By Pixel Witch Incorporated January 31, 2011
These folks go WAY OUT OF THEIR WAY for you!!! I cannot recommend them enough! ...read more
Wednesday, August 15th, 2012 “The dogma, now fossilized in print, is that any tan is a sign of skin damage. Tell that to Darwin. Pigmented melanocytes in the skin are a system that protects it from excessive UV, which evolved long before the advent of sunscreens. Even if there was hard evidence that melanoma was UV-induced it would be all the more important to keep a protective tan,” says Dr. Sam Shuster, professor of dermatology at Newcastle University in England.Tanning is your body’s natural protection against sunburn — it is what your body is designed to do. Dermatology industry representatives myopically have referred to this process as “damage” to your skin, but calling a tan “damage” is a dangerous oversimplification. Here is why:Calling a tan damage to your skin is like calling exercise damage to your muscles. Consider, when one exercises you are actually tearing tiny muscle fibers in your body. On the surface, examined at the micro-level, that could be called “damage.” But that damage on the micro-level is your body’s natural way on the macro-level of building stronger muscle tissue. So to call exercise “damaging” to muscles would be terribly deceiving.The same can be said of sun exposure: Your body is designed to repair damage to the skin caused by ultraviolet light exposure. Developing a tan is its natural way to protect against the dangers of sunburn and further exposure.In other words: Saying that any ultraviolet light exposure causes skin damage and therefore should be avoided is misleading and inaccurate. It would be like saying that since water causes drowning, humans should avoid all water. Yes, water causes drowning, but our bodies also need water. Regular daily exposure to water is not dangerous – indeed, we would die without it. Similarly, we need sun exposure; we would die without it.It is the professional indoor tanning industry’s position that sunburn prevention is a more effective message than total abstinence, which ultimately encourages abuse. It is a responsible, honest approach to the issue. ...read more
By Sunsplash Tan & Spa August 29, 2012
Natural Society: FDA Hiding Sunscreen Risks Thursday, June 28th, 2012 A leading natural health advocacy group has accused the U.S. Food and Drug Administration of knowing about potential risks in many over-the-counter sunscreen products for more than a decade while doing nothing to warn consumers. The Natural Society — a group that believes that what’s natural should always be the first health-care option — targeted FDA in an on-line story. “A new report issued by the consumer protection organization Environmental Working Group (EWG) reveals that many popular sunscreens contain ingredients known to spur the growth and spread of skin cancer cells, which defeats their stated purpose of preventing skin cancer,” the group wrote. “Data indicates that the sun’s rays combine with certain sunscreen ingredients in the skin and damage skin cells, which can lead to lesions and tumors — and worst of all, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has allegedly been aware of this critical information for the past ten years, but has done absolutely nothing to warn people about it.” The group quoted an AOLNews story published earlier this year cornering FDA using FDA’s own decade-old research on vitamin A derivatives used in sunscreens. “According to a report by AOL News, about half of the sunscreens tested contained vitamin A ingredients and derivatives like retinol and retinyl palmitate, which FDA’s own studies have shown are photocarcinogenic, meaning they become toxic when exposed to sunlight. In fact, an older FDA report explains that sunscreens containing vitamin A ingredients cause tumors and lesions to develop and spread 21 percent faster than sunscreens that do not contain vitamin A ingredients.” Sunlight is natural and intended, the group believes. “And yet the FDA continues to remain silent about the dangers of vitamin A in sunscreen, including in its recent updated sunscreen guidelines that make no mention of them.” “There was enough evidence ten years ago for FDA to caution consumers against the use of vitamin A in sunscreens,” said Jane Houlihan, EWG’s senior vice president for research, to AOL News. “FDA launched this one-year study, completed their research and now ten years later, they say nothing about it, just silence.” ...read more
By Sunsplash Tan & Spa July 03, 2012
UV Benefits Outweigh Risks: Study Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012 The health benefits of carefully increased UV exposure — from the sun or from sunbeds — outweigh the disputed and often-oversimplified risks of permanent skin damage, according to an Oslo University study published in the journal Public Health Nutrition. The study — supported by the Norwegian Cancer Society — pointed out that increased sun exposure to the Norwegian population would elevate depressed vitamin D blood levels by 25 nmol/L, which “might result in 4,000 fewer internal cancers and about 3,000 fewer cancer deaths overall” — a finding they credit to their previous work and Harvard University vitamin D researcher Dr. Edwin Giovannucci’s previous paper published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Dr. Johan Moan, of the University of Oslo, was the lead author of the new paper. Contrasting the UV-induced health benefit with the possible risks of UV exposure, the authors wrote, is more complex than many believe. “Sun exposure is commonly supposed to be the main cause of cutaneous malignant melanoma in most populations. However, the matter is disputed,” Moan and colleagues wrote. “Intermittent sun exposure and severe sunburn in childhood are associated with an increased risk of (melanoma)” but “occupational exposure (farmers, fisherman) and regular weekend sun exposure are associated with decreased risk… Sun exposure may even protect against (melanoma) on shielded sites.” They continued, “It has also been observed that patients with the highest blood levels of vitamin D have thinner (melanomas) and better survival prognosis.” The paper noted that while some studies suggest a relationship between sunbed use and melanoma, others show no association. Making any assessment more difficult, “There has been a significant increase in the number of sunbed exposures in Norway after 1990, but (melanoma) incidence rates among persons younger than 50 years have stabilized.” The authors want health authorities to take all of this into better perspective rather than issuing blanket anti-UV statements. “Due to the fear of skin cancer, health authorities warn against sun and sunbed exposure. This policy, as well as the recommended vitamin D doses, may need revision,” the authors write. “UV from the sun and sunbeds is the main vitamin D source. Young people with white or pigmented skin in northern Europe have low vitamin D status. A number of health benefits from sufficient levels of vitamin D have been identified.” ...read more
By Sunsplash Tan & Spa February 22, 2012
A trip to a day spa is one of the most relaxing outings that you can plan. Day spas provide numerous pampering and beautifying treatments for the body, such as massages, facials and aromatherapy treatments. When properly planned it is a pleasant way to enjoy spending time in the company of friends. ...read more
Everyone loves to go to the salon every now and then to be pampered but when you are the one running the salon, you may feel it is hard for you to get customers. Even with the economy the way it is today, there are still some people who are willing to spend the money to be pampered. With a few easy st... ...read more