Dietary Supplements and Skin Cancer

Can supplements prevent skin cancer?

Reports of foods and dietary supplements protecting us from skin cancer are highly exaggerated. There is little rigorous research to support such claims. The World Cancer Research Fund / American Institute for Cancer Research has recently sorted though countless medical studies to help us find truths about cancer and diet. Their recent 500-plus page report has some important findings.

Vitamin A (retinol) might reduce the risk of skin cancer, but can be toxic

Retinol is a fat soluble vitamin that belongs to a family of compounds called retinoids. Other retinoids include beta carotene, isotretenoin (Accutane®) and tretinoin (Retin-A®). Their effects on the skin are profound: they correct wrinkles, smooth brown spots, and treat acne and skin conditions such as psoriasis. In patients at high risk for developing skin cancer, such as transplant patients, high doses of vitamin A (25,000 IU) helps protect them from developing skin cancer, particularly squamous cell carcinoma. Unfortunately vitamin A can also be toxic causing headaches, dizziness, vision changes, and even osteoporosis and liver damage. Doses greater than 10,000 can dangerous and should never be taken without the supervision of a physician.

Do beta-carotene supplements prevent skin cancer?

Beta-carotene is a precursor of vitamin A and is found in sweet potatoes, carrots, kale, spinach, and winter squash. Although good for your health when obtained from natural sources, the report concluded that there was no prevention of skin cancer afforded by taking beta-carotene supplements. We also know that in smokers, taking beta-carotene supplements might actually increase their risk of developing lung and prostate cancer.

Should I take selenium supplements?

Not if you are trying to prevent skin cancer. The study concluded that taking selenium supplements failed to protect against skin cancer and was associated with an increase in skin cancer when taken at 200 micrograms a day. The evidence to support this increase was weak, but there was clearly no evidence that taking selenium was preventative.

December 23, 2007 | Filed Under Dermatology News, Skin Cancer | Leave a Comment 

4 Tips for Chapped Lips

Dreading the mistletoe this year because of dry, flaky, split, chapped lips? Cold, dry, and windy winter air wreaks havoc on your lips, where the skin is thin and delicate.

Here are four tips to get mistletoe-worthy lips:

  1. Apply lip balm with lanolin or beeswax which creates a protective barrier, sealing in moisture on your lips. Balms containing glycerin actually help further by drawing moisture into your dried out lips. If you wear lipstick, apply the balm first, then apply a moisturizing lipstick. Re-apply throughout the day, especially at first sign of dryness.
  2. Avoid flavored balms as they often contain cinnamates, which are flavorings that can cause an allergic reaction in some people. Plus, tasty balms may lead you to lick your lips — saliva is irritating to your already chapped lips and quickly evaporates, further drying them.
  3. If you’re skiing this winter, then be sure your lip balm has UV protection, with an SPF of at least 15. UV rays are more potent at higher altitudes, and UV light is reflected off of snow.
  4. For deeply cracked or split lips, use a bland ointment such as Aquaphor Healing Ointment or Vaseline Petroleum Jelly. Apply liberally before bedtime, as lips tend to dry out from the heat in your bedroom.

December 21, 2007 | Filed Under Dry Skin, Health and Beauty | Leave a Comment 

Not Your Average Dermatology Patient: The Man with Blue Skin

The “man with blue skin” actually has argyria. He developed it by drinking a homemade brew of colloidal silver, believed by some to be a panacea. The silver permanently deposits around sweat glands giving the skin a blue-grey hue. There is no treatment for it, and it is as impressive in person as it is in the video.

Fortunately argyria is rare nowadays in part because of better regulation of silver-containing tonics. Blue patients do still sometimes walk into dermatology clinics, often to the dismay of the nursing staff who rush to get oxygen before they realize what the patient actually has.

I also had a purple patient recently, but that’s a story for another day.

December 20, 2007 | Filed Under Dermatology News | Leave a Comment 

Losing Your Hair? Nix the Cigs this Year

Well, we have come to the end of another year. When you look into the mirror and reflect on 2007 do you notice that your hairline has given up ground that it once held? You’re not alone. As you can tell from the sheer number of ads in the newspaper sports section, male pattern baldness (or androgenic alopecia) is a common disorder. It affects up to 50% of adult men and a large percentage of adult women.

There are countless remedies from laser combs to hair transplant surgery to treat baldness, many of which work, most of which don’t. A new study published in the Archives of Dermatology has shown there might be a way to help your hair loss, and actually SAVE you money.

The study found that men who smoked were more likely to have hair loss than those who didn’t. They also found that there was a direct relationship between how much they smoked and how much hair loss they lost.

The reason why smoking causes hair loss is not clear. It might be that it affects circulation, restricting blood supply to the hair follicles, or it might be that it leads to an excess of androgenic hormones which trigger the change in the hair.

The benefits to your health from quitting smoking make a long list. You can now add “To keep a full head of hair” to the bottom. Perhaps it’s just the motivation you need to quit for the new year.

December 20, 2007 | Filed Under Hair Loss, Men's Skin Care | Leave a Comment 

7 Tips to Stop MRSA, the Staph Superbug

How do I protect myself from MRSA? Read more

December 19, 2007 | Filed Under Skin Infections | Leave a Comment 

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