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Why? Tell Me Why! :: Skin Pigmentation
Discovery-News.com: This week, Kasey-Dee Gardner finds out what caused humans to have different skin tones.
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Not Fair, Still Lovely
Certainly, there are bigger, more pressing issues in the world today: the crisis in Sudan, nuclear weapons in Pakistan, George W. Bush in general. The issue Ive chosen to cover, however, is important and meaningful in a more subtle, insidious way.
Ever since I was little, Id noticed the sale of a skin-lightening cream called Fair and Lovely in my local Indian grocery store. I saw ads for it in the Bollywood magazines my mom bought; I saw ads for it on television every time we visited relatives in India. Now, its more than just Fair and Lovely. Loreal has a line called White Perfect skin lotion, and Lux Beauty has also joined the marketing machine with their line of White Glow soaps.
This issue is meaningful because it speaks to generations of self-hate and prejudice within the South Asian community. Its 2006, and women are still using skin-lightening creams to bleach their skin to a standard of whiteness that will make them acceptable to their peers and potential mates. Girls my own age, born and raised in America like myself, are submitting to these racist standards of beauty without questioning them.
I hope to effect positive change with this documentary by asking these questions. When I interviewed my friends and peers, most of them hadnt thought too deeply about why South Asians revere white skin, and yet, most of them had personal experience with this prejudice. I hope the positive change will be self-awareness instead of self-hate. Certainly, there are bigger, more pressing issues in the world today: the crisis in Sudan, nuclear weapons in Pakistan, George W. Bush... more -
Skin-whitening ad ignites race row in India
A skin-whitening advert featuring Bollywood's hottest talents has reopened a debate about India's obsession with pale skin.
The whitening market in India is worth millions of pounds, with men as well as women routinely buying bleaching lotions in an effort to "improve" their complexion. The new ad featuring Saif Ali Khan, Priyanka Chopra and Neha Dhupia has triggered an angry reaction from some who think the advert is discriminatory and outdated.
"It is strange. There is such a premium placed on pale skin," said Urvashi Butalia, a historian and director of Kali for Women, India's first feminist publishing house. "I am not sure where it comes from. It may have something to do with India's history of being colonised by various people and that there is a hangover of the idea that Aryan people are superior and Dravidian people – those who were already here – are inferior."
What do you think? Is skin-whitening just the same as tanning? Or are there more serious implications? A skin-whitening advert featuring Bollywood's hottest talents has reopened a debate about India's obsession with pale skin. ... more -
'Sumo virus' warning is issued
Two people have died in Japan since a viral skin condition linked to contact sports such as rugby and wrestling has been found. "Herpes gladiatorum" - dubbed "scrumpox" in the UK - is passed through broken skin. Two people have died in Japan since a viral skin condition linked to contact sports such as rugby and wrestling has been found. "... more
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Mother, 26, given months to live after misdiagnosis
A young mother has been given months to live after a hospital failed to diagnose that she had skin cancer.
Tara Jones, 26, from Wales, was given the all-clear by the Royal Glamorgan Hospital in Llantrisant after having a mole removed in 2005. But new tests showed it was malignant and the cancer had spread. She said it was now too late for treatment.
Ms Jones said she was hoping to live long enough to see her two children - Tyler, six, and Lowis, three - open their Christmas presents this year. "I will never see them grow up, their first day at comprehensive school, their first boyfriends and girlfriends," she said. "I am going to miss it all. It's just too unbearable to think about. Well it's heartbreaking really isn't it? I don't know how long I have got left to live through somebody else's mistake - I hope for years - but when I ask they just tell me to take my life each month as it comes."
Ms Jones said the mole had been sent away for tests and a week later she was told it was harmless. But a friend whose mother died of cancer recognised some of her symptoms and insisted she had a second opinion.
"There was a lady from the NHS and a doctor and a Macmillan nurse (who) came to the house and said the mole they had removed after the 12th of May was actually a melanoma in the first place," she said. "He (the doctor) told me there had been a terrible mistake. The mole I'd had removed in 2005 had been cancerous all along."
