Skin Lotions, Skin Cancer, Skin Cancer Myths
Thursday May 5, 2011
My blogger friends Karen & Patrick are skin cancer survivors. They both wrote posts about the fact that May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month. Karen wrote an amazing post HERE with all the stats - a must read! Patrick has been blogging about his fight with this deadly disease for a while now & wrote another post HERE. You can go back & read his other posts. They are both SURVIVORS & we area all thankful for that!
I am using my Eucerin post to bring more awareness to this subject even though we all know how dangerous skin cancer is - in fact I just heard a news report about how younger people & teens continue to go to suntan beds & go out & suntan even though they know the dangers. California is trying to pass an age limit for using suntan beds.
Eucerin asked me to review 2 more products as part of their Skin First Movement: Their Everyday Protection SPF 15 Body Lotion and SPF 30 Face Lotion. You can see my first post about Eucerin products HERE.
Unlike the other product I tested, these products both are UNSCENTED which makes me happy & both have sunscreen. The body lotion has an SPF 15 & the face lotion an SPF 30.
I also want to mention an important piece of info I heard on the news the other night - You have to apply the lotion 20 minutes BEFORE going outside to get the full effect of the sunscreen. And as we all know, reapply in regular intervals as we sweat!
Both products are very "creamy & silky" as some would call them. I know body & face lotions are an individual thing so if you don't like that super creamy/silky feel, thee may not be for you. Also, the face lotion, in my humble opinion, is better suited for people with dryer skin or at least combo to dry. For me, even at my age, it was too emollient. My face still breaks out so instead, I use the face lotion on other body areas that are dryer like my neck & chest & even a hand lotion - heck, it has SPF 30.
So, again, unscented & SPF - a good thing! But always remember to apply 20 before going out in the sun & reapply regularly.
Here are a couple more links for you:
8 Skin Cancer Myths from Fitness Magazine Online
National Cancer Institute
Mayo Clinic
One of the myths from the above link that I want to bring to your attention & then go read the article for sure!
The basic rules of math don't apply to SPF numbers. Here's the deal: If applied correctly, SPF 15 blocks 93 percent of UVB rays, SPF 30 stops about 97 percent and SPF 50 obstructs 98 percent. Go any higher and there's a barely detectable increase in the level of protection. (In fact, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has proposed new labeling rules that cap SPF at 50+.) While there's no harm in using SPF 100, don't let ultrahigh numbers fool you into thinking you can apply less of it. The benefit of SPF decreases exponentially when you don't use enough, so you may end up wearing the equivalent of SPF 4 despite your bottle's triple-digit claim. Always use a one-ounce shot glass's worth of sunscreen to cover your body and a nickel-size amount to protect your face. And reapply every one to two hours.
Go to the Eucerin FB page is you want to check every so often for special offers under their OFFERS tab.
My blogger friends Karen & Patrick are skin cancer survivors. They both wrote posts about the fact that May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month. Karen wrote an amazing post HERE with all the stats - a must read! Patrick has been blogging about his fight with this deadly disease for a while now & wrote another post HERE. You can go back & read his other posts. They are both SURVIVORS & we area all thankful for that!
I am using my Eucerin post to bring more awareness to this subject even though we all know how dangerous skin cancer is - in fact I just heard a news report about how younger people & teens continue to go to suntan beds & go out & suntan even though they know the dangers. California is trying to pass an age limit for using suntan beds.
Eucerin asked me to review 2 more products as part of their Skin First Movement: Their Everyday Protection SPF 15 Body Lotion and SPF 30 Face Lotion. You can see my first post about Eucerin products HERE.
Unlike the other product I tested, these products both are UNSCENTED which makes me happy & both have sunscreen. The body lotion has an SPF 15 & the face lotion an SPF 30.
I also want to mention an important piece of info I heard on the news the other night - You have to apply the lotion 20 minutes BEFORE going outside to get the full effect of the sunscreen. And as we all know, reapply in regular intervals as we sweat!
