There are a number of misconceptions about the interaction between sunlight and skin. In this two part post we look at what we think are the top five most common sun and skin myths.
Myth 1: I can’t get sunburnt on a cloudy day (more…)
Top five sun and skin myths (part 1)
Thursday, February 2nd, 2012Low sunscreen use, high melanoma rates: a breakdown of the sunsmart message?
Tuesday, January 24th, 2012
It’s estimated that more than 9,000 Americans will die from melanoma this year and 76,000 new cases of the disease will be diagnosed. Melanoma, an aggressive skin cancer which can spread (metastasize) quickly to other parts of the body, is also the second most common form of cancer in young Americans (those aged 15-29).
Overexposure of skin to ultraviolet (UV) radiation significantly increases an individual’s risk of melanoma, particularly at a young age; just one severe sunburn in childhood can double the lifetime risk of melanoma. Sun protective measures such as clothing and sunscreen are seen as key to reducing melanoma risk. (more…)
Photoaging
Thursday, December 22nd, 2011
Young adults are the age group most likely to seek a tan, with research showing that people under the age of 29 – particularly women – are tanning most frequently, both in the sun and under solariums. Aside from the well-recognised risks of skin cancer, there is another consequence of this increased exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation of which many teens are not aware – photoaging. In short, all this UV exposure over time makes skin look older. (more…)
Sun protection: Appearance is a greater incentive than health for young people
Monday, November 21st, 2011
According to the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF), the best way to deter teens and young adults from overexposure to the sun is to demonstrate the effects ultraviolet (UV) radiation can have on their appearance.
The USPSTF, an independent panel of experts assigned to provide recommendations on an array of health prevention issues, looked at evidence indicating behavioural counselling could help to prevent skin cancer. The newly released recommendations, an update of the 2003 statement, suggest that teens’ behaviour can indeed be changed through counselling; particularly that which highlights the physical changes UV radiation causes to skin, such as premature aging and wrinkling. (more…)
British Skin Foundation scratches the surface
Friday, September 16th, 2011
In a striking new campaign, the British Skin Foundation have teamed up with photographer Rankin to try and visualise the physical and emotional impact that skin diseases can have on individuals.
Launched earlier this week at London’s National Portrait Gallery, the works posted online feature models crawling with bugs, with cracked and dried skin and covered in barbed wire. For many living with skin disorders such sensations can feel all too familiar, although the symptoms aren’t always visible. (more…)
A coffee a day keeps skin cancer at bay? Look a little deeper…
Thursday, August 18th, 2011
We tweeted it earlier this week and it’s been run across numerous news sites: new research has suggested that coffee – or more specifically caffeine – can help reduce the risk of skin cancer. It’s a fascinating story and one which deserves further review.
The research, conducted across multiple US sites and supported by National Institutes of Health grants, sought to expand upon an existing understanding of the correlation between the intake of caffeinated beverages and a decrease in the incidence of non-melanoma skin cancers. (more…)
Afamelanotide: an analogue of α-MSH designed to assist in vitiligo repigmentation
Monday, July 25th, 2011
Vitiligo is a common skin depigmentation disorder in which the melanocytes, the skin cells which produce melanin pigment, are progressively lost. Despite this, melanocyte stem cells, or immature melanocytes, are preserved in a special region within hair follicles called the bulge, or niche. Often these cells are able to be stimulated with narrowband ultraviolet B (NB-UVB) phototherapy to mature into fully functional melanocytes which migrate to the epidermis to replace the lost or damaged cells. Upon further exposure to UVB radiation, skin cells (keratinocytes) manufacture a hormone called alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone, or α-MSH. Alpha-MSH binds to receptors on the newly formed melanocytes and activates melanin production to repigment areas of skin affected by vitiligo. (more…)
Diagnosis and early treatment of vitiligo
Monday, July 11th, 2011
We’re delighted to host guest blogger Liz Tyler. Liz runs @VitiligoProject and the Vitiligo Project blog, an initiative she founded to help others, like her, who are living with vitiligo. This is the first of a two part series on Liz’s personal treatment experience.
I’ve had vitiligo for thirteen years and like many, my journey of living with vitiligo hasn’t been an easy one. In this day and age when we’re all made to think we need to look like Kate Moss – it’s needless to say having patchy skin is a setback. (more…)
Follicular repigmentation in vitiligo – narrowband UVB phototherapy
Wednesday, July 6th, 2011
Figures 1 & 2. A vitiligo patient before and after NB-UVB treatment. Images courtesy of Pearl E Grimes, MD.
Vitiligo is a common skin depigmentation disorder in which the melanocytes, the skin cells which produce melanin pigment, are progressively lost. Clinically, when vitiliginous lesions (the ‘patches’ of skin which have lost their pigment) are repeatedly exposed to an intensive dose of narrowband UVB radiation (308 or 311-313nm), it is common to see small spots, sometimes described as ‘freckles’ or ‘islands’, of repigmentation forming within the lesion. This occurs because the melanocytes producing this melanin have developed from stem cells reserved in the bulge region of the hair follicle, known as the niche. Their development is stimulated by NB-UVB and they migrate to the skin directly surrounding the hair follicle from which they were derived. As the melanocytes continue to travel through the skin and produce melanin, these ‘islands’ begin to spread and merge, eventually creating broader, but seldom perfect, repigmentation in the treated area (see Figures 1 & 2). (more…)
The diverse roles of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone
Friday, July 1st, 2011
Melanogenesis - click to enlarge
When skin is exposed to sunlight, ultraviolet (UV) radiation stimulates the production and release of a hormone, alpha melanocyte stimulating hormone, or α-MSH. Alpha-MSH is secreted by keratinocytes, a specific type of skin cell, then binds to receptors on the surface of another type of cell, called a melanocyte. When α-MSH binds to the receptors, which are known as MC1R, it activates the melanocytes to produce the brown/black pigment melanin. The melanin is subsequently transferred back the keratinocytes, increasing the level of melanin within the epidermis, the outer layer of the skin.
Melanin is a photoprotective to skin cells (protecting them from light/UV radiation) and the greater its density in the epidermis, the more protection is given to the layers of skin below. It does this by absorbing, reflecting and refracting light (particularly UV radiation) and preventing it from penetrating to the nucleus of keratinocytes or to lower levels of the skin. Melanin is also believed to play a role in scavenging free radicals, which can injure skin cells, and in facilitating UV induced apoptosis (programmed cell death), which removes damaged cells. Thus, melanin’s protective role goes beyond providing a physical barrier. It has been suggested that the 2-3 fold melanin levels seen in darker skin types, compared to lighter skin types, convey up to 100-fold difference in sensitivity to ultraviolet radiation due to these protective functions (see Rees 2004).
