Detect melanomas with your iPhone
Skin Scan is a new Apple App Store application that analyses moles and marks on the skin. A simple photo is analysed and compared with a previous photo using a custom-designed algorithm that calculates...
View ArticleHow to choose a sunscreen
Ultraviolet rays cause sunburn and skin cancer, so sunscreens are essential for sunbathing. But why doesn’t an SPF of 60 provide double the protection of an SPF of 30? Summer is here and sunscreen...
View ArticleThe eyes and skin diseases
Eye colour could indicate whether a person has a high or low risk of certain skin diseases. People with blue eyes are less likely to suffer from vitiligo, whereas people with brown eyes develop fewer...
View ArticleMore sun – more age spots
It is important to protect the skin from the sun, as it promotes skin ageing and the appearance of blemishes, especially after the age of 40. Do such blemishes affect our health? Is there any way to...
View ArticleTanning beds: high-risk tans
People who use artificial sunlight to get a tan in record time may pay a heavy price in the long run. This is demonstrated by recent studies that link exposure to ultraviolet radiation from tanning...
View ArticleMelanoma, the ongoing scourge
International experts are warning us yet again: the number of melanoma cases is growing fast. Too much sun is considered to be the most direct cause of melanoma, which develops in the skin and can be...
View ArticleThe moisturizer as a vehicle for medication
It is not easy to penetrate the skin’s protective barrier, as it is our defence against toxins and other external damage. But the fact that certain components in moisturizers can cross this barrier...
View ArticleMen: the weaker sex (in their skin at least)
Contrary to popular belief, men’s skin is more fragile than women’s skin. Dry skin, ingrown hair and persistent redness are some of the problems faced by men who shave. But there’s much more. Men’s...
View ArticleFake tanning: bronzed skin, no cancer risk
Fake tanning products are the perfect solution for people who like to have a bronzed skin all year round, yet want to reduce the negative effects of solar radiation and prevent skin cancer. Here we...
View ArticleRedheads are more prone to melanoma
Redheads are more prone to melanoma (the most malignant skin cancer), even if they avoid sunbathing. The cause is genetic. The type of melanin they produce – the pigment responsible for red hair and...
View ArticleAspirin for skin cancer
Too much sun is the main cause of skin ageing. It also leads to the development of melanoma, the most malignant form of skin cancer. A recent study links aspirin use to a lower incidence of melanoma in...
View ArticleCareful with tanning beds!
Artificial tanning beds pose an additional risk for the health of our skin and lead to the development of melanoma. However, millions of people throughout the world continue to use them, despite the...
View ArticleApps for the skin: consult your doctor
The growing popularity of smartphones and tablets worldwide has led to the emergence of thousands of medical apps, a good number referring to care, problems and disorders of the skin. Some are...
View ArticleSurviving melanoma but failing to learn
We tend to forget, for better and for worse. Or, put another way, we repeatedly trip on the same stone. Different studies show that patients who have had melanoma do not protect themselves from the sun...
View ArticleSunscreens are not enough to avoid cancer
A few years ago the European Union banned use of the term “total block” in sunscreen labels because it led to confusion. There is, in fact, no photoprotection that is 100% effective against UV...
View ArticleSunburns triple the risk of skin cancer
Sunburn is dangerous. It may increase the risk of skin cancer, even though we may have been burned – as children – before we were aware of the consequences. We have been warned time and again, but we...
View ArticleThe skin and environmental stress
Air pollution, extreme temperatures, artificial light, ultraviolet radiation, noise, cigarette smoke and traffic fumes: all these environmental stressors threaten the health of our skin. Recent studies...
View ArticleQueen Letizia: against the sun
She acknowledges having stupidly sunbathed without protection, like almost anyone else. But she also says she’s learned her lesson. Queen Letizia of Spain, inaugurating the 1st International Symposium...
View ArticleSun damage continues after dark
It may take a few hours for you to realise that you got sunburned while sunbathing. Similarly, the mutations that ultraviolet (UV) radiation can cause in DNA and that lead to the dreaded skin cancer...
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