Lori's Skin Care NewsWinter 2019

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The Many Faces of Skin CancerKnow What to WatchDavid V. Poole, MD

Keep an eye out for skin issues, as early detection is the key to successful treatment.

"Healthy skinis only a touchaway."-Lori Murtagh

Office Hours and Contact

Lori Murtagh, LELicensed Esthetician-Oncology Trained412-741-9600lorimurt.healthyskin@gmail.comlorimurtagh.skincaretherapy.netwww.facebook.com/salonbernabo

In this Issue

The Many Faces of Skin CancerRelief for Computer Users3 Skin Care Considerations

Skin cancers can have an innocentappearance, so it's possible that evensomeone who takes good care of his orher skin may not realize how importantit is to get a lesion, mark, or molechecked out by an expert. If it turns outto be a skin cancer, every day you waitwill allow the cancer to grow larger,making its treatment more difficult.While there are many differenttreatment options for skin cancers, ifsurgical removal is necessary, you wantthe cancer to be as small as possible.

Note that your esthetician may be awareof skin cancer symptoms and may beable to alert you to a change in yourskin; however, he or she is not allowedto make a diagnosis. Your practitioner

may, though, be able to provide you withan appropriate referral to adermatologist or other physician.

Following is a brief overview of the mostcommon types of skin cancer.Additional details can be found atwww.skincancer.org, the website of theSkin Cancer Foundation.

Basal Cell CarcinomaBasal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the mostcommon form of skin cancer. It arisesfrom the outer layer of the skin, and ithas a strong relationship to sunexposure. It usually invades and destroystissue only in the area where it is;spreading to another part of the body israre. A typical BCC has a pearly or waxynodule with a rolled border and tinyspider veins on and around it.

Squamous CellSquamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is thesecond most common form ofmalignant skin cancer. It accounts forabout 10 percent of all skinmalignancies. It is also most commonly

seen on sun-damaged skin, but it canarise without sun exposure or fromvarious preexisting skin lesions, such asactinic keratoses, burn scars,radiation-exposed or treated skin, oreven in areas of chronic skin irritation.SCC is most often "local" but can spreadto surrounding tissues or even other

Sun protection is crucial for everyone, as sun damage is a leading cause of skin cancer.

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parts of the body. SCCs most often arefound in red, irritated, sun-damagedskin. They often have a scaly, red,crusted appearance and may have anulcer in them. The tissue is often fragileand may bleed easily when rubbed.

Malignant MelanomaMalignant melanoma is the leastcommon of the three main types of skincancer, but it is the most dangerous.While there are several varieties ofmalignant melanoma, the only thing youabsolutely need to know about them isthat any of them can be deadly;malignant melanoma accounts for mostof the deaths related to skin cancer. Themost disturbing statistic is that despitepublic education campaigns about thedangers of sun exposure and skincancer, the incidence of malignantmelanoma in the United Statescontinues to rise. Fair-skinned people,such as blondes and redheads inparticular, need to watch their skinclosely.

Any mole or pigmented spot on theirbody that changes in any way should bechecked. If it gets bigger, darker,changes shape, has irregular edges, is orbecomes asymmetric, has light and darkareas in it, or ever bleeds, it should bechecked immediately. The ABCDs ofmelanoma are:

- A: Asymmetry

- B: Borders that are irregular

- C: Color changes

- D: Diameter that is enlarging

With early detection and treatment,most can be successfully removed andthe patient completely cured. However,if not detected and treated early, thesekillers can spread to the lungs, the liver,the brain, and elsewhere.

Other Skin ThingsIt is important to note that noteverything that shows up on the skin is askin cancer. Unfortunately, with ageoften comes a lot of skin "things."Actinic keratoses (patches of sun-damaged skin) are often seen as patchesof dry, scaly skin that can be red andirritated. These are most often found onfrequently sun-exposed areas of the

body, such as the head and neck. Iftreated properly, these will go away. Ifleft untreated, up to 20 percent willturn into skin cancer.

Seborrheic keratoses are oftenscary-looking skin lesions that enlargeover time. They are generallypigmented, and have a raised,wart-looking appearance. Cosmeticallythey can be unsightly, but fortunatelyhave little potential to turn into skincancer.

Dermatitis (irritation of the skin) comesin as many different shapes, sizes,varieties, and causes as you can think of.Things such as new laundry soap or anew piece of jewelry can cause what isknown as contact dermatitis (irritationof the skin when something contacts it). Often these will go away on their own,but treatments are available to reducediscomfort.

