Last week we had a few days off and I was looking forward to having a holiday in our own country filled with picnics, sailing and cycling trips and finishing off with a tasty BBQ on the beach. It turned out somewhat differently!
I have already written about the difference between men’s and women’s skin. Because they have more sebaceous glands their skin is more oily than that of women’s. Alongside this men have more collagen, elastin and sebum/hair follicles which “support” the skin. This makes men’s skin also slightly thicker (as if we didn’t already know that…:-)). Because the framework of the man’s skin is stronger, wrinkles and sagging skin take longer to appear. Not fair but true!
The holidays have begun! Or at least for the lucky few in the middle of the Netherlands…. Today I saw the first cars loaded up (oh yes, because the potatoes, deep fat fryer and bikes need to go to) and all heading south.
According to the newspapers, ‘white’ is the new ‘brown’. That is good news, as these days we are aware of the dangers from the sun…. We no longer dare to sunbathe on the Spanish beaches with the coconut oil and aluminium foil this summer.
Did you always love that feeling of the sun’s rays on your face through the window, then I’m going to throw a spanner in the works again ! Ageing behind glass is a very real prospect! If your work desk, for instance, is facing the sun, then the chances are that you may look like this lady after a few years. This Italian secretary worked for fifteen years with one side of her face exposed to the sun. And look at the result; the left side is 20 years older than the right side!!! Although UVB is blocked by glass, UVA passes straight through it. You should think about this if you do a lot of driving for your work….
Lately I have received many questions about sun allergies. Even yesterday a beauty journalist asked, why it is that sun allergies are more common now than a few years ago. I have my suspicions about this!
There is an extremely good website which shows you how to examine your own skin for irregular or malignant moles. The site is www.myskincheck.nl. I recommend everyone with an increased risk of skin cancer to look at this website.
You only have to look at the reactions on my blog about “the dangers of the sun” to see that this is a controversial subject (see this blog for example). In general I receive only good, positive and happy reactions. Having said that, the “sunbed industry” have responded less enthusiastically to my comments! No more than expected, of course…. The argument that is always raised by “sun worshipers” is that exposure to the sun is healthy as it is necessary for the formation of Vitamin D. Indeed, it is important for us, but luckily we can also gain it in a more sensible way. Below are the latest findings about the sun and this vitamin, compiled by the American Academy of Dermatology (“Don’t Seek the Sun: Top Reasons to Get Vitamin D From Your Diet”). You can also find the references via the link.
You know that summer is here by the amount of people coming in to have examinations for moles. Obviously we have another good look at our skin when we put on our swimming shorts or bikini and it is then that we notice them.
Skin cancer is becoming increasingly common. It is the fastest growing cancer and each year there are tens of thousands of new cases. Sunlight is the biggest factor. I will explain below how a failure in cell growth can initiate early skin cancer: suspicious areas on the skin.