A spokesperson for the Welsh Assembly Government said: "We deeply regret hearing of cases like this and the minister would expect the trust to undertake an urgent inquiry into the matter." A young mother has been given months to live after a hospital failed to diagnose that she had skin cancer. ... more -
Do away with your mum, tattoo removal cream's here!
Yup, now you can get that nasty tattoo removed without having to go through painful, and expensive, laser surgery.
According to leading cosmetic surgeons they can get rid of the tattoo ink 'by injecting the skin with a cream which softens the ink and pushes it to the surface.'
And when scab decides to fall off after just 6 to 8 weeks, it pulls the tattoo ink with it!
Not only that, but it also has a higher success rate than laser treatment, is cheaper, less painful and has minimal risk of scarring, according to 'experts.'
I'm off to get a shopping list tattooed up my arm... Yup, now you can get that nasty tattoo removed without having to go through painful, and expensive, laser surgery. ... more -
2008 Diet and Beauty Fair
Photos from Tokyo, Japan on Monday, August 25, 2008.
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Headteacher clamps down on fake tan
A headteacher in Lancashire has writtten to parents advising them to stop their daughters from slathering themselves in fake tan so that they no longer "come to school looking varying shades of orange."
Carol Robinson, the head of Baines School, a mixed comprehensive in Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire, wrote in her letter to mums and dads, "The current trend for fake/spray tans does little to enhance the appearance of our young ladies."
She claimed that fake tan went against the principles of the school, where staff strived to "promote natural beauty and contentment with one's own looks".
Her remarks have been met with cautious support with some of her more pale-skinned pupils at the school, which educates 1,070 children aged between 11 and 18.
Alison Taylor, a 17-year-old sixth former, said: "I agree fake tan should be banned. I think it looks a lot nicer to be natural than bright orange."
Sarah Clark, 17, added: "Fake tan can be OK, but some people go a bit over-the-top and then I think it looks quite tacky."
One parent said she had been appalled by the sight of girls walking up to the school gates with bright orange legs.
"I think the school is right to clamp down and try to drive up standards because there are other issues like the length of skirts the girls wear which are miles too short and the lads having their shirts all hanging out," she said.
But Dr John Kellett, a Blackpool-based consultant dermatologist, said it was better for pupils to use fake tan than go on sunbeds.
He said: "Fake tan doesn't do any harm at all to health. If the alternative is for young girls to go on the sunbed then it is preferable."
What do you think? If girls (and women, and men) want to look like they've been Tango'd should they have the right to paint themselves whatever shade of orange they see fit? Is this headteacher protecting her female pupils from quite frankly looking stupid (and is there any way of banning the wearing of shorts with high heels in all public places? It would achieve the same goal, after all) or is she a beauty-fascist who should let them break out the bottle, rather than risk skin cancer on a sun bed? Has Britain's desire for a fake tan - from a bottle or a bed - got a little out of hand? And why can't orange people see what crazy colour they are!? A headteacher in Lancashire has writtten to parents advising them to stop their daughters from slathering themselves in fake tan so th... more -
Our skin makes a marijuana-like substance
Skin churns out marijuana-like brain chemicals
Body's own cannabinoids help keep skin clear and healthy
Marijuana-like substances made by the skin are necessary for a healthy complexion, a new study concludes.
The skin has joined the growing club of organs that is known to produce "endocannabinoids" — the body's own reefer. The biggest producer of endogenous pot is the brain.
Significantly, the new study pins down long-suspected connections between brain and skin and between stress and zits.
Your thinking skin
In the skin, explained lead researcher Tamás Bíró of the University of Debrecen, Hungary, these compounds help the sebaceous glands protect us from harsh outer elements, such as the drying effects of wind and sun. Cannabinoids are thought to have a similar role in the leaves of the marijuana plant.
Among its protective functions, "endo-pot" stimulates oil production and tells hair follicles to stop producing hair. Whether this explains the plethora of pimples and receding hairlines at Grateful Dead concerts (or those of former band members) has not yet been determined.
The research, funded mostly by the Hungarian and German governments, will be detailed in the October 2008 issue of The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) Journal.
Why is a psycho-stimulant working outside the brain?
