If you have ever tried to see a Derm in their natural
habitat, you know how difficult a feat that can be. Dermatologists can have a six month waiting
list for an appointment. You may need a
referral letter. When you do get your
appointment, you may only get 20 minutes to barrel through your list of
concerns. Derms are exotic creatures indeed.
That is why travelling from Toronto to San Diego on an Air Canada
flight, it was a rare sighting to see the mass migration of so many Canadian Derms
heading to their annual dermatology meeting.
It was a reunion of sorts with people waving hello, stopping for a chat
and yes, talking about skin. I overheard
one doctor laughing with a colleague that he tells his patients, “well it’s
your face and you only have one of them”.
I can imagine if the rest of the patrons on the plane only knew that
they were encircled by Derms. You would
have had a lot more people turning to their fellow passengers asking them, “Do
you think this mole looks funny?”
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| Our Friends at Jane Iredale in San Diego |
The annual American Academy of Dermatology is the worlds
largest meeting for Derms and their staff.
This year roughly 10,000 people were registered. The topics discussed are not always the
sexiest, at least not to a lay person, but the Exhibition Hall is absolutely
epic. There is no doubt that Derms are
considered an influential group of people.
How many of us have bought a product because it said “dermatologist
approved”? Companies put on quite the show with baristas making flavoured
latte’s, juice bars, smoothie bars, waffle-makers dishing up fresh waffles. Dove had a barber there! Booths were larger
than my apartment and potentially better decorated. This picture was taken with our lovely
friends at Jane Iredale, who had a pretty yet relatively demure presence.
I was in San Diego not just for the free waffles or to
super-sleuth on dermatologists but to attend the Photomedicine Society’s annual
meeting, which occurs the day before. At
this meeting, dermatologists, researchers and industry meet to talk about the
latest and greatest in photo-related therapies, which includes sunscreens. I have to report from the front lines that
sunscreens are a hot topic! I had no
idea that they were argued about so passionately. Some might say vehemently. There are definitely two camps forming when it
comes to sunscreens. At CyberDERM, we’ve
pitched our tent with the zinc oxide group.
Big companies like Johnson and Johnson have not been immune to our
camp’s little nips at their heels though.
There was some heat in their arguments for sure!
What is clear from the meeting is that those who are meant
to be the thought leaders in this industry have not come to any decisions yet
about anything. Everything about
sunscreens is being debated: from their formulas, the way they are tested, their
ability to mitigate skin cancer, the way they should be used by the general
population, what legislation should mandate.
Debate is important but it does not help consumers at the shelf level
trying to make the best decision for themselves and their families.
So what are consumers to do in the interim? I think they have to gather the most
information they can from as many sources and then make the best, most
reasonable decision they can. It’s a
gargantuan task. Here are some of my
best take-aways to help:
- Use other means of sun-protection. This may come as an odd thing to say from a
sunscreen manufacturer but what is clear is that it is human nature to not
apply enough sunscreen. In other words,
SPF tests are based on applying an amount of sunscreen that most of us do not
use in real life. I’m even guilty of
this! My friend once had a sunburn in
the shape of my hand because I’m not great at applying sunscreen. It makes sense then to use a back-up if you
are going to be out for prolonged amounts of time. I love a big hat with big sunglasses and they
are back in style. Sun protective
clothing is a great option and actually stands up well to repeated
washings. Look for clothing with an
actual UPF associated with it or as one Derm put it, “no one has ever burnt through their blue
jeans”.
- Use on-line resources. I’ve always said that the Environmental
Working Group provides a service to consumers.
They make it very easy to type in their sunscreen by brand and see the
level of protection they are getting.
They do to tend to be hyper-reactive to potential dangers. But in a
world where industry dominates and tends to down-play, they need to pack a
little bit of force behind their punch to counter-react.
- Use your best judgment and then relax. I am a firm believer that when you know
better, you do better. It always pays to
read as much as you can. Unfortunately,
there can be a lot of fear mongering or anxiety involved with making the wrong
decision. No one wants skin cancer but
if you practice sun vigilance and good common sense, take pride in that and
then evolve your habits as you learn more.
Best of luck and write with any questions!
Sara Dudley
Labels: AAD, dermatologists, EWG, Johnson and Johnson, sunscreens
