That up there is me.  That’s my natural hair color (told you that I was pale).

So this study is not exactly music to my ears:

A study conducted by MoleMap by Dermatologists – a melanoma surveillance and diagnosis service – based on research by New York University Medical Centre has identified six factors that help predict the risk of people developing melanoma.

These include a history of blistering sunburns as a teenager, red or blonde hair, marked freckling on the upper back, family history of melanoma, history of scaly patches of skin on sun-exposed areas and outdoor summer jobs for three or more years as a teenager.

Having one of these factors means you are three times more likely than the general population to get a melanoma, while having two or more results in a 10 times increased likelihood of developing melanoma.

I’ve got half of those warning signs – blonde hair, freckling on my upper back and a family history of melanoma. Can you pass the SPF, please?

The full article is here.

The sun makes a gorgeous picture, but it will wreak havoc on your skin

So, if you read this blog regularly, you know I’m UV-phobic (seriously: you can read about my fear and the related search for the perfect sunless tanner here).  And based on some of the emails I got about my recent navigating the spf aisle post, I’m not the only one with this phobia.

One thing that was so rightly pointed out was that my original SPF post dealt strictly with sunscreen and SPF technologies – while that’s certainly an area that everyone can use some brushing up in, your average person doesn’t want to apply a layer of SPF, a layer of makeup, etc.  So, you asked for it, here it is …

My favorite multi-tasking SPF products, after the jump!

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This gorgeous ball of fire can cause real damage

It’s that time of year … The sun is staying out later, the weather has the first hint of balmy warmness, and winter clothes are officially packed away.

What that means for your skin is something a bit different: longer exposure to more direct sunlight, meaning that unless you take the proper precautions, you’re putting your birthday suit at risk of everything from premature aging to skin cancer.  Just make sure you grab the right product – after all, not all sunscreen is created equal.

But with a suncare aisle packed with competing bottles, confusing marketing messages and a number system that just doesn’t make sense, how do you know what to grab?  Your cheat sheet after the jump.

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