Both products are very "creamy & silky" as some would call them. I know body & face lotions are an individual thing so if you don't like that super creamy/silky feel, thee may not be for you. Also, the face lotion, in my humble opinion, is better suited for people with dryer skin or at least combo to dry. For me, even at my age, it was too emollient. My face still breaks out so instead, I use the face lotion on other body areas that are dryer like my neck & chest & even a hand lotion - heck, it has SPF 30.
So, again, unscented & SPF - a good thing! But always remember to apply 20 before going out in the sun & reapply regularly.
Here are a couple more links for you:
8 Skin Cancer Myths from Fitness Magazine Online
National Cancer Institute
Mayo Clinic
One of the myths from the above link that I want to bring to your attention & then go read the article for sure!
The basic rules of math don't apply to SPF numbers. Here's the deal: If applied correctly, SPF 15 blocks 93 percent of UVB rays, SPF 30 stops about 97 percent and SPF 50 obstructs 98 percent. Go any higher and there's a barely detectable increase in the level of protection. (In fact, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has proposed new labeling rules that cap SPF at 50+.) While there's no harm in using SPF 100, don't let ultrahigh numbers fool you into thinking you can apply less of it. The benefit of SPF decreases exponentially when you don't use enough, so you may end up wearing the equivalent of SPF 4 despite your bottle's triple-digit claim. Always use a one-ounce shot glass's worth of sunscreen to cover your body and a nickel-size amount to protect your face. And reapply every one to two hours.
Go to the Eucerin FB page is you want to check every so often for special offers under their OFFERS tab.
Posted by truth2beingfit at 5/4/2011 9:02 PM 
Categories: Health Issues, Health, Cancer, Fitness Magazine, skin care, cancer signs
Tags: Eucerin skin skin cancer skin care Skin FIRST Pledge Waisting Time Responsibility 199 cancer cancer prevention cancer signs melanoma Skin Cancer Foundation National Cancer Institute
Categories: Health Issues, Health, Cancer, Fitness Magazine, skin care, cancer signs
Tags: Eucerin skin skin cancer skin care Skin FIRST Pledge Waisting Time Responsibility 199 cancer cancer prevention cancer signs melanoma Skin Cancer Foundation National Cancer Institute
Lots of great info here. The link on the myths could be a blog post all on its own.
Yes, take the pledge & remember, May is Skin Cancer Awareness month... Action is cancer's worst enemy, Take Action to prevent, control, defeat cancer!
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Thanks for the mention and for writing this great post. I knew that about timing of sunscreen and hope that no one uses that as a deterrent to not put on any at all! I can't stand scented lotions on my face. Why do they do that!? My favorites for every day where are Clinique products with and SPF 25 in a moisturize that comes in different weights. But for working out or time at the beach or anything beyond just a regular day, I go with Neutrogena products.
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Good information here Jody. I love Eucerin products and I use the calming cream everyday after my shower for my super dry skin. Since I started using it I no longer have itchy skin! Love that!
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GREAT post Jody! There are so many misconceptions about how to use sunscreen and it shocks me how many people don't even bother using any at all!
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Great info, Jody. Both of my grandparents had skin cancer. My beautiful grandmother had to have part of her face removed.
To anyone with thinning hair: please spray your scalp with an spf. There are special formulas for scalp protection.
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Thanks for the informative post, Jody. I only learned about that pre-application thing a few years ago.
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Sigh. One more thing to have to remember to do. Most of my life I've stayed out of the sun so it wasn't a problem. Now that I am bike riding regularly, I need to remember to use protective lotion when I go out. Thanks for reminding me.
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Just as information, there is a chemical treatment for skin cancers and pre-cancerous areas that can spare you from surgery. Ask or read about topical 5-FU and Aldara.
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Dry skinned peeps? This is great because my husband and son get very ashy & crusty. The SPF is an important bonus, so I'll be buying some of this lotion. Thanks, Jody!
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Good reminder about the amount of sunscreen we really need - I think most people put on way too little!
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