Every so often we like to promote authors and experts who share our passion for getting useful, accurate information about beauty to the public. Dermatologist Leslie Baumann, M.D., author of The Skin Type Solution brings women a great deal of information. Professor and Director of Cosmetic Dermatology at the Miller School of Medicine at the University of Miami (where she and Eva are both longtime faculty members), Leslie takes a unique approach to skincare with her “16 skin types” model, which enables readers to target care regimens to their unique type of skin.
Leslie’s book and a network of blogs maintained by female dermatologists in India, Brazil and Mexico, as well as her own blog, contain most of the insights. In these blogs, readers can find an array of information about everything from skin types to the lowdown on skincare products, cosmetic procedures like dermal fillers and Botox, and news about products, companies, and medical advances.
The books, websites and blogs are useful resources for women who are trying to choose the best options for making their Outer Beauty the best it can be, as well as navigating the often-confusing claims of cosmetics companies, cosmeceutical makers and medical technology companies. Leslie has given women a destination for finding the latest in skin care news and leading-edge research into skin health and the safety of some of the world’s most popular dermatological products.
We’re very excited to announce another event in what is becoming an increasingly busy schedule for the Beauty Prescription doctors: the first-ever Beauty Prescription Conference in Jacksonville, Florida. On Saturday, August 22 at the campus of Florida State College at Jacksonville, more than 250 women of all ages will come together to learn about the principles of Inner and Outer beauty and the Beauty-Brain Loop, share their personal stories, and discover paths to empowerment.
Sponsored by the college’s Beauty Prescription Club (also the first one of its kind in the country) and advisor Gloria Balmaseda-White, the conference will bring together devotees of our book for the first time to openly discuss important beauty-related issues: how society views women, how we view ourselves, what we can do to become the most beautiful people possible and much more. We will be on hand to host, speak and share our ideas and personal experiences as authors, physicians, wives, mothers and twenty-first century women.
On August 21, 2009, Eva will be signing The Beauty Prescription at Barnes & Noble at St. John’s Town Center in Jacksonville from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. The next day, the following speakers and presenters will join Eva:
Linda Sue Fortenot, RN, a retired plastic surgery recovery nurse and owmer of Parisian Spa and Hair Salon, will speak on Outer Beauty—specifically skin care and protection.
Christine Granfield, MS, an expert in women’s medical imaging will talk about breast health Issues.
Ms. Mondy from Dress for Success will present fashion ideas that address the Environment component of the Beauty-Brain Loop.
Lancome will give make up demonstrations and free samples. Galderma will provide free samples of sun block and Aveno will provide free samples of anti-aging skincare products. There will also be door prizes consisting of beauty services and a gift basket from Lançome, as well as a raffle of Ravaléskin anti-aging skin care products.
If you’re going to be in the area, please join us. You can get more information about the conference by e-mailing gbalmase@fccj.edu, and also from our Facebook page. We are looking forward to this event with great enthusiasm, and we hope it’s only the beginning of many more Beauty Prescription meetings, conferences and get-togethers around the country. We are planning to form Beauty P{rescription clubs where women meet regularly and support each other in their journey to become more beautiful inside and out.
We are delighted that both Beauty Prescription doctors have been selected to participate in an event that is important for all women. We’ve been asked to speak about The Beauty Prescription and the Beauty-Brain Loop at the third annual Exclusive Premier Women’s Empowerment Expo, to be held August 28-30 at the Long Beach Convention Center near the Queen Mary in Long Beach, California. More than 5,000 women are expected to attend to enjoy more than 450 exhibitors in hair care, cosmetics, skin care and other products, cooking, personal care and other desirable products and services. Attendees can get professional styling tips, learn healthy cooking secrets, and listen to celebrity speakers such as Susan Powter, Dr. John Gray, author of Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus and a wide range of experts on subjects from relationships and eating disorders to complementary and alternative medicine.
We don’t know precisely when or where we’ll be speaking yet, but we will be talking about the book and signing copies, so watch our Facebook or Twitter pages for more specific information. For more details about the Expo, visit epremierwomensexpo.com. We hope we can help empower women, educate them about how to be more beautiful inside and out, and make a positive difference in the lives of women from all over the country.
You can tell when an industry or company has its back to the wall because it starts spinning the bad news so fast that Ginger Rogers would get dizzy. Late in July the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) announced in the new issue of the Lancet Oncology that the evidence was unequivocal: tanning bed use increases the odds of developing melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. In fact, the organization, which until now has avoided stating flatly that tanning beds and sun lamps cause cancer, moved tanning beds to its highest cancer risk category: “carcinogenic to humans,” a designation shared by such substances as tobacco and mustard gas. It reported that an analysis of clinical research shows that teens and young adults under age 30 who regularly use tanning beds increase their melanoma risk by a staggering 75 percent.
News doesn’t get more damning than that, and it only reinforces the point we have made so often in our book, on this blog and in our other writings: avoiding excessive sun exposure is one of the most important steps you can take to improve not only the health of your skin but your overall health. The trouble is, the tanning salon industry isn’t, as you would expect, turning cartwheels over this news. For years, the industry has caught a great deal of flack for opening up new salons directly across from high schools in an obvious attempt to woo young girls looking to get bronzed before prom. So it’s not surprising that the official response of the industry was this, from an MSNBC story:
“The fact that the IARC has put tanning bed use in the same category as sunlight is hardly newsworthy,” said Dan Humiston, president of the Indoor Tanning Association (ITA). “The UV light from a tanning bed is equivalent to UV light from the sun, which has had a group 1 classification since 1992. Some other items in this category are red wine, beer and salted fish. The ITA has always emphasized the importance of moderation when it comes to UV light from either the sun or a tanning bed.”
That is more than a little disingenuous. The IARC Group 1 classification includes ethanol as a carcinogen, a type of alcohol that is indeed found in alcoholic beverages like red wine and beer. But drinking a glass of red wine is hardly the same as drinking pure ethanol, and it’s probably safe to say that the proven health benefits of red wine also counterbalance the cancer risks. This comes across as desperate spin from an industry that’s heard its death knell…maybe.
That brings up the real point: will this announcement change behavior. There are some positive signs already: MSNBC also reports that tanning salons around the country have seen a spike in cancellations after this cancer information was made public. But how long will that last? If history is any indication, teens who believe they are immortal will revert back to old habits unless this new information is followed with continuing education. So if you’re the parent of a young woman (or man, since guys tan, too), take it upon yourself to learn more about this announcement, the dangers of tanning beds, and melanoma in general, and talk to your kids. You can learn more here:
