In case you missed reading about it on our Facebook page –but we HOPE you’re also joining us there? — we posted my interview on Tech Talk with Craig Peterson. Craig’s show has been ranked the #1 radio show in the Boston Market with some 4 million podcast downloads. He interviews top industry insiders and I was pleased to be able to speak to the technological advances MoleSafe has offered in our ongoing effort to improve early detection of Melanoma and other skin cancers.
You may have also read on our wall, or on Twitter, that we’re going to be accepting appointments at our MOBILE clinic, arriving in San Francisco the week of October 10th. Please share this with all your friends and loved ones in the Bay Area as we bring the most advanced detection services to the West coast. Call 1-877-MOLESAFE (1-877-665-3723) to schedule an appointment there…or at any of our permanent clinics in six locations around the country.
If you can’t make it to one of our clinics, do continue to practice self-exams and book your annual examinations with your dermatologist.
MelApp from Health Discovery on iTunes
If you’ll be attending the AAD next weekend (American Academy of Dermatology) we hope to meet you. Please look for me, Dr. Richard Bezozo as well as Dennis Favazza – MoleSafe’s Director of Business Development, and Maddie Pallamary, RN. We’ll be at the conference, taking place Aug 4-6 at the Hilton Hotel in NYC — Booth # 330. Please come by and let’s talk in person about MoleSafe and our leading edge diagnostic tools.
Finally, in other news, there’s another way to remember your ABCDEs! Similar to the app we reported on a couple of months ago you can use your iPhone now in the meantime with MelApp to share images of your moles with your doctor, along with a helpful reminder of exactly what to look for on your skin — and the skin of a loved one.
Note: Since we posted the below entry, good news: the FDA has now announced their new guidelines which will include mandatory labeling by the summer of 2012. Here’s an excellent overview from ABC:
In the meantime, please remember to review your choices, and keep applying that sunscreen!
The Environmental Working Group’s guide to effective and less-toxic or non-toxic sunscreens is out again with additional options on this 2011 version. This comprehensive list, and associated articles, does an excellent job of explaining the challenges with both the FDA’s progress in setting standards for sun-protection products…and consumers’ understanding of the elements that go into that sunscreen — good or bad.
Even since we shared their 2010 list last May, more outcry has been heard about a common ingredient in many mainstream sunscreens, that is a derivative of Vitamin A: Retinyl palmitate. In fact, in June of last year, Senator Chuck Schumer called on the FDA to investigate it, as mentioned in this release from his office:
Retinyl palmitate is an ingredient found in most of the 500 most popular sunscreen products. Scientists at both the NCTR and the NTP have been working diligently over the last decade at the FDA’s request in order to determine whether this Vitamin A derivative, retinyl palmitate, is safe to use in sunscreen products. In one study, tumors and lesions developed up to 21 percent faster in lab animals coated in retinyl palmitate-laced cream than animals treated with a cream that did not contain RP. While these studies have been completed for almost a year now, the FDA has not issued an assessment of ruling on either of them….
Schumer added, “Millions of Americans use sunscreen to keep themselves and their families protected from the dangers of too much sun. If the product they are using is doing more harm than good, they have a right to know.”
Of course, there is NO safe way to TRY to tan, just as the American Academy of Dermatology says. But in tan PREVENTION, there are things to consider. Here’s something from a section on their Website about sunscreen, that you might not have known:
Q: When should sunscreen be used? A: Sunscreen should be applied every day to exposed skin, and not just if you are going to be in the sun. UVB rays cannot penetrate glass windows, but UVA rays can, leaving you prone to these damaging effects if unprotected.
For days when you are going to be indoors, apply sunscreen on the areas not covered by clothing, such as the face and hands. Sunscreens can be applied under makeup, or alternatively, there are many cosmetic products available that contain sunscreens for daily use. Sun protection is the principal means of preventing premature aging and skin cancer. It’s never too late to protect yourself from the sun and minimize your future risk of skin cancer.
Don’t reserve the use of sunscreen only for sunny days. Even on a cloudy day, up to 80 percent of the sun’s ultraviolet rays can pass through the clouds. In addition, sand reflects 25 percent of the sun’s rays and snow reflects 80 percent of the sun’s rays.
So, as the inquiry continues, we, again, are of the belief that smart skin cancer prevention tactics start with covering up and include generous use of sunscreen. Of those, perhaps making a more natural choice of mineral (titanium dioxide, for example) vs non-mineral protection is a better option. The introductory paragraph to the Environmental Working Group’s guide says it all:
The best sunscreen is a hat and a shirt. No chemicals to absorb through the skin, no questions about whether they work. But when you can’t get away from exposing your skin to the sun, use EWG’s top-rated sunscreens to provide broad-spectrum (UVA and UVB-sunburn) protection with fewer hazardous chemicals that penetrate the skin. Sunscreen and sunblock makers are awaiting FDA approval for a wider selection of UVA-blocking chemicals. In the meantime, all [the Guide's] top-rated products contain either zinc or titanium minerals to help cut UVA exposures for sunscreen users.