Advice to Live ByRemember, most of the things on theskin are not skin cancer. But for thatsmall percentage that are, often the onlyway to know is to have it checked by askin care expert. Early detection and

treatment of skin cancer is the key tosuccessful treatment and cure. Have anyquestionable spot on your skin evaluatedby a physician. If necessary, ask for areferral to a dermatologist or plasticsurgeon in your area who treats skincancers on a regular basis. When indoubt, check it out.

David V. Poole is a double board-certified plasticsurgeon in Altamonte Springs, Florida. He can bereached at www.drpoolemd.com.

Excerpted and adapted from an article in Massageand Bodywork magazine. Copyright. AssociatedBodywork and Massage Professionals. All rightsreserved.

Take frequent breaks to avoid eye strain.

Relief for Computer UsersMary Betts Sinclair

3 Skin Care Considerations

According to the American OptometricAssociation, 46 percent of Americansspend at least five hours a day on acomputer or smartphone. When lookingat a screen, many people hold their headforward of center and slouch, which putsmany upper-body muscles in ashortened position.

Here are some ways to avoid pain andstrain:

Computer users tend to blink very littleand stare straight ahead, not using theirperipheral vision. Be sure to keepblinking, which washes your eyes innaturally therapeutic tears and breaks upyour stare.

Take frequent rest breaks using the20-20 Rule: every 20 minutes, spend20 seconds looking at something faraway, preferably gazing out a window.Also, stand up and move as much apossible. This is a great time to doeye-muscle stretches andrange-of-motion exercises for your backand neck. Use your fingertips to gently

massage around your eyes, temples, andforehead. Finally, rub your palmstogether and gently cup your closed eyes.Relax and breathe freely.

Make sure you have good light, andcheck that your monitor is the correctdistance away from your eyes and at theright height. Also, adjust the screensettings to where they are comfortable interms of resolution and flicker.

If you wear eyeglasses, have themchecked. For example, in order forsome people to see clearly with theirheads held in an upright and balancedposition, and without chronic tightnessin the back of the neck, they may need tohave a prescription for a longer focallength or larger bifocal inserts, or havean adjustment of their eyeglass frames ifthey are bent or twisted. Some peoplemay need a stronger or weakerprescription. If your doctor hasprescribed a pair of glasses specificallyfor seeing the computer screen, wearthem.

Mary Betts Sinclair is an Oregon-based educatorand bodyworker. Learn more about her atwww.marybettssinclair.com.

"Before raiding the pantry for anat-home skin care recipe, rememberthat many ingredients in their naturalstate are neither safe nor effective forskin," says Ellen Clark, a licensedesthetician and founder of ControlCorrective Skincare Systems(www.controlcorrective.com). And eventhe safest ingredient may prompt anallergic reaction. Clark urgesdo-it-yourselfers to consider thefollowing before formulating at home:

1. Perform a patch test. Beforeexperimenting on your skin, you shouldideally see an esthetician for a completeskin analysis and personalizedrecommendations for appropriateat-home skin care. At the very least,perform a patch test by putting a smallamount of the product on your neck justbehind your ear; wait until you're sure ithas not caused any adverse reactions.

2. Natural isn't always skin-friendly.Many ingredients must be formulatedfor skin and are not safe in their naturalstate. For example, if left on too long,natural acids found in citrus can causeburns and irritation.

3. Professional skin care is the bestrecipe. Adopt a professional regimenthat is specifically formulated for yourskin type. And don't forget to visit youresthetician regularly!

Throughouthistory 'tenderloving care' hasuniformly beenrecognized as avaluable elementin healing.-Larry Dossey

A SPECIAL NOTE FROM LORI:

Valentine's Day will come and then go, but Chocolate isalways here! A recent article "Dark Indulgence" by AlexCaspero featured in ASCP Skin Deep magazine saysChocolate lovers can rejoice! (That's a man after my heart!) Dark chocolate is loaded with Flavanols, which are bioactivecompounds found in dark chocolate and other antioxidant-rich foods. They are great for the skin as theycan protect against sun damage, increase skin density andhydration, improve blood flow to the skin, and the vascularfunction may even help to improve brain function. Justremember, dark chocolate must be consumed inmoderation--a 3.5 ounce of quality dark chocolate containsabout 600 calories and a moderate amount of sugar. Formaximum flavor impact, place a small piece in your mouthand allow it to slowly melt. Maybe share a piece with yourspecial Valentine and savor the flavor!

Salon Bernabo

2612 Nicholson RoadSewickley, PA 15143