Wearing sunglasses on a regular basis is critical for the health of your eyes. The lens of the eye turns out to be a pretty good absorber of UVA rays, but, unlike the skin, the lens cannot slough off damaged cells. That means there is no way for the lens to ever repair itself. Protect­ing […]

I worry about the concept of “after-sun care.” It sounds as if you can undo all the sun damage you incurred during the day. I admit it’s a great marketing concept, but it is risky business for someone to buy into the notion that skin can be repaired following unprotected sun exposure. If you leave […]

If you have had any amount of unprotected sun exposure and you are between the ages of 30 and 80 you might have noticed uneven, rough-feeling, slightly raised, occasionally crusty, and generally light brown or light pink patches on your chest, hands, arms, or neck. These discolorations are called actinic keratosis or solar keratosis, and […]

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Academy of Dermatology, one million new cases of skin cancer are diagnosed each year. That gives skin cancer the unfavorable distinction of being the most common form of cancer in the United States. As reported by Dr. Darrell S. Rigel of the […]

Tanning pills come in two forms: those that contain tyrosine and those that contain a concentrated dose of beta-carotene. Let’s start with tyrosine. The FDA has debunked tyrosine as a tanning accelerator. The marketing pitch is that tyrosine is needed by your body to produce melanin, which is a true statement. Ergo, the logic (albeit […]

Self-tanners are the only way to get a tan that is safe for the skin. All self-tanners are virtually equal in that they use the same ingredient, dihydroxyacetone (DHA), to chemically turn the skin brown. Some products contain a greater concentration of DHA than others, and the higher the concentration the faster the skin will […]

When choosing a sunscreen for your child it is always best to follow the advice of your pediatrician. It is very easy to be enticed to buy sunscreen products with pictures of cute babies on the label. However, despite these marketing tactics, products aimed at children and babies are not formulated any differently than products […]

The search for a sunscreen that is appropriate for oily skin can be a frustrating, lifelong pursuit. Even those I’ve created for my line can pose problems for some people. There are dif­ficulties of several kinds. First, the types of ingredients that can be used to suspend sunscreen agents are not exactly the best for […]

Many cosmetics lines sell an endless array of cleansers, toners, anti-wrinkle treatments, eye creams, throat creams, face creams, and facial masks yet never mention the indispens­able need for regular, consistent use of a sunscreen. Almost every line does have “sun-care” products, but they are often promoted separately from the “daily care” routines. I’ve person­ally spoken […]