Monday, May 6, 2013

Melanoma Monday/ Neutrogena Sun Summit /Sun Safety


Today is Melanoma Monday , and  it's as good as time as any to talk SPF and sun. I've been meaning to anyway since  Spring is here and  the sun is out more . I try and explore this topic every year and will have several posts on new suncare in the next months.

You'll know if you've read past articles that I love SPFs with  Mexoryl  but they are harder to get in the US & more expensive when  you can find them. One of the good alternatives at the drugstore has always been Neutrogena with  their Helioplex formulas which keep getting better year after year. This year introduced Beach Defense which I talked about  here

 Last month  Neutrogena held a sun summit for beauty editors  to discuss sun safety . There was a lot of good info there and I thought I'd share some of it. Obviously product wise it's geared towards Neutrogena but they also had on board a quartet of researchers/dermatologists including Dr. Doris Day, Clinical Assoc . Professor of Dermatology at NYU Langone Medical Center and works at Lenox Hill Medical Center  and Drew Shindell, PhD,  who is a scientist at NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies ,   with great advice no matter what brand you choose.

Many of you use Neutrogena SPFs and know that their Helioplex is a great  broad spectrum sunscreen.   Beach Defense, (you can read about that here, ) is a  new addition  and  as part of the summit we got some of their other SPF items to try. Some I had used before, others not and one discovery for me was Pure & Free Baby. It's got physical blockers of titanium and zinc ,  ones I like to use, and usually thought of as  the best way to go for max protection,  plus it feels like nothing on, with no white cast. The takeaway there is don't overlook something because it says "baby" on it.

The FDA also put in place, at last , new regulations on SPF labels.  The words “sun block,” “waterproof,” and “sweat-proof” are no longer allowed  on packaging labels and it's mandatory that the product contains both UVA and UVB protection.  When buying SPF , be sure to read the label well.  It's worth the time it takes.

A few takeaways from the Sun Summit :


-Although it is nearly 100 million miles away, the sun is responsible for 90% of the visible signs of aging.

- Surveys reveal more than 70% of Americans do not reapply sunscreen when they are outdoors for long periods of time.

-“The brightness of the sun has increased, while the ozone layer has been depleted,  "So climate change has led to warmer temperatures, which means Spring comes earlier and Fall lasts longer, and people are outside more.  Due to the combination of these environmental and lifestyle changes, current risk of UV is higher than it’s been ever before.”- Dr. Drew Shindell


Also -for any Neutrogena ® product with SPF purchased, the company will donate one to a family in need, from May 1 through July 31. ( Super idea I think).


Visit www.chooseskinhealth.com for more info

Beach photo: Martha's Vineyard Tourism

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