Melanoma Awareness Month

Did you know that one in five Americans will develop Melanoma in their lifetimes? Early detection is key! Now is the time to schedule your skin check and download SpotCheckApp for your convenience!

We are here for you seven days a week, NYC. Let's have a healthy and safe summer!




























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Utah's Highest Rates Of Melanoma.

Report: Southeast Sandy Has Utah's Highest Rates Of Melanoma.

The AP (11/30) reports, "Southeast Sandy has the state's highest rate of melanoma, breast and colorectal cancer cases, according to a Utah Department of Health report released Tuesday." The new "report also identified more than two dozen other Utah locations as having higher-than-average cancer rates."

        According to the Deseret Morning News (UT) (11/30, Leonard), "The report identifies breast, colon, lung, prostate and skin cancer, mortality and screening rates in 61 designated small areas of Utah, to give community leaders and policymakers an idea of what can and needs to be done to 'best allocate limited funds to communities with the greatest need,' said State Epidemiologist Dr. Robert Rolfs."

        The Salt Lake (UT) Tribune (11/30, May) reports that "women from Utah are some of the least likely to get mammograms to detect breast cancer, and health officials are stumped as to why." According to the Tribune, however, "Utah has the nation's second-lowest cancer rate and the lowest cancer death rate in the country."

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Study Analyzes Bacteria On Public Restroom Surfaces.

Study Analyzes Bacteria On Public Restroom Surfaces.

The Los Angeles Times (11/24, Stein) "Booster Shots" blog reported a paper in PLoS ONE in which researchers used "high-throughput genetic sequencing to detect bacteria on 10 different surfaces in 12 men's and women's bathrooms on a college campus." They found that "bacteria associated with the gut were common on toilet surfaces, signifying fecal contamination (and an argument for seat protectors). ... The floor had the biggest bacteria party, revealing what the authors called 'diverse bacterial communities' of organisms, including several typically found in soil. ... The authors said this emphasizes the importance of hand washing after using the facilities."

        The Washington Post (11/24, Huget) "The Checkup" blog reported, "Most of the bacteria found throughout the bathrooms were those typically found on human skin. That finding's important, the authors note, because those bacteria can include pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus, which can easily be spread when hands come into contact with contaminated surfaces."

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Alcohol Abuse and Psoriasis

Patients With Moderate To Severe Psoriasis May Have High Rates Of Alcohol Misuse.

MedWire (6/24, Davenport) reported, "Patients with moderate to severe psoriasis have high rates of alcohol misuse," according to a study published in the June issue of the British Journal of Dermatology. In a study involving 135 patients diagnosed with moderate to severe psoriasis, the Michigan Alcohol Screening Test and the CAGE questionnaire "scales identified 21% of the patients as having difficulties with alcohol, while" the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test "score indicated that 32% of individuals had current hazardous drinking habits."

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"Natural" Wart Remover Recall

FDA: Wart, Mole Remover Sold Online Recalled.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune (6/27, Friedmann) "The Whistleblower" blog reported that, the Nature Relief Instant Wart and Mole Remover, "a product marketed as a treatment for warts and moles, is being recalled after the product burned the skin of at least one customer, the US Food and Drug Administration announced last week." According to the FDA, "the active ingredient, calcium oxide, can cause severe burns, especially if applied to thin or sensitive skin, and customers should put the product in a plastic bag and throw it away." The product "was only sold online directly to consumers by Nature Relief."

        MedPage Today (6/27, Gever) reported, "Nature Relief had sold the product exclusively through direct sales to consumers via the internet. It was sold as a kit including containers labeled 'removal cream,' 'repair cream,' 'antiseptic wash,' and 'triple antibiotic ointment,' along with toothpicks and other implements." What's more, the FDA advised that "consumers are recommended to have moles reviewed by licensed medical professionals and ensure they are not cancerous."

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Mouse Study Reveals How Hair Begins Graying.

Mouse Study Reveals How Hair Begins Graying.

HealthDay (6/16, Dallas) reported that the roots of gray hair "may lie in a particular type of communication between hair follicles and melanocyte stem cells, the cells that make and store the pigments in skin and hair," according to a lab study published in the journal Cell. Using mouse models, the researchers determined that the "lack of Wnt activation in melanocyte stem cells leads to de-pigmented, or gray hair." They also found that "abnormal Wnt signaling in hair follicle stem cells prevents hair re-growth."

