From Our “You Have GOT To Be Kidding Me!” File:

Okay people: What part of SUN DAMAGE CAUSES MELANOMA do you not understand? It seems we need to amp up our message!

In the last month there has been a number of articles revealing young people among Gen Z and Gen Alpha do not think they need sun protection and are in denial of the true melanoma risk they face from UV exposure. Even worse, they are buying into crazy false statements on Tik Tok that would be funny if not so incredibly dangerous!

An online survey of more than 1,000 people, the American Academy of Dermatology found 28 per cent of 18-26 year olds did not believe suntans could cause skin cancer. Another 37% said they would only wear sunscreen when others nagged them about it. 

A separate poll conducted by the Orlando Health Cancer Institute found 14% of adults under 35 years bought into the myth that wearing sunscreen daily does more harm to your skin than unprotected sun exposure. 

And the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found only 8% of men and 26% women younger than 30 say they always use sunscreen when outside in the sun for at least an hour. 

As for crazy town – here are some of the more insane Tik Tok comments made by untrained, idiotic influencers.  Let’s say this again – THEY HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT!

  • Sunscreen blocks vitamin D production.” ABSOLUTELY NOT!   Science proves otherwise. And, you only need 15 minutes a day in the sun to soak in all the Vitamin D you need. Bam!
  • “As long as you have a good tan you don’t need sunscreen.” WHAT??? A sun tan indicates your skin is already being damaged by the sun. Darker tones to your skin offer ABSOLUTELY NO PROTECTION.
  • “The more time you spend outside the less likely you are to get sunburned.” HELL NO! That just raises your risk! You can ONLY prevent sunburn through the use of sunscreen, the wearing of UPF 50 clothing and supplements such as Heliocare which help boost UV resistance. 

Social media platforms such as Tik Tok and Instagram are entertaining and can offer solid information from the right sources. But when it comes to your health – ignore influencers who are just trying to get clicks. They are dangerous. Listen to medical professionals – and get your skin screened every year – sooner if you see any sort of  change.

Take care of you. Take care of your skin. And Live Life Like Claire

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The Risks of Spray & Aerosol Sunscreens

Let’s face it; as essential as sunscreen is to our daily life, putting it on is an absolute pain in the #%&!!  Why not make it as easy as possible? That’s where spray or aerosol sunscreens come into play. A quick spray here; another hit there! It’s fast. It’s easy. It doesn’t get on your hands – what could be wrong with that?  Quite a bit to be honest!

First off, coverage of a spray is a fraction of a liquid sunscreen. Spray sunscreen is diluted by high levels of propellant in the canister. In short, on average, only half the bottle actually contains sunscreen! And because sprays tend to sit on the surface of the skin – if it doesn’t  blow off in the wind – the sunscreen isn’t absorbed into the epidermis; key to total protection. To actually get full SPF protection, you would need to saturate your skin and rub it in to get the full effect. Thus, you are back to the same process as liquid sunscreen. 

There are chemical risks from aerosol sunscreens as well.  The nature of the spray requires  chemical propellants such as propane, butane and hydrocarbon. Plus, unlike liquid sunscreen formulations, aerosol versions contain certain chemicals such as benzene, oxybenzone and parabens which can all be inhaled while applying.

Exploding sunscreen? Only in aerosol form! All those chemicals and alcohol can become flammable when exposed to excessive heat when stashed in your car, beach tote or sports bag. And, think twice before spraying near an open flame! Yikes!

Aerosols damage the environment! Aerosol sunscreens are not healthy for the ocean or reefs. Not only can the wind carry the chemical filled spray into the water, but it washes off your skin while swimming impacting you as well as the reef and marine life.

 

What should you do? Choose a liquid sunscreen, SPF 30 and apply liberally every two hours. Don’t like it on your hands? Then use a hand wipe to remove excess! And keep in mind there are good number of terrific sunscreens safe for our oceans. Here are just a few!  https://bit.ly/ClaireMarieFoundation

If you would like to learn more about the risks of aerosol sunscreens, just click here: https://bit.ly/3ziMi5G

Remember, take care of you. Take care of your skin, and #livelifelikeclaire

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