Dermatology Blog

Investigators found out by accident that two common ingredients in moisturizers increased the number of non-melanoma skin cancers, squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma, in mice who were exposed to UV radiation. They published their findings in the 14 August advanced online publication of the Journal of Investigative Dermatology.

The authors made a point of clarifying that mouse skin is different than human skin and these ingredients may not affect human skin the same way.

They were investigating whether caffeine has an effect on the development of skin cancer and used a moisturizing cream mixed with caffeine. They found that the cream itself caused more skin cancers.

Next they tested 4 common moisturizers: Dermabase, Eucerin, Dermovan, and Vanicream, and found the mice who were treated with the moisturizers developed more, larger skin cancers faster than those who were not treated with moisturizers. The moisturizer ingredients they suspected were mineral oil and sodium lauryl sulfate.

Finally, they made a moisturizer without these ingredients and found that it did not increase skin cancer in the mice.

One large caveat to this study is that the authors also tested other moisturizers that don't have these two ingredients and those moisturizers did increase the number of skin cancers.

After reading this study, I'm not throwing away any moisturizer I have that contains mineral oil and/or sodium lauryl sulfate, and I'm certainly not going to stop using a moisturizer. I am going to watch for further studies on human skin to see if certain moisturizer ingredients have the same effect.

The active ingredient in Mederma is onion extract - not a compound you would think to put on a scar. Does Mederma live up to the advertisements? Find out more here.

It's a report we all want to get after having a biopsy, no cancer. John McCain had a spot on his skin removed at the Mayo Clinic to check for skin cancer. Because he's had melanoma in the past, he gets regular checks every 3 months. Typically, for melanoma survivors, any remotely abnormal skin lesion is biopsied to make sure it is not a recurrent cancer.

According to his campaign, Senator McCain's biopsy did not show any evidence of skin cancer.

Today Senator John McCain stopped while campaigning in California to explain that he had visited his dermatologist this morning as he does every 3-4 months because he has a history of melanoma.

McCain explained, "She took a small little nick from my cheek, as she does regularly, and that will be biopsied just to make sure everything is fine."

McCain then urged all Americans to be safe in the sun by wearing sunscreen, staying out of the sun, and consulting with a dermatologist or primary care doctor for any skin spots that are changing color.

In data compiled by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) on hospitalization trends in children under 18 years, skin infections moved to the 8th most common reason for hospitalization in 2006. In 2000 skin infections were ranks 17th.

In children under 5 years old hospitalizations for skin infections increased 150% from 2000 to 2006. The most common infected sites were the legs, face, and buttocks.

While this data does not explain why children are getting more skin infections, many scientists believe that increasing resistance to antibiotics is a major factor.

You know you need to use sunscreen, but do you ever wonder if you're using it right? How do you know how much sunscreen to use? Do you have to keep putting it on throughout the day? What if you sweat? Find out the answers to these questions and more.

Cold sores are caused by the herpes simplex virus which hides in a nerve called the trigeminal nerve. During periods of stress, sunlight exposure, or other stressors the virus travels down the nerve to the skin causing the typical cold sore breakout.

It has long been a mystery not only how the virus is able to stay dormant, but also what process causes it to reactivate. Scientists at Duke University Medical Center have discovered that the virus produces a type of RNA, called LAT RNA, that blocks the production of proteins that reactivate the virus. In times of stress the virus makes a different type of RNA that causes the production of these reactivation proteins, eventually overtaking the LAT RNA, causing a cold sore.

This is an important finding since knowing how the reactivation process works enables scientists to develop therapies to block that process, stopping cold sores from developing.

It's not as bad as it sounds. People aren't about to be slathering some type of lard all over their skin to look younger.

A recent study showed that a type of lipid molecule that is found in the epidermis, but is even more abundant in fungi and plants, may protect the skin from the damaging effects of UV radiation. The name of the molecule is phosphatidylserine (PS). Further studies need to be done to confirm this finding.

UV radiation is an important factor in skin aging leading to wrinkles and skin cancer.

Did you know that 1 in 5 Americans and 1 in 3 Caucasians will get skin cancer at some point in their lifetime?

Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States and it is a growing epidemic. Find out more facts about skin cancer, including skin cancer types, causes, and ways to keep yourself from becoming a part of this statistic.

A chemical called potassium monopersulfate is often used in spa and pool "shock treatments." This chemical has not been studied as a cause of contact dermatitis, but researchers recently reported a case of contact dermatitis in a person who used potassium monopersulfate in his spa shock treatment. The dermatitis cleared up after the person switched to a shock treatment based on hydrogen peroxide.