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New Sunscreen Monograph

FDA Issues New Guidelines For Sunscreen Labeling.

The Food and Drug Administration's long-awaited announcement yesterday of significant changes to sunscreen labeling was widely reported both by television and print media. The changes will empower consumers to make better decisions in choosing a product to prevent sun damage as well as reduce overall confusion about sunscreens.

        The CBS Evening News (6/14, story 9, 0:30, Pelley) reported, "The government put out new rules today for sunscreens. From now on, the gold standard will be broad-spectrum protection. Manufacturers may put that on the label only if the sunscreen protects [against] ultraviolet B which causes burning and ultraviolet A which causes wrinkling." Both forms of UV rays "cause skin cancer, and only sunscreens with an SPF 15 or higher may claim to lower the risk of cancer."

        On NBC Nightly News (6/14, lead story, 2:50, Williams), chief medical editor Nancy Snyderman, MD, explained, "One of the biggest changes is this, a drug facts label showing ingredients and differentiating between products that protect against cancer from those that only prevent sunburn." The FDA's Janet Woodcock, MD, was shown saying, "We've heard from many surveys that we've done this really helps people access information. So we're adding the drug facts box just like is found on other OTC drugs."

        On ABC World News (6/14, lead story, 3:20, Sawyer), correspondent Lisa Stark pointed out why the change is so important. "Despite the explosion of sales of sunscreens, there's also been an explosion of skin cancer," as evidenced by the fact that "cases of the most deadly kind of skin cancer, melanoma, increased 45% between 1992 and 2004," particularly in young people. Ronald Moy, MD, president of the American Academy of Dermatology, was shown saying, "Now, melanoma's the most common form of cancer for young adults in their late 20s."

        In a follow-on analysis piece on ABC World News (6/14, story 2, 1:15, Sawyer), chief health and medical editor Richard Besser, MD, explained that the action taken by the FDA on sunscreen labeling was "done five years ago" by European regulators. Besser suggested that consumers looking for sunscreen should examine "the UVB number. I recommend 30, at least. That will protect you against that. But for UVA, you need to go to" a list put together by Consumer Reports specifically for products "tested for UVA. By next year you'll be able to trust the labels for everything."

        The AP (6/15, Perrone) reports that beginning next summer, if sunscreens do not protect against both UVA and UVB rays, "or the sun protection factor is below 15," then sunscreens must "carry a warning: 'This product has been shown only to help prevent sunburn, not skin cancer or early skin aging.'" The AP quotes AAD's Moy as saying, "For the first time, the FDA has clearly defined the testing required to make a broad-spectrum protection claim in a sunscreen and indicate which type of sunscreen can reduce skin cancer risk."

        Bloomberg News (6/15, Larkin) reports, "Lawmakers have urged the FDA for more than a decade to revise sunscreen labels to address cancer-causing UVA rays that penetrate deeper into skin cells and aren't blocked by window glass." Unfortunately, "'twenty percent of Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime,' said" Moy at yesterday's press conference at FDA's headquarters. "Ultraviolet exposure is the most preventable risk factor for skin cancer."

        The Los Angeles Times (6/15, Maugh) reports that the FDA "has been considering such regulations since 1978 and released some proposed rules in 2007, but subsequently concluded that the labeling system under consideration would be too confusing for consumers."

        The Washington Post (6/15, Stein) reports that "the agency is barring the use of the term 'sunblock' as well as claims that sunscreens are 'waterproof' or 'sweatproof,' saying those terms are inaccurate." Under the new guidelines, "sunscreen makers will only be allowed to claim that products are 'water-resistant' and will have to specify whether they work for 40 or 80 minutes." Sunscreens "that do not must carry warnings advising people to use a water-resistant product if they are going to be exposed to water or sweat."

