Skin Care Hub

Dangers When Outside in The Sun

Harmful rays from the sun, sunlamps and tanning beds may cause:

* skin cancer, which can be deadly
* eye problems
* weakened ability to fight disease
* unsightly skin spots
* wrinkles and “leathery” skin.

Take Extra Care

Be sure to follow the seven steps to safer sunning especially if you answer yes to any of these questions:

* Do you have pale white skin?
* Do you have blonde, red or light brown hair?
* Were you ever treated for skin cancer?
* Has a family member ever had skin cancer?
* Do you have an illness? If so, ask your doctor about extra care.
* Do you take medicines? If so, ask your doctor about extra care.

Give babies and children extra care in the sun.

Source: Department of Health and Human Services
Food and Drug Administration

Gardening can be a great way to enjoy the outdoors, get physical activity, beautify the community, and grow nutritious fruits and vegetables. Whether you are a beginner or expert gardener, health and safety are important. Emergency room visits due to injuries related to lawn and garden equipment occur each year.

Below are some tips to help keep you safe and healthy so that you can enjoy the beauty and bounty gardening can bring.

Dress to protect.

Gear up to protect yourself from lawn and garden chemicals, equipment, insects, and the sun.

• Wear safety goggles, sturdy shoes, and long pants when using lawn mowers and other machinery.
• Protect your hearing when using machinery. If you have to raise your voice to talk to someone who is an arm’s length away, the noise can be potentially harmful to your hearing.
• Wear gloves to lower the risk for skin irritations, cuts, and certain contaminants.
• Protect yourself from diseases caused by mosquitoes and ticks. Use insect repellent containing DEET. Wear clothing treated with permethrin, long-sleeved shirts, and pants tucked in your socks. You may also want to wear high rubber boots since ticks are usually located close to the ground.
• Lower your risk for sunburn and skin cancer. Wear long sleeves, wide-brimmed hats, sun shades, and sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

If you want to use AHA products, follow these safety tips:

• Always protect your skin before going out during the day. Use a sunscreen with a SPF (sun protection factor) of at least 15. Wear a hat with a brim. Cover up with lightweight, loose-fitting, long-sleeved shirts, and pants.
• Buy products with good label information:
• a list of ingredients to see which AHA or other chemical acids are in the product
• the name and address of the maker
• a statement about the product’s AHA and pH levels

The first two have to be on the label. The third is one is by choice. You can call or write the maker to find about a product’s AHA and pH levels.

• Buy only products with an AHA level of 10 percent or less and a pH of 3.5 or more.
• Test a small area of skin to see if it is sensitive to any AHA product before using a lot of it.
• Stop using the product right away if you have a reaction, such as stinging, redness, or bleeding.
• Talk with your doctor or dermatologist (a doctor that treats skin problems) if you have a problem.

Hypoallergenic (hy-po-al-ler-gen-ic) cosmetics are products that makers claim cause fewer allergic reactions than other products. Women with sensitive skin, and even those with “normal” skin, may think these products will be gentler. But there are no federal standards for using the term hypoallergenic. The term can mean whatever a company wants it to mean. Cosmetic makers do not have to prove their claims to the FDA.

Some products that have “natural” ingredients can cause allergic reactions. If you have an allergy to certain plants or animals, you could have an allergic reaction to cosmetics with those things in them. For example, lanolin from sheep wool is found in many lotions. But it’s a common cause of allergies too.

Source: Women’s Health

You may not be able to use eye make-up, such as mascara, eyeliner, and eye shadow for as long as other products. This is because of the risk of eye infection. Some experts recommend replacing mascara three months after purchase. If mascara becomes dry, throw it away. Don’t add water or, even worse, saliva to moisten it. That will bring bacteria into the product.

You may also need to watch certain “all natural” products that contain substances taken from plants. These products may be more at risk for bacteria. Since these products contain no preservatives or have non-traditional ones, your risk of infection may be greater.

If you don’t store these products as directed, they may expire before the expiration date. For example, cosmetics stored in high heat may go bad faster than the expiration date. On the other hand, products stored the way they should be can be safely used until they expire.

