Tag Archives: sunscreen

What the Hell is Oxybenzone?

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In my last post, I mentioned that the FDA has not updated the safety standards for U.S. sunscreens in just about 40 years. In the meantime, Europe, Canada, Japan and Australia have access to innovative sunscreen formulations that do a better job of protecting the skin. Think about it this way, in the U.S. we’re still on mainframe computers using… Read more »

U.S. Sunscreens & The Failing of the FDA

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I mentioned a few blog posts ago that the FDA sent out a sternly worded missive about sunscreen pills not being effective. And for once, the moribund agency that seems to allow a number of chemicals into U.S. food and water supplies spoke out against what basically amounts to snake oil. But don’t for a minute think that this agency… Read more »

And More Supplements Behaving Badly

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I wrote a post a week or so ago about research that shows that taking chondroitin sulfate may actually trigger melanoma tumor growth. And then this week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (better known as the FDA) released a press announcement calling out three separate dietary supplements that claim to provide protection from sunburn, skin aging, and even skin cancer…. Read more »

Sun Exposure Myths

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There was a recent article on msn.com that talked about myths regarding sun exposure. Although we may think we know everything there is to know about protecting yourself from harmful sun exposure, it’s still good to have a reminder. Let’s start with the first, and to my mind, obvious. How many of you remember trying to get a base tan… Read more »

Are You Remembering SPF? If Not, You’re Not Alone

Last year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (knowns as the CDC, a U.S. national public health institute) conducted a survey on sunscreen usage. The results were alarming, especially for someone who has battled melanoma and would hate to see anyone else have to go through the process. Only 14.3% of men and 29.9% of women reported regularly using… Read more »

Start of the Summer and I Forgot SPF

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It’s June, and here in Austin, that means that the summer time temperatures are climbing. We had a lot of rain over the past few weeks; but the forecast for the next 15 days are full of sun icons and 90 degree temperatures. As I walked to work today, I suddenly realized that I did not remember to put sunscreen… Read more »

Sunscreen – What I Use After Melanoma

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In the comments of my rainy post, Ms. Mississippi Meow and I had an exchange about sunscreen. It made me think that others might have some questions on what sunscreen I use and my daily regime. First of all, let me tell you that once I received my melanoma diagnosis, I went out and bought all of those high SPF… Read more »

Ms. Mississippi’s Lesson

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My blog received a follow from a fellow blogger, Mississippi Meow who writes the Chronicles of Nowhereland. Of course, I check out everyone else’s blogs because – let’s face it, I’m curious about other people, and particularly those who find their way to my little spot in the interwebs. What motivates them to learn more about pink melanoma? Like I… Read more »

Make sure the sunscreen actually works

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There’s a story going around that Honest sunscreen, from Jessica Alba’s company, has not been living up to what it’s supposed to be doing. Parents are complaining that their children are still getting sunburned even though they supposedly reapplied every hour. Now, I don’t use that brand of sunscreen, but if you noticed your kid was getting red after being… Read more »

Are You Really Protecting Yourself from the Sun?

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I just read an article on sneaky ways you get more sun exposure than you may think. Some of them are pretty obvious when you think about it: driving, sitting by a window at work or on a plane. But things like your scalp? I mean, I wear a hat all the time because I have the thinnest hair imaginable;… Read more »