Dermatologists have long suggested that mental states affect the skin, having observed flare-ups of acne, psoriasis, hair loss and other conditions that coincide with stress. Now, they are finding that the skin responds to, and produces, compounds called neuropeptides previously thought to exist exclusively in the brain. This is said to prove the brain-skin connection by nailing down the mechanism.
"It is working in both directions," said Andrzej Slominski, a researcher at the University of Tennessee who was not involved with the endocannabinoids study but does research on the skin's neuroendocrine system. Skin churns out marijuana-like brain chemicals Body's own cannabinoids help keep skin clear and healthy ... more -
Body's own 'cannabis' is good for the skin, scientists find
"Scientists from Hungary, Germany and the UK have discovered that our own body not only makes chemical compounds similar to the active ingredient in marijuana (THC), but these play an important part in maintaining healthy skin.
This finding on "endocannabinoids" just published online in, and scheduled for the October 2008 print issue of, The FASEB Journal could lead to new drugs that treat skin conditions ranging from acne to dry skin, and even skin-related tumors ...
This research shows that we may have something in common with the marijuana plant," said Gerald Weissmann, MD. "Just as THC is believed to protect the marijuana plants from pathogens, our own cannabinoids may be necessary for us to maintain healthy skin and to protect us from pathogens."
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/0807021609... "Scientists from Hungary, Germany and the UK have discovered that our own body not only makes chemical compounds similar to the a... more -
Target Women: Botox
Express yourself, by removing parts of your expression. How to get pretty without using any ugly words.
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Sunscreen Summary — What Works and What's Safe
Is your sunscreen really protecting your skin?
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Scared of Skin Cancer
After years of sun worshiping and fake baking, Current TV producer, Carrie Pyle, not only has some unwelcome wrinkles but also a number of suspicious looking moles. In this LA Originals pod, Carrie explores what it is like to be a Florida girl who's tanning career is coming to an immediate halt. After years of sun worshiping and fake baking, Current TV producer, Carrie Pyle, not only has some unwelcome wrinkles but also a numbe... more
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The best animal full body tattoos ever ever
Dude at a club with some cracking animal tattoos, I thought the detail and variety was very good
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Wrinkles give you smoking
Japanese vending machines may soon start counting wrinkles, crow's feet and skin sags to see if the customer is old enough to smoke. Japanese vending machines may soon start counting wrinkles, crow's feet and skin sags to see if the customer is old enough to smo... more
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A new view on the roots of itchy skin
The prevailing theory that chronic eczema is primarily an allergic disease has been challenged in recent years. Genetic studies suggest that a defective, leaky skin barrier is the initial cause in up to half of eczema cases seen by doctors. Topical drugs that reduce inflammation are still the mainstay of treating rashes, but new genetic findings highlight the importance of keeping the skin barrier intact by frequent use of moisturizers. For millions of people who suffer from chronic eczema, life can become a hellish existence in which patches of dry skin become red and inflamed and constantly cry out: scratch me!
“It’s like having poison oak or poison ivy 24 hours a day, seven days a week, forever,” said Vicki Kalabokes, chief executive of the nonprofit National Eczema Association in San Rafael, Calif.
The best treatments, like prescription creams and ointments that tamp down inflammation, can provide some relief. Antihistamines may aid nighttime sleep, and a good skin-care routine of slathering on moisturizers and avoiding irritating soaps also helps. But for many patients who still scratch through the night and hide crusted, oozing infections under long sleeves and pants, the medical world has little more to offer. The prevailing theory that chronic eczema is primarily an allergic disease has been challenged in recent years. Genetic studies sugge... more -
Eight glasses of water a day does nothing for you
Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania say there is no evidence drinking large amounts of water is beneficial for the average healthy person, and do not know how this widely held belief came about.
And it's not just your insides, the authors of the study said that while dehydration can decrease skin stiffness, no studies have shown any clinical benefit to skin tone as a result of increased water intake.
See? it's only good as a mixer for whiskey. Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania say there is no evidence drinking large amounts of water is beneficial for the average he... more -
Foreskin for your skin
Skin grafts made from baby penis! Ew! But still makes for interesting science. :)
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you're BLUE dude
Is this for real? I've seen some pretty wild stuff in my day, but this.....
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