        On its front page, the New York Times (6/15, A1, Harris, Subscription Publication) reports that FDA "regulators said they had yet to decide whether to end an SPF arms race in which manufacturers are introducing sunscreens with SPF numbers of 70, 80 and 100, even though such lotions offer little more protection than those with an SPF of 50." In fact, the FDA "had proposed allowing manufacturers to use SPF numbers no higher than 50, but that remains only a proposal (pdf) for which the agency will seek further comment." Nevertheless, many dermatologists are enthusiastic about the new rule. "Now, we'll be able to tell patients which sunscreens to get," said Henry W. Lim, MD, a spokesman for the American Academy of Dermatology.

        USA Today (6/15, Szabo) reports that currently, "the American Academy of Dermatology recommends both adults and children use a sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30." It is important to use enough of the product, too. Dermatologist Henry W. Lim, MD, explained that "the average person needs about one ounce of sunscreen – enough to fill a shot glass – to cover the body." Most people use considerably less.

        Also covering the story are the UK's Financial Times (6/15, Rappeport, Subscription Publication), the Wall Street Journal (615, D1, Dooren, Subscription Publication), the Wall Street Journal (6/15, Hobson, Subscription Publication) "Health Blog," the Washington Post (6/15, Petri) "ComPost" blog, the Star-Ledger (6/15, Todd), the CNN (6/14, Willingham) "The Chart" blog, the Columbus Dispatch (6/15, Jacobson), the NPR (6/14, Thrasybule) "Shots" blog, WebMD (6/14, DeNoon), HealthDay (6/14, Reinberg), MedPage Today (6/14, Walker), and Reuters (6/14). An FDA webcast of the press conference announcing the rule is available for viewing here.

        Myrtle Beach Dermatologist Says FDA Rule Is Insufficient. On its website, WPDE-TV Myrtle Beach, SC (6/14, Theis) reports, however, that a local dermatologist "says the dermatologist community was disappointed with the outcome of the regulations released today. 'Many doctors were hoping for more clarity in the muddled confusion of SPF, oxides, and other ingredients that often can confuse consumers,'" says Dr. Robert Bibb of Waccamaw Dermatology. He adds that doctors wanted a measurement system on sunscreen labels enabling consumer to understand a product's effectiveness in blocking UV-A rays. "SPF is B-rays only," he notes.

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Physician Provides Advice On Detecting Melanoma Early.

Physician Provides Advice On Detecting Melanoma Early.

In the Huffington Post (6/14), Glenn D. Braunstein, MD, chairman of the Department of Medicine, Cedars-Sinai, wrote, "There were 114,900 new cases of melanoma diagnosed nationwide last year, with almost 8,700 of those fatal, reports the Skin Cancer Foundation." But, "when the disease is caught in its earliest stages (Stage IA), the outlook is good, with 97 percent or so of patients surviving after five years and 95 percent surviving after 10 years." Unfortunately, "advanced melanoma (Stage IV) that has spread through the body leaves far fewer survivors, with less than 20 percent surviving after five years and 15 percent after 10 years." For that reason, people should not only use sunscreen, avoid tanning, and undergo regular skin examinations, but should also familiarize themselves with the ABCDEs of melanoma: asymmetry, border, color, diameter, and evolving.

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Pets and Childhood Allergy

Early Exposure To Pets Unlikely To Boost Children's Allergy Risk, Study Finds.

The Los Angeles Times (6/13, Stein) "Booster Shots" blog reported that although many parents "nix the idea of getting a pet when their children are young for fear of kicking off an allergic response," researchers found that having a "dog or cat in the house" may actually provide a protective effect, according to a study in the journal Clinical & Experimental Allergy. Researchers followed 565 children "from birth until age 18," paying particular interest to "pet exposure in the first year of life, and at other stages throughout childhood and adolescence." They also looked at the number of years in which children "lived with a pet that stayed indoors at least half the day," as well as the parents' allergy history; and whether the child was delivered "via C-section or vaginally."

        According to HealthDay (6/13, Gordon), the investigators found that the first year of life "appears to offer the greatest" protection: Living with a "dog before age one year was associated with about half the risk of developing a dog allergy in boys," and exposure to cats "before turning one was associated with about a 48 percent reduction in risk for girls and boys."

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Aging Mechanisms

Study Offers Insight Into Mechanism Of Aging.

