Doctone » Skin

Health Experts Campaign Against Tanning Industry

tonks — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 21:07:26 +0000

Health experts have are putting together a campaign against the tanning industry. According to the campaign the tanning industry portrays indoor tanning beds and sunbathing a safe practice and even goes so far as to say that it is good for the health of consumers.

President of the Society of Melanoma Research – David E. Fisher – argued that there is no such thing as a safe tan. He and his colleagues accused the industry of misleading consumers concerning the health benefits of tanning. “This effort to portray tanning and tanning beds as good for health ignores the fact that exposure to ultraviolet radiation represents one of the most avoidable causes of cancer,” Fisher tells WebMD. “There is no question that this exposure causes thousands of skin cancer deaths a year.”

The Indoor Tanning Association launched a nationwide campaign next Spring and a full page ad in the New York Times – which questioned the connection between sun exposure and the deadly skin cancer. The ad went on to claim that tanning allows for good health by increasing levels of vitamin D.

The exposure to ultraviolet light helps the body to produce vitamin D. Research shows that vitamin D helps to protect the body from many diseases. “Both the sun and tanning beds have been unnecessarily demonized by special interests using junk science and scare tactics,” International Tanning Association spokeswoman Sarah Longwell said.

Fisher admits that the exposure to UV rays when connected to melanoma has not been fully understood – but he believes that the tanning industry is wrong in saying that there is no link at all between the two. “Whereas genetic and other factors undoubtedly contribute importantly to skin cancer risk, the role of UV is incontrovertible, and efforts to confuse the public, particularly for the purposes of economic gain by the indoor tanning industry, should be vigorously combated for the public health,” Fisher and colleagues write in the October issue of Pigment Cell & Melanoma Research.

Chickenpox Vaccine Still A Necessity For Children

tonks — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 14:21:41 +0000

The U.S. Centers for Disease and Prevention released a new study that showed the effects of the chickenpox vaccine. According to their study it was able to reduce the disease by 90%. “The U.S. varicella vaccination program has dramatically reduced varicella incidence and related complications, hospitalizations and deaths,” CDC researchers said.

The study shows that the amount of chickenpox cases has decreased by 90% since the time that the vaccine was first discovered and used in 1995. Because of this great success rate many parents feel that the disease is no longer a health threat to their children and may avoid the vaccine altogether.

But like anything in the world it is not fool-proof. While it has helped to reduce the number hospitalizations connected to this disease by over 75% and the death rate for children has decreased a dramatic rate – but it is still possible.

One shot of the vaccine will protect 85% of children from the disease – but it is not strong enough to stop the spread of the virus from generally public places – mainly schools. Other children may get what is known as “breakthrough” varicella.

Different Types Of Acne

tonks — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 16:38:47 +0000

Acne is something that many of us have to deal with at one point in time of our life. Before we can determine what the best treatment to use is we first have to learn the different types there are in order to know which one we have. There are two classifications of acne non-inflammatory acne and inflammatory acne.

Non-Inflammatory Acne

Whitehead – when the plugged follicle stays below the surface of the skin it is classified as a whitehead. They appear on the top of the skin as small, white bumps.

Blackhead – when the plug becomes larger and pushes through the surface of the skin it is called a blackhead. The dark appearance of the plug is not caused because of dirt – but because a buildup of melanin.

Inflammatory Acne

Papule – is one of the more mildest forms of inflammatory acne. It is seen on the skin as a small and firm pink bump that can be tender when touched. It is often considered an intermediary step between non-inflammatory and clearly inflammatory lesions.

Pustule – like papules, pustules are small round lesions; unlike papules, they are clearly inflamed and contain visible pus. They may appear red at the base, with a yellowish or whitish center. Pustules do not commonly contain a great deal of bacteria; the inflammation is generally caused by chemical irritation from sebum components such as fatty free acids.

Nodule or Cyst – large and usually very painful, nodules are inflamed, pus-filled lesions lodged deep within the skin. Nodules develop when the contents of a comedo have spilled into the surrounding skin and the local immune system responds, producing pus. The most severe form of acne lesion, nodules may persist for weeks or months, their contents hardening into a deep cyst. Both nodules and cysts often leave deep scars.

Acne conglobata – this rare but serious form of inflammatory acne develops primarily on the back, buttocks and chest. In addition to the presence of pustules and nodules, there may be severe bacterial infection.