Research

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

It was the perfect storm. When Claire was diagnosed with cutaneous melanoma at the age of 14, it absolutely blindsided us. She wore sunscreen, never tanned and got annual skin screenings. What was missed was the risk associated with hypothyroidism; a condition that can occur as a result of puberty. Claire became fully symptomatic at the age of 14; a diagnosis coinciding with drastic and quick changes in a mole that had always been prettily sitting on her ankle. A research oncologist determined the two factors meshed to create her melanoma.  Yup. The perfect storm. With that, we first learned factors other than UV sun exposure can cause melanoma in young people and fueled what is now our mission at the Claire Marie Foundation. 

Let’s break it down further. People with hypothyroidism have unhealthy high levels of thyroid stimulation hormone or TSH. Some individuals can have moles or skin lesions with receptors to TSH. When those receptors bind with TSH,  it can result in stimulated melanoma cell development. In short, the higher the TSH level, the more “food” for melanoma growth.  Here is the research report from Dr. Julie Ellerhorst of MD Anderson Cancer Center who determined the link in Claire’s case, and other research through the National Institutes of Health https://bit.ly/46Oopig , https://bit.ly/3MjDy2K

Once we knew the catalyst in  Claire’s diagnosis, we closely monitored her TSH levels as part of her treatment plan, keeping her levels as low as possible through medication in addition to melanoma drug therapies. Every time her TSH level would start to rise, another mole would begin to change, become atypical and need to be removed. Frustrating? Absolutely.  But Claire accepted it as a manageable chronic condition. ” Everybody’s got something” she would say before running out the door. Little did we know. 

What does this mean to you? If you or a family member has hypothyroidism or have a history of melanoma, make sure you get a full body dermatoscope based skin screening – head to toe. Remember, melanoma can develop in areas of the body where the sun does not shine and can often be colorless! And of course, talk to your doctor.  Getting a reading on your thyroid is as easy as a blood test. 

Keep in mind that melanoma is more aggressive and invasive in adolescents and young adults and if related, can be further accelerated by TSH. Should anything look questionable, see your dermatologist right away.  If you follow our other articles, you will remember surges in testosterone and estrogen can also be contributing factors to the development of melanoma in young people along with genetic predisposition. Add to that the risk of UV sun damage and you can see the need for overall skin care. Don’t get blindsided. Take care of you and your skin. Remember; prevention is the cure when it comes to melanoma. #livelifelikeclaire