Glossary

Actinic keratosis - also known as a solar keratosis, is a scaly or crusty growth (lesion). It most often appears on the bald scalp, face, ears, lips, backs of the hands and forearms, shoulders, neck or any other areas of the body frequently exposed to the sun. You’ll most often see the plural, “keratoses,” because there is seldom just one. AK’s are the most common form of pre-skin cancer.
Airbrush Tanning - the art of applying a flawless natural tan through air compression.
Anti-aging - addresses how to prevent, slow, or reverse the effects of aging and help people live longer, healthier, happier lives. In contrast to life extension, which places more emphasis on the science behind aging, the term anti-aging is more often associated with specific remedies, which may or may not be scientific.
Antioxidants - in skin care it is a critical component to any anti-aging routine. By including antioxidants in your rejuvenation regimen the skin's ability to protect and heal increases significantly. Topical applications of antioxidants are also important to give the skin cells ample protection against the destructiveness of free radicals and sundamage.
Basal Cell Carcinoma - is the most common of all types of skin cancer. Statistically speaking, approximately 3 out of 10 Caucasians develop a basal cell cancer within their lifetime. Although it is considered a malignancy, it rarely metastasizes or kills. Metastasis is rare, but when neglected, it can invade locally. Even though it is not deadly, it can be locally destructive and disfiguring.
Dihydroxyacetone - (also known as DHA) is a simple carbohydrate that is primarily used as an ingredient in sunless tanning products. It is often derived from plant sources such as sugar beets and sugar cane, and by the fermentation of glycerin.
Erythrulose - is a natural based keto-sugar which reacts with the amino acids in the keratin protein on the outer or dead surface layer of the skin. (the stratum corneum layer of the epidermis) produces a temporary non-toxic reaction causing browning effect similar to the Maillard reaction. This is not a stain or dye, but rather a chemical reaction that produces a color change on all treated skin. The reaction is similar to the browning effect seen when a cut apple slice is exposed to oxygen.
Free Radical Activity - is promoted by exposure to environmental pollution, sunlight, smoking, and poor dietary habits. The more exposure to these unsavory elements, the more free radical activity will occur and the more damage will be apparent to the skin. Quite the vicious circle!
Hyerpigmentation - is the darkening of an area of skin or nails caused by increased melanin.
Hypopigmentation - is the loss of skin color. It is caused by melanocyte depletion - a decrease in the amino acid tyrosine, which is used by melanocytes to make melanin.
Melanin - a skin pigment, a substance that gives skin its color. It is produced by cells called melanocytes, and provides some protection against skin damage from the sun, and melanocytes increase production of melanin in response to sun exposure. Dark-skinned people have more melanin than light- skinned people. Melanin also acts as a natural sunscreen and protects the skin from ultraviolet light.
Melanoma - is a malignant tumor of melanocytes, which are found predominantly in skin. Malignant melanoma is a serious type of skin cancer; which is due to uncontrolled growth of pigment cells, called melanocytes. Malignant melanoma accounts for 75 percent of all deaths associated with skin cancer.
Melasma - also known as chloasma or the mask of pregnancy - patchy hyperpigmentation often found in pregnant women but can affect anyone. The symptoms of melasma are dark, irregular patches commonly found on the upper cheek, nose, lips, upper lip, and forehead. These patches often develop gradually over time. Melasma does not cause any other symptoms beyond the cosmetic discoloration.
Solar Lentigo (plural, solar lentigines) - also known as a sun-induced freckle, is a dark (hyperpigmented) lesion caused by natural or artificial exposure ultraviolet (UV) light.
Sun Block - a sun block physically blocks the sun's UV radiation of the skin, both UVA and UVB. Examples of sun blocks are: clothing, umbrellas, and trees. Chemical sun blocks scatter, reflect, and physically block UV radiation. The most well known chemical sun block is zinc oxide. They do a better job of protecting skin from other effects of the sun including photo damage, photo-dermatitis, and rashes from the sun.
Sunscreen - a sunscreen absorbs ultraviolet (UVB) light so that it doesn't reach your skin, and works by absorbing, reflecting, or scattering the sun's rays on the skin. The higher the SPF, the greater the protection from sunburn caused mostly by UVB rays, but this does not increase the length of time for sun exposure.
Sun damage of the skin - also known as Photo Damage can be either acute, as in a sunburn or more commonly, chronic, seen as gradual changes in the skin caused by an accumulation of sun exposure throughout one's life. Chronic photo damage results in either a cosmetic change in the skin's appearance called photo aging, or changes that are of medical and health concerns such as pre-cancerous lesions and skin cancers. The evidence is very strong that ultra-violet light is the cause of most of the changes that we consider to be associated with aging of the skin
Squamous Cell Carcinoma - this form of skin cancer arises in the squamous cells that make up most of the skin’s upper layers (epidermis). Squamous cell carcinomas may occur on all areas of the body including the mucous membranes and genitals, but are most common in areas frequently exposed to the sun, such as the rim of the ear, lower lip, face, bald scalp, neck, hands, arms and legs. Often the skin in these areas reveals telltale signs of sun damage, such as wrinkling, changes in pigmentation, and loss of elasticity. Squamous cell carcinomas are at least twice as frequent in men as in women. They rarely appear before age 50 and are most often seen in individuals in their 70s. The majority of skin cancers in African-Americans are squamous cell carcinomas, usually arising on the sites of pre-existing inflammatory skin conditions or burn injuries.
Tanorexia - as it is colloquially known, is a subset of tanning addiction and symptoms include a false and persistent belief that he or she is too pale, and will therefore exceed normally accepted limits of UV exposure. The individual will seek out this exposure indoors or outdoors, with the goal of obtaining a tan that is dark enough for his or her tastes. This condition is likely to be associated with body dysmorphic disorder.
Ultraviolet (UV) Light - is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength shorter than that of visible light, but longer than x-rays, in the range 10 nm to 400 nm, and energies from 3 eV to 124 eV. It is so named because the spectrum consists of electromagnetic waves with frequencies higher than those that humans identify as the color violet. The sun gives off ultraviolet radiation that we divide into categories UVA and UVB based on the wavelength.
UVA - penetrates deeper into the dermis and activates the melanin stored in the epidermis, where connective tissue and blood vessels exist. The result is a loss of elasticity that causes the skin to sag, wrinkle, and age prematurely. It was touted in the "80's" as the safe ray and sun beds were the rage. Some dermatologist backed this idea as a safe and healthy way to look your best. Since then science has found this ray actually does the most amount of damage to the body than UVB and can cause melanoma. UVA is the same strength year round -- it does not matter how close or how far away the sun is from the earth. The ray remains the same strength and considered a light X ray. It is penetrated through light clothing, glass, etc.
UVB - affects the outer layer of skin, the epidermis, and is the primary agent responsible for sunburns, redness, burning sensation, and blistering. It is also more intense in the summer months accounting for 70% of a person's yearly UVB dose. UVB does not penetrate glass.