Summer Newsletter - June 2009

It's almost time to put on your bathing suit! Get a jump start on looking your best and take advantage of our summer promotion. Print out the coupon below and bring it in to recieve $50 off a laser hair removal treatment on any new body area.

Not only can you be hair free this summer, but your skin can look great too. Keep your skin looking young by protecting it from the damaging summer sun. Sorting out the facts and myths about sun exposure as well as selecting a sunscreen can be confusing. We have assembled a basic guide to help you understand the risks of unprotected sun exposure and the simple steps that you can take to keep your skin healthy while enjoying the sun. Take a look and see why eltaMD is our #1 choice in sunscreen.

This summer, hair free, young looking skin is what it's all about. So get ready to pack your towels, beach chairs, and sunscreen, and enjoy a hair free you today!

Happy summer!

Debra Nazarian, CPE

The Truth About Sun Exposure

Did you know ...

• 1 in 5 Americans will get skin cancer.
• More than one person per hour dies of skin cancer in the United States.
• Skin cancer kills more women under the age of 30 than any other form of cancer.
• A person's risk for skin cancer doubles if they have had five or more sunburns.
• If you use indoor tanning booths in your teens and twenties, you increase your risk of melanoma by 75%.

Not only is skin cancer on the rise, but sun exposure can age your skin dramatically. Excess exposure can cause freckles, discoloration, and Telangiectasias (dilation of blood vessels). Prolonged exposure breaks down the elastic fibers of the skin, eventually resulting in the appearance of deep, leathery skin. Once the skin's fibers start to break down, the skin begins to sag, stretch and loose its ability to go back into place after stretching. You can try using the most expensive skincare products and procedures available on the market, but you will never be able to get your youthful skin back.

These statistics can be scary, but you don't have to hide inside on a beautiful day. Long walks and days at the beach can still be in your future. You just need to be proactive when protecting yourself from the sun. Here are some simple guidelines for protecting your skin.

• Daily application of sunscreen is imperative, even on winter and cloudy days.
• Always apply sunscreen 30-60 minutes before going in the sun.
• Avoid direct sun exposure during peak hours, generally between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
• Wear a broad-brimmed hat, sunglasses, and protective clothing.
• Reapply sunscreen generously and often, especially after swimming.

With so many sunscreens on the market today, selecting the best sunscreen can be confusing. Within the last year, the options have changed dramatically. Scientists are discovering new protective ingredients along with combining better formulations that will mean not only fewer skin cancers, but less photoaging to the skin. Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration proposed a revision to its guidelines for sunscreens, incorporating new testing and labeling requirements for products that protect against ultraviolet A (UVA) rays. These proposed changes require that the sunscreen labeling will be more "consumer friendly", thus enabling the consumer to not only understand the UVA rating system, but to also easily choose a product that would suit their individual needs.

When choosing a sunscreen, there are a few key factors to remember:

• SPF - The FDA has revised these letters to mean "sunburn protection factor". SPF is a number such as 15, 30, 45 or 50 that indicates how long a topical sunscreen remains effective on the skin. Typically, the user can multiply the SPF number by the length of time it takes the user to suffer a sunburn without using any sunscreen. For example, if someone went out in the sun without sunscreen and started to burn after being exposed for 15 minutes, that person would be safe if they used an SPF 15 sunscreen for 225 minutes. (Example SPF 15 X 15 minutes = 225 minutes or 3.75 hours)
  
  Note: SPF calculations can be deceiving. Keep in mind that you must apply your sunscreen 30-60 minutes before sun exposure, it must be applied frequently and you must always apply a generous amount, covering your skin completely.
• UVB - UVB rays do not penetrate the skin as deeply as the UVA rays. However, UVB rays are responsible for causing sunburn and damage to the superficial layers of the epidermis. These ultraviolet rays are stronger in the summer. The SPF number shows the level of protection against the UVB rays only.
• UVA - UVA rays penetrate the skin on a much deeper level than UVB rays. Scientists have learned that these rays are believed to cause DNA damage to cells in the basal layer of the epidermis where most skin cancers originate. The UVA rays are not affected by the weather and are present all day, every day of the year. They are 20 times more abundant than the UVB rays and can even pass through glass, such as a car window.
• Waterproof - The FDA has proposed changes that would include revising the term "waterproof" to "water resistant" and "very water resistant" since no sunscreen is completely waterproof. Mandated testing will require that a product labeled "water resistant" will withstand 40 minutes of immersion in water and a product labeled "very water resistant" will withstand 80 minutes of immersion in water.
• Ingredients - While the ultimate goal of sunscreen is to offer protection from sun cancer, some ingredients have actually been known to cause extreme irritation. Ingredients such as PABA, parabens, methyisothiazolinone, methylcloroisothiazolinone, bronopol, and benzophenone not only have been known to cause allergic dermatitis, but also have been questioned as suspicious cancer causing compounds.
• Zinc Oxide - Zinc Oxide is the only single ingredient that uniformly blocks both UVA and UVB rays.

So pack up your towels, your beach chairs and lather on a high quality sunscreen to safely enjoy your day!

Come Take A Look At Our #1 Choice In Sunscreen

• Utalizes micronized 9% transparent zinc oxide
• Great for sensitive skin
• Water resistant
• Chemical free
• Absorbs quickly and feels light

Come in and try a sample of eltaMd today!