The Virtual Woman: A Woman's
Weekly Guide To Cyberspace
Web Is A Great Place To Spot Skin Solutions
It was in the third grade that I realized that most of the world did not have brown spots all over their face. And it wasn't until high school that I accepted my freckles as fate. As an adult I could give a serious hoo-haw about my freckles except for the near nightly inspection I give myself for ones that look suspicious, "Any of you guys lookin' like moles, changing shape or getting darker? Hey, any of y'all gotten crusty on me??" Skin cancer is serious and prevalent.. Seeing several friends with chemical peels to wipe out pre-cancerous spots has got me praying at the church of SPF 30. Goodbye suntan. Hello monitor tan. Read ahead for skin information tips you can find online and keep those emails coming!
Dear Virtual Woman:
We go camping
to the beach every summer. I get badly burned about two days later, I don't
understand it, it's mostly cloudy and sometimes chilly. My husband always tells
me to put on my suntan lotion but maybe it's not the right kind as it isn't working
too well. Before buying more lotion do you have any recommendations for sites where
I can learn about what might be best for my situation? It's getting so that I dread
going to the beach.
- Burned Out
Dear Burned:
Hot and sunny summer days are not the only danger time for UV (ultraviolet) rays. Actually UV rays are present at different times throughout the year. Especially at the ocean where UV rays can pass through haze and fog. To find out what sunscreen your skin requires, check out the FDA's SPF Guide at http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/sunchart.html Enjoy the beach and happy camping!
Dear Virtual Woman:
I am new on the computer
and would love to just get a good suggestion for a site that will give me advice on how
to save the skin and prevent skin problems.
- Lynn
Dear Lynn:
There are plenty of sites promising miracle cures through their skin care solutions but the one site offering rock solid, medically sound advice is The Mayo Clinic website (http://www.mayohealth.org). In addition to basically being one of the best general health sites out there they've got an excellent, in depth article on skin problems with lots of hotlinks. Check this article out at http://www.mayohealth.org/mayo/9807/htm/skin.htm.
Dear Virtual Woman:
I love the sun
and I love being tan but I'm concerned like everyone else about skin damage. I was
wondering if there are any resources online to help me assess my risk of skin cancer. I
am also looking at the option of self-tanning if I decide to just stop all of my time in
the sun.
- Barbara C.
Dear Barbara:
You can get your Personal Skin Cancer Risk profile done at http://www.aad.org/skinrisk.html. This seven question quiz was put together by the American Academy of Dermatology and only takes a minute to complete. When you've completed the questionnaire and run the program you'll get your risk factor expressed statistically in two different ways and then an overall risk assessment (e.g. low, below average, very high). Relative to self-tanning I would check out Just A Little Bit Too Orange (http://www.sunless.com) where you can find reviews on tanners, information on how to apply them, common problems and tips. There's even a message board where sunless tanners can bond on such topics as self tanning obsession and "orange paranoia." Good luck-by the looks of activity on the message board it doesn't sound like you will be alone in your journey!
Happy Surfing!
Find these links and more at WWWomen.Com (http://www.wwwomen.com) the web's largest search directory of topics for women online. Email the Virtual Woman with your Internet questions or send snailmail to: WWWomen.Com, Attn: Virtual Woman, 3701 Geary Blvd., #325, S.F., CA 94118. Copyright, 1998. WWWomen, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Contributing Editor: Marcelle Von Martin
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