|
|
Even Dermatologists Get Skin Cancer
|
April 27, 2009
Dear Friends,
I have just survived my first skin cancer surgery this past week (as a patient) and am feeling particularly inspired to write about sun damage! As promised, this is the second installation in my series on skin care.
I think we all know by now that the sun is bad for our skin. Sun damage (also called "photodamage") accounts for 90% of the changes we associate with aging skin: coarse wrinkles, brown spots, loss of elasticity, leathery texture, dullness, roughness, sallowness, easy bruising/fragility, and the development of skin cancers. What about the other 10%? That's due to having too many birthdays! "Intrinsic aging" causes gradual thinning and fine lines. I will often tell patients to compare the skin on their rear ends to the skin on their faces. The difference is sun exposure!
Some of you may have seen the movie "There's Something About Mary". It's a bit raunchy but kind of fun. Anyway, there is a character who is Mary's neighbor. She's a woman of indeterminate age who is always sunbathing. Her skin is a deep orangey brown and resembles a leather purse. She is obviously a caricature, but I swear I did see some people like her when I was in Miami recently! Anyway, this is an extreme example of what the sun can do to us.
OK, so how does the sun make our skin look like leather and develop cancer? Basically, the sunlight is composed of two kinds of radiation: infrared (which is heat) and ultraviolet. There are two kinds of ultraviolet radiation that are harmful to our skin: UVA and UVB. They differ in their wavelengths: UVB is shorter and UVA is longer. Both can harm the skin by releasing molecules called "free radicals"; also known as "reactive oxygen species". These molecules are highly unstable and can lead to the breakdown of collagen and elastin (which leads to wrinkles) and to the other changes mentioned above. Ultraviolet radiation also damages cellular DNA, and over time, this can lead to the development of cancer. Now, our skin does have defense mechanisms to counteract this assault; we have natural antioxidants which neutralize the free radicals and cellular repair mechanisms in place to undo the damage. But the insults can frequently overwhelm our defenses. (I should note that there are also other sources of free radical damage including smoking and pollution. One puff of a cigarette creates a trillion free radicals!)
So, what do we do to protect ourselves from all this radiation/free radical damage and try to repair our skin? First, obviously, is sun protection. This means avoidance of midday sun and use of broad spectrum sunscreens. And don't fall for the idea that tanning beds are safer than real sun. Tanning beds emit mostly UVA, the longer wavelength. We now know that UVA is not "safer" than UVB. Not only does UVA contribute to cancer, but it actually causes more aging changes than UVB! Why pay for all this damage when you can get it for free??
A few years ago, I wrote a handout on sunscreens that you can access at www.balconesdermatology.com/documents/Sunscreens.pdf. Since then, obviously, some new products have come on the market. (Gee, I guess it's time to update the handout!). Here are a few of my favorites that we carry in our office: 1. Replenix CF 45: This is a creamy, slightly tinted sunscreen that feels wonderful on your skin, if you are dry. It contains green tea, which is an antioxidant. I use it in place of makeup. 2. Melashade 30: This is a silky lightweight sunscreen that our oilier patients love. It has a slight tint, but dries sheer. 3. Elta Daily 40: We just got this one in recently. It is creamy but light and goes on really smooth. Non-tinted; great for wearing under makeup. I use it on my neck. 4. Elta UV Shield 45: This is a more lightweight product for oilier skin types. Nontinted.
I feel that I need to insert a note about Vitamin D, the "sunshine vitamin". Ultraviolet energy from the sun catalyzes the conversion of the vitamin D precursor in the skin to its active form. Vitamin D is the subject of much research lately and has been shown to have many benefits to human health beyond bone metabolism. Many people are actually deficient in this vitamin, possibly due to use of sunscreens. I have read a few different estimates of how much sun exposure is required for adequate vitamin D production, from 10 minutes daily to 10-20 minutes twice weekly. I'm not sure anyone knows the right answer. In the meantime, it can't hurt to take a vitamin D supplement. I take 2000 units daily myself. Some people take even higher doses.
Beyond sunscreens, what's next? If you are a smoker, please consider quitting. Also, consider adding plenty of antioxidant containing foods to your diet, such as blueberries, brussel sprouts, broccoli, kale, red grapes, spinach, and strawberries. Antioxidant supplements such as Co-Q-10 (100 mg per day) and alpha lipoic acid (100-200 mg per day) are also worth considering. What about skin creams? There are about a million skin care products on the market that claim to reverse the signs of photoaging. How can we make sense of it all? Well, that will be the subject of my next few letters. Stay tuned!
Before I sign off, we do have the new eye cream in stock now. It's called Cega Eye Area Peptide Restorative Complex. It has the barrier repair complex for moisturizing, and peptides for collagen building. It has a rich consistency; good for dry or mature skin. I love it. And at $35.00, it's not too pricy.
Have a great week! If you are interested in trying any of the sunscreens I mentioned, call David at 459-4869, ext 19, and he can fix you up with samples.
Thanks for reading,
Kathy Farady
Balcones Dermatology
|
|
|
|
|
|
Katherine Farady, M.D.
phone:459-4869
David: ext 19
|
|
|
|
|
|
