Why Skin Care Is Important For Men
Cancer in general is a serious concern. However, if you are a white male over the age of 50, you need to know that skin cancer is the # 1 type in this age group ahead of prostate, lung and colon cancer.Â
There could be several reasons for the high incidence of skin cancer in men of this age group. The most common reason that come to mind is that most men spend time outdoors being exposed to ultraviolet radiation from the sun, without much protection.
Frankly, men just don’t care. They take a shower and they are off to a game of golf, or other outdoor activities without much sun protection.
Most skin cancer deaths are primarily due to melanoma. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, one person dies of melanoma every 62 minutes. The Skin Cancer Foundation also reports that the ultraviolet rays from the sun are the main reason for melanoma.
Are men’s skin more sensitive?
Tests on male and female mouse skin performed by Ohio State University in Columbus by Tatiana Oberyszyn, PhD, reported male skin cells carry fewer antioxidants than female skin cells.
Antioxidants are what protect the skin from damage as a result of free radicals. Free radicals cause cell damage and many forms of cancer are believed to be due to the reactions bhetween DNA and free radicals leading to mutations. Cell mutations lead to malignancy.
How should men prevent skin cancer?
A simple routine may help. Skin has certain needs in order to stay healthy. Maintaining hydration and moisture are important. Once the skin dries and is over exposed to ultraviolet radiation, trouble is brewing close by.
Cleansing the skin thoroughly with a non-drying soap is also very important. Most soap contain sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) which can dry the skin and even cause allergies. Look for lotion cleansers that are milder and without SLS.
An alcohol-free toner will also help neutralize the pH of the skin and again, help prevent cell damage.
Lastly it helps to moisturize with a shea butter and antioxidant moisturizer. Shea butter not only acts as a natural sunscreen, but helps prevent wrinkles.
If you plan on going in the sun, wear a visor or a hat. This way, you are not exposing the sun directly to your face.
Real men wear some make up
Loose mineral powder foundations often contain as much as 25-50 equivalency of SPF. Using a cosmetic brush and lightly dusting on the powder is an excellent non-toxic way for a natural sunscreen and a handsomer real man.
Dr. Flora Stay is the founder of Cleure (fusion of Clean & Pure), the trusted company for chemically safe personal care and cosmetic products. You can receive a FREE e-book “Product Labels, A Cautionary Tale” to help you recognize the products that are right for you to prevent allergies and sensitivities. Just go to http://www.cleure.com right now and download this e-book.
Rating:
(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)
Loading ...
Comments
One Response to “Why Skin Care Is Important For Men”
Leave a Reply
The most important thing is to find potential melanoma lesions early while removal can be a cure. People at high risk (especially if you have already had a melanoma) need to follow their skin closely. The traditional ABCD criteria can help guide risk assessment. A, for asymmetric lesions; B for moles with irregular Borders; C, for colors in the lesion; and D, for diameter greater than the tip of an eraser.
More recently physicians have recognized the importance of moles that are new or getting larger in predicting high risk lesions. They have now added E for enlargement to the criteria and many recommend following the ABCDE’s. Having reliable information on whether a mole is changing increases the specificity of the skin exam and could therefore reduce the over-diagnosis of suspicious lesions.
Although dermatologists almost always ask if you have any new or changing moles most people cannot accurately answer that question (particularly those with numerous moles and the greatest risk). One way to approach this problem for people at high risk is to use Total Body Photography to document the moles on your body. However, this is an expensive procedure (often costing $400-$600) that most insurance providers will not cover.
There is now an inexpensive software program that allows people to use their own digital cameras at home to take their own body images at different time intervals (maximizing privacy). The images can be scaled and aligned and compared using a personal computer to allow for the efficient recognition of new or growing moles. This software was developed from funding provided by the National Cancer Institute and can be obtained by going to the website http://www.dermalert.com