A great new viral video from the David Cornfield Melanoma Fund went live earlier this week. Check it out:
Head to the DCMF website for more on their work. You can read more about melanoma on our website.
Dear 16-year-old Me
Thursday, May 5th, 2011Tanning beds and the vitamin D debate
Thursday, April 21st, 2011In a blog post last week we highlighted the mechanisms by which a tanning bed (solarium) can cause skin cancer, following new statistics on melanoma from the UK. Yet, individuals continue to use solariums – despite their risks – and much debate is ongoing about their exact impact upon human health, particularly with regards to vitamin D.
One of the key arguments made by advocates of solariums is that exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation is essential for the production of vitamin D. Tanning beds are, in theory, a good source of this nutrient during the winter months or in locations which don’t receive much sunlight throughout the year. Yet, to consider this reasoning, it is first important to understand the science behind these concepts. (more…)
Porphyrias: a disease grouping by cause, not symptoms
Monday, April 18th, 2011
Held biennially, the Porphyrins & Porphyrias conference (P&P) is the world’s largest gathering on the porphyrias – a group of metabolic disorders causing biochemical disruptions in the pathway of the body which synthesizes haem (heme).
As a result of each of these disruptions, the body presents with unique symptoms ranging from skin symptoms and phototoxicity – as those seen in erythropoietic protoporphyria and congenital erythropoietic porphyria – through to acute attacks of abdominal pain, seen most commonly in acute intermittent porphyria. In short, no two porphyrias are clinically identical yet they are discussed as a single group of disorders with a similar cause. As a matter of fact, there are eight variations of porphyrias, each with a specific clinical manifestation of disease. (more…)
How does indoor tanning cause skin cancer?
Wednesday, April 6th, 2011
Earlier today, new stats were published by Cancer Research UK highlighting that two young adult Britons are diagnosed with skin cancer every day; a rate which has tripled since the 1970s. There were several factors highlighted as contributing to this increase, but one was most clearly singled out in the release:
“using a sunbed before the age of 35 can increase your risk of melanoma by 75%”
Further regulation of indoor tanning
Thursday, March 3rd, 2011
Nearly 18 months ago we blogged about the impending regulation that would undoubtedly be imposed on the sunbed industry as the weight of evidence mounted that ultraviolet light was a carcinogen.
Not long after we published that piece (Teens and sunbed use; the regulation commences), the Brazilian government was the first in the world to take legislation a step further and impose an outright ban on the use of solaria (sunbeds and like devices) for aesthetic use. At the time they were announced, the Brazilian sunbed laws included fines of up to US$860,000 (1.5m reais) for those caught breaching them. (more…)
Treating ‘sun allergy’: an ongoing quest
Tuesday, March 1st, 2011
Following a curious tweet on her ‘sun allergy’ we invited Amanda from Texas to share her experiences as a guest blogger in the hope that they may help others. This is the second of two parts, you can read part one here.
Hiding from the sun wasn’t an option. Granted, I was reluctant to incur the wrath of UV light: the itching, the bumps, the disfiguration that affected my confidence. Thankfully my PLE was confined to my arms.
Yet, with dermatologists telling me nothing could be done outside an occasional cortisone injection, I was determined to explore any and all treatment options. (more…)
Sun allergy: a mystery diagnosis
Wednesday, February 23rd, 2011
Following a curious tweet on her ‘sun allergy’ we invited Amanda from Texas to share her experiences as a guest blogger in the hope that they may help others. This is the first of two parts.
Nearly a decade ago, if you had looked up sun worshipper in the dictionary, you would have seen my picture.
As a young girl growing up on the Gulf Coast of the United States, I was blessed with a pool in my backyard and a temperate climate. Swimming and spending time lounging in the sun were very much a way of life and, blessed with my mother’s Greek coloring, I was able to spend as much time as I wanted baking in the UV light without as much as a freckle. (more…)
Why do you sunburn on a cloudy day?
Thursday, February 17th, 2011
One of the most common reminders issued by dermatologists and anti-cancer organisations relates to the daily use of sunscreens, even on days when it is overcast or cloudy. Harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays can still penetrate the earth’s atmosphere and may even be intensified on such days, posing a greater risk than on clear days.
To help understand why you can still get burnt in these (and other) situations, we’ve produced a short video on why UV levels vary, follow this link to view the video
Updated: the AAD’s position statement on vitamin D
Thursday, January 20th, 2011
Overnight the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) has issued an update on its position statement on vitamin D, a hot topic in dermatology and medicine more broadly (and one we’ve discussed on the blog in some depth in the past).
In a release issued on their website, the AAD reaffirmed its stance that vitamin D – essential for human skeletal health – should be obtained through diet and/or dietary supplements, rather than risking exposure to ultraviolet light, a natural source of vitamin D for humans. (more…)
Vitiligo, light therapy and stem cells: a new webcast online
Wednesday, January 12th, 2011
Vitiligo Narrowband UVB treatment
Today we’ve released our first new video webcast for the year, explaining the theory of repigmentation in vitiligo with narrowband UVB (NB-UVB) phototherapy in greater detail. You can view the new video on our website or on Youtube.
