.
After you've had a tattoo, you can change your mind and have it removed by a doctor, but know that your skin most likely won't look like it did pre-tattoo. The procedure tends to require a series of visits, it's expensive, and often the tattoo can't be completely removed.

Do you have a tattoo? Did you have any complications? Tell me in the comments section below.

Source: Flickr User geishaboy500

Home Spa Treatment: Heal Dry Hands With Heated Socks

FitSugar — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:00:16 -0800

Colder weather means dry skin, and for me, my hands and cuticles are the worst since I'm constantly washing my hands. Here's a soothing and inexpensive remedy you can treat yourself to at home. If you suffer from dry skin on your feet, you can use this treatment on your tootsies too.

To learn how to heal your dry skin keep reading

Sunscreen Could Be Damaging Your Skin?

FitSugar — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 10:00:00 -0800

Being health-conscious individuals, to prevent lung cancer, we don't smoke. To prevent a heart attack we don't eat a diet of sausages and donuts. Likewise, to prevent skin cancer, we wear sunscreen. Applying it daily has become as habitual as brushing our teeth. Now recent research is saying the unthinkable - that using sunscreen may actually be harmful for your skin. Sounds like a bad April Fool's joke, but unfortunately, there may be truth behind it.

When you spend time in the sun, UVA and UVB rays get absorbed by your skin. It causes instability in the molecules in your tissue, and harmful compounds known as free radicals are released. According to the study from the University of California, Riverside, certain sunscreen ingredients may cause more free radicals to form than if you were wearing no sunscreen at all.

To find out if you should stop using sunscreen, read more.

This study was performed in 2006, but now it's surfacing in the medical world. Some dermatologists think the study was too small to be significant, and that since they only tested the three UV-blocking ingredients in sunscreen, not actual sunscreen, the study is inconclusive. The study also used epidermal model tissue (genetically engineered skin) rather than a real human sample. Still, there are other dermatologists who won't discount this study. Since fake skin is often used in skin research, they believe there is truth to the results that say sunscreen may increase a person's risk for skin cancer.

Definitely continue using sunscreen since we know that it's our best defense at preventing sun damage. It's recommended to use sunscreens such as Coppertone’s NutraShield Sunscreen Lotion with Dual Defense, Murad Oil-Free Sunblock, Priori Radical Defense Sunscreen, and Topix’s Citrix Antioxidant Sunscreen. These all contain high-quality antioxidants, which can help counteract free-radical activity.

Source

Are UVA and UVB Rays Equally Harmful?

FitSugar — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 14:30:00 -0700

Sunscreen is a must for anyone who spends time outside. Your bottle probably mentions something about UVA and UVB rays. Since you care so much about your health, I thought I'd refresh your mind on the difference between the two.

UVA rays: These are less likely to cause sunburn than UVB rays, but they penetrate your skin more deeply. Watch out because UVA rays can go through windows, lightweight clothing, and even your car windshield. Prolonged exposure cracks and shrinks the collagen and elastin in your skin, which is why UVA rays are responsible for signs of aging including wrinkles, saggy and leathery skin, and suns spots.

UVB rays: These are responsible for tanning your skin, but they also cause sunburn. UVB rays are the main culprit when it comes to skin cancer. These rays also go through windows, and it doesn't matter if it's cloudy - you're still at risk for exposure.

Although both types are responsible for different health risks, they're equally harmful to your skin. So if you're planning on enjoying the day outdoors, lube up with a sunscreen that protects against both UVA and UVB rays 20 to 30 minutes before heading out. Reapply at least every two hours.