The CBS Evening News (6/13, story 6, 2:25, Pelley) reported, "Today researchers at the National Institutes of Health are reporting an important new clue as to why some of us age more rapidly than others." CBS (Andrews) added that research by NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins "on why these children [with progeria] age so rapidly is revealing the genetic root of why aging happens at all. Children like Zach are born with an excess of the cell-destroying protein called progerin. Dr. Collins learned we all have small amounts of progerin and progerin has an on switch." NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins was shown saying, "We've learned what the signal is that turns that on in you and me." Andrews continued, "Dr. Collins believes anti-aging therapies will be possible one day," adding "The discovery is changing the way many scientists view the very biology of how we get old." A text version of this segment is available on the network's website.

        WebMD (6/13, Doheny) reported that Collins said, "We have learned something fundamental about the way your cells and mine are programmed to have a limited life span," adding, "It looks like it is not just a passive process." The new research, published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation, examined "the interaction between the mutant protein known as progerin and telomeres." The researchers found "found that the same mechanism or pathways may help explain both the rare condition and normal aging."

        The Wall Street Journal (6/13, Marcus) "Health Blog" reported that while aging appears to be an active process, with progerin making sure old cells die, it still isn't known how the telomeres signal progerin production, how such signals could be stopped, and if stopping them would have negative side effects, such as cancer. Reuters (6/14, Steenhuysen) also covers this story.

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oxybenzone safe!

Report: Exposure To Oxybenzone Through Normal Sunscreen Use Is Safe.

The New York Times (6/14, D5, O'Connor, Subscription Publication) "Really?" column takes on the claim that oxybenzone, "a chemical in sunscreen, absorbed through the skin, may be even more hazardous than the sun's rays." A study in rats concluded that animals consuming large doses of the substance developed side effects, such as abnormal growth of the uterus. However, "in March, researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York published an independent report examining all the evidence on the subject and concluded that the alarming findings from early animal studies relied on unrealistic dosages" that human beings would never encounter while using sunscreen. The column concludes, "Exposure to oxybenzone, through normal sunscreen use, is safe, studies find."

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Nuts OK to infants?!

Giving Allergenic Foods To Babies May Not Cause Wheezing, Eczema Later.

Reuters (6/8, Joelving) reports that, according to a study published online June 6 in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, giving an infant nuts, milk from a cow, or other allergenic foods before the age of six months appears not to precipitate eczema or excessive wheezing as the child grows. After following some 7,000 babies until the age of four, then adjusting for confounding factors, such as maternal smoking, researchers found no indication that eggs, milk, or nuts were associated with eczema and wheezing later in childhood.

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Women Better Melanoma Survivors

Analysis Suggests Women Are More Likely To Survive Malignant Melanoma.

MedPage Today (6/7) reported that women with a malignant melanoma are "less likely to die or to have the cancer progress," according to findings presented at a medical conference. The analysis of "outcomes data from seven European clinical trials," which included more than "6,700 patients," showed that compared with men, women with localized disease had a "hazard ratio of 0.70 for death, compared with 0.81 and 0.83, respectively, for those with stage III and IV disease." Similarly, women with localized disease had a "hazard ratio for progression of 0.69, while those with stage III and IV disease had hazard ratios of 0.86 and 0.79," respectively; and women with localized and stage III disease had "hazard ratios for the time to distant metastasis of 0.69 and 0.87," respectively. The researchers suggest the "observed discrepancy has been behavior. 'Men wait too long to see their doctors, so they come in with thicker tumors and a worse prognosis.'"

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Sun Damage During Year 1

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Sun Damage During First Year Of Life May Increase Later Risk For Skin Cancer.

WebMD (6/6, Mann) reported, "The changes that lead to skin cancer may actually begin during baby's first year, when an infant's skin is most vulnerable to burns and sun damage, according to a new report in the July issue of Pediatrics." At that time in a child's life, the skin is still developing and is more easily damaged by ultraviolet rays. For that reason, experts urge parents to keep babies and toddlers indoors during the hours of 10 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and to apply sunscreen liberally to children before going outside, paying particularly attention to "ears, nose, and scalp." Because little children have sensitive skin, parents should perform a patch test first before trying out a new sunscreen on them. Finally, the sunscreen chosen should block both UVA and UVB rays.

Weaker Bones May Mean More Wrinkles

Having More Wrinkles Associated With Lower BMD.

