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It’s summer and everyone is hitting the beach and looking for that perfect tan. Despite growing awareness that they must use sunscreen, many people either do not use it all or use it incorrectly. People that do not use sunscreen cite myriad reasons: everything from pimple breakouts, to fear of chemicals, to the “icky feeling.” To address these concerns, dermatologists have sought innovative ways to get people to use sunscreen. One possible solution: drinking it. The Guardian’s Olga Oksman suggests that digestible sunscreen may be an answer and cites UVO as one potential remedy.
Dr. Bobby Awadalla knows why people are sunscreen adverse and has dedicated his career to reducing skin cancer rates. To that end, he’s created UVO, an ingestible formula that bypasses the messiness and odor or topical products. Awadalla expounds below.
How does this product work to protect your skin from the inside out?
The product, called UVO, synergistically combines powerful vitamins, phytonutrients and antioxidants scientifically proven to protect and repair your skin from the sun’s harmful UV rays. It blocks both UVA and UVB rays from damaging the skin using natural pigments to absorb the rays to decrease the damage they cause. Antioxidants help stop free radicals from damaging the skin and ingredients that help in the repair of DNA, cell membranes, and collagen.
Skin cancer seems has been on the rise. Do you think this is in direct correlation to climate change?
I believe that climate change and the ozone layer certainly play a role in the rates of skin cancer. I also think that people are now more aware of skin cancer so they are more likely to visit their dermatologist. Lastly, I think physicians have become better at detecting and treating skin cancers which also contribute to the increase in prevalence.
How do US and European countries prevalence of skin cancer compare?
Northern latitudes often have higher skin cancer rates because in general people have lighter colored skin which does not provide as much baseline UV protection. Their UV exposure whether on sunny days in their country of origin or during their beach vacation damages their skin to a greater extent making them more likely to get skin cancer. The USA is ranked number 6 in the world for skin cancer rates. Europe has a serious problem with skin cancer. Denmark has the highest skin cancer rates in the world followed by France at second, Belgium at fourth and Norway at fifth. Skin cancer rates in Greece are not in the top 50 worldwide.
Do you think it’s better or worse in Europe now?
I think people, in general, are becoming more aware of the damage UV rays cause to the skin but their behavior doesn’t change. People are still using tanning salons and tanning while at the beach in Westernized countries. Europe is especially known for the Mediterranean sun in the summer where most of Europe vacations.
With people who are living with HIV or other chronic illnesses, there’s often the additional risk of skin damage. Can UVO help with these conditions?
For people living with HIV, it is even more important that they are more vigilant about their sun protective measures. The most effective way to protect your skin is to use multiple forms of sun protection. Sun protection shouldn’t be a single product or thing you do. It should be a mindset. You should always use sunscreen, avoid the sun during peak hours, use sun protective clothing and if you are sitting on the beach, use an umbrella. I always tell my patients if you want to enjoy your lunch outdoors go ahead but find the table that has shade. If you are at the beach sit under an umbrella and if you are going to be in the water make sure you not only use sunscreen that will certainly be coming off and also drink UVO to protect your skin.
Sunscreens are a very effective method of sun protection and as a dermatologist, I recommend that people use sunscreen as well as other forms of sun protection on a daily basis. However, there is this false assumption that people actually use sunscreen regularly. A recent article published by the American Academy of Dermatology showed that only 14 percent of men and 29 percent of woman use sunscreen on their face and exposed areas regularly. These numbers are very low. Despite dermatologists’ tremendous efforts to encourage people to use sunscreen, they simply don’t use it enough. I created UVO because it is a drinkable supplement. We drink liquids every day so incorporating sun protection into our everyday lives can become significantly easier.
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