PS: And now, yes, “there’s an app for that.” The EWG Sunscreen guide reviews some 1700 products, so keeping them straight at the point of purchase will be easier for iPhone owners now. Check it out in iTunes app store, for free.
May is Melanoma and Skin Cancer Awareness Month, and we have a few ways to make the vigilance easier! First, we invite you to “like” our new MoleSafe Facebook page! We’ll try to keep you updated with interesting updates from all our locations and patient comments. Straightaway you might want to check out the patient video of the Walters sisters who get regular check-ups at our CentraState MoleSafe location after they were each diagnosed around age 30. They describe our approach and their version of sun protection vigilance, too.
Next, what better time than Mother’s Day to thank moms like the Walters sisters who now also ensure they practice safe sun exposure for their kids as well! As a reminder, that includes having them play in the shade, using protective clothing, and applying sunscreen regularly.
Speaking of sun exposure, SpaFinders is in on the awareness path with a sun-exposure alert bracelet! Much better idea than the “suntan turnover time alerts” we still hear on the radio some times…
Another way to make a “fashion statement” about melanoma is through the numerous items touting Melanoma Awareness which you can find at Zazzle.com, for example.
We applaud the AAD‘s “31 Days and 31 Ways” to Prevent and Detect Melanoma. Check out each of the days of May for good tips and suggestions, as well as their list of locations for free skin cancer check-ups. Of course, we believe that May is the best time — before summer kicks off — to get the most thorough exam possible using the latest high tech methods of screening for skin cancers and melanoma, and that is the methodology used by MoleSafe in the U.S. and MoleMap worldwide.
Today is Melanoma Monday, and as described in an upbeat but informative blog, “EGMN: Notes From the Road” – by the Maryland-based staff of the Elsevier Global Medical Network – Melanoma Monday could “use some love.” Melanoma Monday is a good idea — intended to kick off the stepped up education and outreach during May as Melanoma/ Skin Cancer Detection and Prevention Month. However, it IS sort of challenging to love ANY Monday, associated with heading back to work, let alone one named Melanoma Monday.
EGMN sums it up with insight and humor:
…who would want to visit a website called Melanoma Monday unless you already have an interest in the disease. Which is too bad, because there is some cool stuff there that could help with melanoma prevention and early detection.
Free skin cancer screenings are being offered in May, and site visitors can find one near them. What if clinic waiting rooms let patients take the site’s Suntelligence Survey on a computer and offered sunscreen samples as prizes? And hey, let’s get the kids involved with the cool Body Mole Map that you can download from the .org site. Make it a game! Make it an annual birthday ritual now, so that by the time they’re young adults they’ll want to keep doing it for nostalgia’s sake, if nothing else.
So, EGMN, we agree, and we’re here to support Melanoma Monday and show it some love. Because what’s in a name, when lives could be saved? Coming up from Melanoma Updates (yes, perhaps we could have a more scintillating name, too!), we’ll share some resources and recommendations for loving the whole MONTH of Melanoma awareness.
May is Melanoma Awareness Month. So, we thought it was a good time to offer the following reminders about this disease that kills one American every hour. The first is to remember that if detected early, melanoma can often be successfully treated.
What are the best ways to stay on top of it? Well, of course awareness is the first step. Understanding the serious nature of this form of skin cancer will drive more people to practice better sun safety, and get regular skin exams. 2010 is also the 25th-year anniversary of the development of the "ABCDEs†– the acronym for the quick and simple criteria to use for skin self-exams to help detect skin cancers, including melanoma. Please share these easy reminders with your friends and loved ones:
A is for Asymmetry where one-half of the mole is unlike the other.
B is for Border where the mole is irregular, scalloped or poorly defined.
C is for Color that varies from one area to another or has different shades of tan, brown, black and sometimes white, red or blue. D is for Diameter of a mole when it is bigger than the size of a pencil eraser. E is for Evolving or changing in size, shape or color.
The ABDCEs were created by dermatologists at NYU Langone Medical Center, which is home to the most recent addition of the MoleSafe clinic locations. This exemplary institution is also conducting its annual free skin cancer screening onThursday, May 6, 2010 from 1:30 PM to 5:00 PM at 550 First Avenue in the Charles C. Harris Skin and Cancer Pavilion on the first floor of the Medical Center. No appointment is necessary for the free screening and everyone is encouraged to take advantage of this annual opportunity – especially those who have a changing mole, a history of melanoma, or who are over the age of 50 and do not have a regular dermatologist.
Also, the Skin Cancer Foundation is back on the road, conducting free screenings around the country. For a list of a locations please visit their web site.
As always, we encourage you to invest in your healthy future with the "gold standard†of skin cancer screenings at any of our four (soon to be SIX!) MoleSafe locations in the country. Our final reminder? Melanoma Awareness shouldn’t be limited to the month of May. Stay vigilant. Stay aware.
We think of summer fun and we’re reminded to think of safe sun exposure. But what about when winter comes? Too many of us — either in pursuit of SAD relief via a warm-weather getaway, or misguided goals of maintaining a tan — don’t stay conscious of skin protection year round. And skin cancers are increasing, especially among young women.
As we noted in a previous post about tanning bed bans for teens in England, there is real danger from even “artificial sun”…and with more research findings exposed recently, it’s even worse than we thought.
Let’s face facts:
Nearly 30 million people tan indoors in the US, every year. And more than one-third are teens.
71% of salon tanners are girls ages 16 to 29.
And let’s connect the dots: The American Academy of Dermatology lists melanoma as the second most common cancer in women 20 to 29 years old.
Now here is the scariest stat of all according to Peter Boyle, MD, Director of IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer):
“the link between youthful sunbed tanning and melanoma was “prominent and consistent” – a 75 percent increase in risk of melanoma among those who first used sunbeds in their twenties or teen years.”
Though rates of squamous cell or basal cell carcinomas are not quite as significant, possibly because of limited data, we’re nonetheless talking a 75% increase in risk in the deadliest form of skin cancer.
Our National Institute of Health was far ahead of the IARC, part of the World Health Organization, in determining sunlamps and sunbeds to be known carcinogens. In 2002 they specifically included UVA, UVB and UVC as “anticipated to be human carcinogens.” Yet, it is always good to have further awareness and validation on a global scale. This year IARC’s conclusions, listed in an excellent update on the FDA site, have led them to also move tanning beds from “probably carcinogenic to humans” into the highest cancer risk category: “carcinogenic to humans.”
This has helped pave the way for banning indoor tanning by teens. As a matter of fact, our hat is ON (a little skin cancer prevention humor) to the people of MD who have listened to their MDs. On November 12th, 2009, Howard County, MD became the FIRST IN THE NATION to ban those under 18 from using indoor tanning devices!
Remember, all exposure to UV radiation-whether from the sun, or from artificial sources such as sunlamps used in tanning beds, increases the risk of developing skin cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The Skin Cancer Foundation says that:
“One blistering sunburn in childhood more than doubles a person’s chances of developing the deadliest form of skin cancer later in life.”
Do you think we should ban access to tanning salons by those under 18? The statistics are continuing to pour in, but many salons still don’t abide by rules or recommendations of limiting visits for their customers by either age or frequency.
So, just say no. And monitor your kids’ skin tone!
We think of summer fun and we’re reminded to think of safe sun exposure. But what about when winter comes? Too many of us — either in pursuit of SAD relief via a warm-weather getaway, or misguided goals of maintaining a tan — don’t stay conscious of skin protection year round. And skin cancers are increasing, especially among young women.
As we noted in a previous post about tanning bed bans for teens in England, there is real danger from even “artificial sun”…and with more research findings exposed recently, it’s even worse than we thought.
Let’s face facts:
Nearly 30 million people tan indoors in the US, every year. And more than one-third are teens.
71% of salon tanners are girls ages 16 to 29.
And let’s connect the dots: The American Academy of Dermatology lists melanoma as the second most common cancer in women 20 to 29 years old.
Now here is the scariest stat of all according to Peter Boyle, MD, Director of IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer):
“the link between youthful sunbed tanning and melanoma was “prominent and consistent” – a 75 percent increase in risk of melanoma among those who first used sunbeds in their twenties or teen years.”
Though rates of squamous cell or basal cell carcinomas are not quite as significant, possibly because of limited data, we’re nonetheless talking a 75% increase in risk in the deadliest form of skin cancer.
Our National Institute of Health was far ahead of the IARC, part of the World Health Organization, in determining sunlamps and sunbeds to be known carcinogens. In 2002 they specifically included UVA, UVB and UVC as “anticipated to be human carcinogens.” Yet, it is always good to have further awareness and validation on a global scale. This year IARC’s conclusions, listed in an excellent update on the FDA site, have led them to also move tanning beds from “probably carcinogenic to humans” into the highest cancer risk category: “carcinogenic to humans.”
This has helped pave the way for banning indoor tanning by teens. As a matter of fact, our hat is ON (a little skin cancer prevention humor) to the people of MD who have listened to their MDs. On November 12th, 2009, Howard County, MD became the FIRST IN THE NATION to ban those under 18 from using indoor tanning devices!
Remember, all exposure to UV radiation-whether from the sun, or from artificial sources such as sunlamps used in tanning beds, increases the risk of developing skin cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The Skin Cancer Foundation says that:
“One blistering sunburn in childhood more than doubles a person’s chances of developing the deadliest form of skin cancer later in life.”
Do you think we should ban access to tanning salons by those under 18? The statistics are continuing to pour in, but many salons still don’t abide by rules or recommendations of limiting visits for their customers by either age or frequency.
So, just say no. And monitor your kids’ skin tone!