Source: Women’s Health

• Never drive and put on make-up. Not only does this make driving a danger, hitting a bump in the road and scratching your eyeball can cause serious eye injury.
• Never share make-up. Always use a new sponge when trying products at a store. Insist that salespersons clean container openings with alcohol before applying to your skin.
• Keep make-up containers closed tight when not in use.
• Keep make-up out of the sun and heat. Light and heat can kill the preservatives that help to fight bacteria. Don’t keep cosmetics in a hot car for a long time.
• Don’t use cosmetics if you have an eye infection, such as pinkeye. Throw away any make-up you were using when you first found the problem.
• Never add liquid to a product unless the label tells you to do so.
• Throw away any make-up if the color changes, or it starts to smell.
• Never use aerosol sprays near heat or while smoking, because they can catch on fire.
• Don’t deeply inhale hairsprays or powders. This can cause lung damage.
• Avoid color additives that are not approved for use in the eye area, such as “permanent” eyelash tints and kohl (color additive that contains lead salts and is still used in eye cosmetics in other countries). Be sure to keep kohl away from children. It may cause lead poisoning.

Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Yes, for the most part. Serious problems from cosmetics are rare. But sometimes problems can happen.

The most common injury from cosmetics is from scratching the eye with a mascara wand. Eye infections can result if the scratches go untreated. These infections can lead to ulcers on the cornea (clear covering of the eye), loss of lashes, or even blindness. To play it safe, never try to apply mascara while riding in a car, bus, train, or plane.

Sharing make-up can also lead to serious problems. Cosmetic brushes and sponges pick up bacteria from the skin. And if you moisten brushes with saliva, the problem can be worse. Washing your hands before using make-up will help prevent this problem.

Sleeping while wearing eye make-up can cause problems too. If mascara flakes into your eyes while you sleep, you might wake up with itching, bloodshot eyes, infections, or eye scratches. So be sure to remove all make-up before going to bed.

Cosmetic products that come in aerosol containers also can be a hazard. For example, it is dangerous to use aerosol hairspray near heat, fire, or while smoking. Until hairspray is fully dry, it can catch on fire and cause serious burns. Fires related to hairsprays have caused injuries and death. Aerosol sprays or powders also can cause lung damage if they are deeply inhaled into the lungs.

To find out more about cosmetic safety, check out the FDA’s Cosmetics True or False Quiz at http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/costf.html and find out how much you really know!

Fragrances and preservatives are the main ingredients in cosmetics. Fragrances are the most common cause of skin problems. More than 5,000 different kinds are used in products. Products marked “fragrance-free” or “without perfume” means that no fragrances have been added to make the product smell good.

Preservatives in cosmetics are the second most common cause of skin problems. They prevent bacteria and fungus from growing in the product and protect products from damage caused by air or light. But preservatives can also cause the skin to become irritated and infected. Some examples of preservatives are:

• paraben
• imidazolidinyl urea
• Quaternium-15
• DMDM hydantoin
• phenoxyethanol
• formaldehyde

The ingredients below cannot be used, or their use is limited, in cosmetics. They may cause cancer or other serious health problems.

• bithionol
• mercury compounds
• vinyl chloride
• halogenated salicyanilides
• zirconium complexes in aerosol sprays
• chloroform
• methylene chloride
• chlorofluorocarbon propellants
• hexachlorophene

Cosmetics are products people use to cleanse or change the look of the face or body.

Cosmetic products include:

• skin creams
• lotions
• perfumes
• lipsticks
• fingernail polishes
• eye and face make-up products
• permanent waves
• hair dyes
• toothpastes
• deodorants

Unlike drugs, which are used to treat or prevent disease in the body, cosmetics do not change or affect the body’s structure or functions.

Source: Women’s Health

These are the only products that have been studied for safety and effectiveness and approved by FDA for treating signs of sun-damaged or aging skin:

• Renova (tretinoin emollient cream). This vitamin A derivative, available by prescription only, is approved for mitigating of fine wrinkles and mottled darkened spots and roughness of facial skin in people whose skin does not improve with regular skin care and use of sun protection. Renova does not eliminate wrinkles, repair sun-damaged skin, or restore skin to its healthier younger structure. Also, the safety of daily Renova use for longer than 48 weeks has not been established, and it should not be used by women who are pregnant or trying to become pregnant. Renova has not been studied in people 50 and older or in people with moderately or darkly pigmented skin.
• Carbon dioxide (CO2) and Erbium:YAG (Er:YAG) lasers. These medical devices are approved for treating wrinkles. The procedure requires removal of facial skin in a layer-by-layer manner. It is performed under anesthesia by a doctor in an outpatient surgical setting.

Source: U. S. Food and Drug Administration