By C.A. Vargas

According to the American Cancer Society, one in five Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime. So it is vital that one learns the potential risks and the preventative solutions associated with skin cancer.

The first thing to know is that the skin does not repair itself as well as we age. And that sun exposure increases the damage and affects the health and beauty of your skin. This can be verified by a simple observation. Compare the sun exposed skin to areas of your body that are normally covered, and you will see a difference between the two, in color and texture. And as you can see, sunscreen is an anti-aging essential.

The Two Culprits: UVA (ultraviolet-A) AND UVB (ultraviolet-B)

The fundamental difference between these two rays is that one has a longer wavelength, UVA, and therefore can penetrate deeper into the skin. UVA are the aging rays, and according to research is the leading cause behind wrinkling, leathering and other aspects of photoaging. UVA is also present all year round and is as penetrating at 9AM mid December as it is at 3PM in July.

UVA is also less likely to cause sunburn but works to increase UVB’s cancer causing effects and according to some dermatologist may directly cause some types of skin cancer.

UVB has a shorter wavelength and is the ray that causes suntans and overexposure to the sun, is the ray that produces sunburn. These UVB rays penetrate the top surface of the skin and causes it to produce more melanin or more color, in essence the suntan. But in sun damaged skin it produces what we call liver spots or age spot.

However, UVB because of its shorter wavelength, is less likely to cause injury during the winter months, when the Earth is slightly tilted away from the Sun and therefore cannot reach the Earth’s surface.

Sunblocks And Sunscreens:

Just like there is a difference between UVA and UVB, there is a basic difference between sunscreen and sunblock. Knowing this essential difference can help you in choosing the best in sun protection. Sunscreens chemically absorb UV rays, while sunblocks physically deflect them.

Sunscreen has long blocked UVB effectively, but until recently it provided less UVA protection. And although the technology has advanced and new products have some new and revolutionary chemicals that work well against all UVA wavelengths, mineral based sunblocks are preferred.

Mineral based sunblocks seem to be the more natural and “organic” choice in sun protection. New preparations such as micronized titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, used in sunblock to prevent or treat minor skin burns and irritation, and iron oxide are used to successfully reflect the harmful effects of both UVA and UVB.

And when these minerals are used in conjunction with multiple antioxidants, you have a unique product that counteracts free-radical damage and increases protection against UV rays. Joanna Vargas Skin Care salon carries “Solar Protection Formula”. It is a unique solar protection product that is highly effective and is used as a preventative measure for maintaining the health and beauty of your skin.

Unfortunately this product is not sold in stores or any website and is solely available through your skin care professional. THEREFORE WE ASK THAT YOU CALL THE SALON TO PLACE YOUR ORDER AT 212.949.2350.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 7th, 2008 at 4:34 am and is filed under Anti Aging, Skin Care. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.