MedPage Today (6/5, Fiore) reported, "In a cross-sectional analysis, having more wrinkles was associated with having lower bone mineral density (BMD; P<0.01)," according to research presented at a press briefing at the Endocrine Society's annual meeting. In a study of 114 patients, researchers "found that more skin wrinkling was associated with having lower bone density at the spine, femoral neck, and total body (P<0.01 for all)." In addition, "having more glabellar wrinkles on the forehead was related to lower bone density at the femoral neck (P=0.033), while increasing skin rigidity at the face and the forehead was tied to stronger bones at the hip and spine (P<0.001)."

        HealthDay (6/4, Mozes) reported, "Because poor bone density can lead to broken bones, a link between wrinkles and bone density -- if confirmed -- might prompt development of an inexpensive way to identify postmenopausal women at highest risk for fractures," the study authors theorized. The investigators pointed "out that a possible relationship between bone and skin health could be rooted in the fact that the two share the same building blocks -- proteins called collagens." And, "age-related collagen changes, they noted, could explain both the wrinkling and sagging of skin and a simultaneous deterioration of bone quality and quantity."

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Pore Size

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/02/fashion/many-seek-to-minimize-enlarged-pores-for-a-flawless-look.html

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"Porexia"

Article Discusses Treatments For "Porexia."

In "Skin Deep," the New York Times (6/2, E3, Saint Louis, Subscription Publication) reports, "Like home renovators who overhaul the kitchen only to then find fault with the master bath, some dermatology patients feel that, once their wrinkles are relaxed and their brown spots treated, their pores stand out. Such is the level of worry that doctors have nicknamed the condition 'porexia.'" Dermatologist Mary Lupo, MD, of the Tulane University School of Medicine, explained, "Instead of looking at the global picture, they overfocus on an individual component of the picture." Unfortunately, the size of pores is genetically determined and grows as people age. Some dermatologists treat patients with big pores with an Isolaz machine, an FDA-approved device for the treatment of mild and moderate acne.

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Melanoma Vaccine

Vaccine For Advanced Melanoma Yields Promising Results During Phase 3 Trial.

HealthDay (6/1, Goodwin) reported that for patients with advanced melanoma, a "vaccine combined with an immune-boosting drug is showing promise," according to the results of a Phase 3 clinical trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine. In the trial, which was "conducted at 21 care centers," researchers randomized "185 patients with metastatic melanoma" to receive either the vaccine "followed by interleukin-2" or interleukin-2 alone. They found that roughly "16 percent of those given the vaccine/interleukin-2 combination saw their tumors shrink by 50 percent or more, compared to six percent given interleukin-2 alone."

        MedPage Today (6/1, Smith) reported that progression-free survival was "longer in the vaccine group -- 2.2 months versus 1.6 months -- and the difference was significant at P=0.008. ... Grades 3 to 5 toxic effects were 'consistent with the expected side effects' in patients getting high-dose interleukin-2," the researchers noted, with one exception: The vaccine patients experienced "increased rates of arrhythmias." WebMD (6/1, Goodman) also covered the trial results.

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Tanning and Melanoma

People Who Use Tanning Beds More Likely To Develop Melanoma.

The Chicago Sun-Times (5/31, Szabo) reported that "since 1992, rates of melanoma -- once considered an old person's disease -- have risen three percent a year in white women 15 to 39, the American Cancer Society says." Unfortunately, "people who have used tanning beds are 74 percent more likely than others to develop melanoma, a 2010 study shows." For that reason, among others, "the American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Dermatology and World Health Organization all have called on states to ban children under 18 from tanning salons."

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Sunscreen Users More Likely To Experience Damaging Sunburns.

Some Sunscreen Users More Likely To Experience Damaging Sunburns.

WebMD (7/14, Goodman) reported, "People who say they vigilantly apply sunscreen are more likely to experience painful, damaging sunburns," according to a study published in the journal Cancer Causes & Control. After analyzing "information on more than 3,000 white adults that was collected through the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey," then adjusting for confounding factors, researchers found that "people who said they frequently used sunscreen...had 23% greater risk of multiple sunburns in the past year, compared to people who said they seldom used the stuff." The study authors theorized that people are not using enough sunscreen to protect themselves properly.

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