Review: Skin Cancer Prevention App

Earlier this year, we reviewed an app from Solaveil that helped you to put on sunscreen. Now, we have another app for you. Just because you're done with fun in the sun, doesn't mean you don't have any work to do in skincare prevention. Aside from the fact you should be wearing SPF daily, all those days outdoors means you should monitor your skin for any changes. Luckily, researchers at the University of Michigan have developed an iPhone app for your phone that makes checking for cancerous moles easy. 

UMSkinCheck provides tools to help users identify suspicious moles and keep track of them. Since remembering how new a mole is can be hard, you'll have years of scans to help you figure out if it appeared before or after that trip to the beach. Since pictures never lie,the pics saved in this app can provide an accurate representation of your moles for your dermatologist to see. The only con we saw was that you'll need a second person you're comfortable enough with to get naked and take pictures of your skin in various poses, including your bum. 

This app also has other handy tools, including reminding you when you need to perform your self exam, and your yearly full-body scan. All in all, a very handy app that is free for download from the iTunes store. 

Are you fully protected?

In a 2011 post, we mentioned that you should be applying an average of one ounce of sunscreen to the exposed skin on a clothed body - face, neck, ears, arms. By applying less than this amount, or by mixing sunscreens, you may be getting less than the advertised protection on the bottle. Understanding how SPF is calculated and the errors in application will help you decide if you are achieving the maximum SPF. 

In the United States, SPF is tested and calculated by using real humans. We'll spare you the technical jargon and math, but in short, male and female volunteers go through a series of medical examinations and are given a skin type according to how easily they burn. Then, the test subjects are given 2 milligrams of the sunscreen moisturizer for every square centimeter of skin that's being tested, just before being subjected to synthetic ultraviolet radiation. The moisturizer is then given a sun protection number based on how well they were protected during that exposure period.  

Moisture Protect SPF 20 (and its Bronze brother) were given a sun protection factor of 20, based on applying 2 milligrams of formula per square centimeter of skin. 


As mentioned, the first mistake in sunscreen application is not applying enough. Since the SPF is calculated on a healthy dosage, which most people do not use, you need to apply that much to get the advertised coverage. Any less coverage means less SPF - this goes for tinted SPF moisturizers as well. Additionally, you can't apply SPF lotion once and expect to be protected all day. When it wears off, your protection wears off. 

The second mistake in application is when sunscreens are mixed. Combining products with two different SPF values does not give you the addition of the SPF, but rather an average of the two. Remember: 

In short, to achieve the advertised SPF, you need to apply generously and reapply often. 

Conceal & Treat Video Spotlight

Masc Skincare, in Vancouver, British Columbia, has been onto Conceal & Treat long before our feature in Details magazine. Here, shop-owner Jamie tells you a little about the product, and why it's so great at disguising and healing blemishes.  

(Pssssst! Check out the rest of their YouTube channel for other great EVMAN reviews!)

How To Wash Your Face

You've probably been washing your own face since you were a small child. While it's a simple, easy process, we could all use a little refresher.

1. Avoid bar soap. Most men cleanse their face with the same bar of soap that is used on their feet, pits, and groin area. In addition to that disgusting your girlfriend, bar soap contains occlusives that can cause your skin to break out. Bar soap is also not as gentle as a cleanser formulated for your skin. Hint: if your skin feels "squeaky clean" after the shower, you've stripped it of its natural oils, drying it out.Your skin then may produce more oil to compensate for the oil lost. 

Select a gentle cleanser like Cleanse & Shave (available at urbanoutfitters.com), which also doubles as a shaving cream for a close, soft shave. It contains tea tree oil to cleanse the skin and minimize breakouts, and is also sulfate-free, so it doesn't damage delicate facial skin.

2. Splash your face with warm water. You don't want to use water that's too hot (dries out your skin) or too cold (doesn't soften the hairs and open up your pores). This also helps the cleanser spread more easily over your skin. Hint: skip diluting the cleanser if you have extra grime. 

3. Massage the cleanser in a circular motion. Gently work the cleanser on your skin with your fingertips, in gentle circular motions. Don't press too hard - let the cleanser do the work for you. 

4. Rinse with warm water, pat dry. Splash your face again with warm water to remove the cleanser. It's important to pat your face dry with a towel, as rubbing creates friction and can lead to premature wrinkling. 

5. Apply your favorite SPF moisturizer immediately. Now that you've washed your face, you have a clean canvas to apply SPF to. Apply within thirty seconds of washing your face so that your skin does not lose too much moisture and dry out. 

Oh, and don't forget to add a daily or weekly exfoliatior to your routine, like Wash & Buff. 

Conceal & Treat Featured in August Issue of Details

Shower Shortcuts: Do or Don't?

Morning-time is hectic for anyone, whether you're a parent trying to shoo kids out the door, or get in that morning work out before heading off to work. Trying to fit in everything we want to do makes us take shortcuts on other parts of our morning routine: the shower. Some of them are DOs - like doubling your shaving cream as a facial wash - but some are DON'Ts. 

The biggest offender is using your shampoo to clean your hair, then your body. 

Both products use many of the same types of cleansing ingredients, but they are formulated a little differently. Most shampoos are cleanse a little harshly, as their goal is to strip buildup and oil from the hair. Body washes are supposed to be a little gentler on the skin. If you're, using your shampoo to clean your skin, you're actually stripping away beneficial oils, leaving dry and damaged skin. 

The verdict? Don't use shampoo to clean your body. Do use a moisturizing body wash was specifically designed for skin. 

A Smartphone App to keep you smart about the sun?

Solaveil, a leading UK supplier of active suncare ingredients, has released a new smartphone application that reminds the user to reapply sunscreen or seek shelter from the sun through their phone's alarm system. With summer in full swing, the timing couldn't be better. Our question - is the free app really worth it, or is it easier use your phone's timer?

The app uses GPS to figure out your location and corresponding temperature and UV index. Users simply enter in a few details about themselves, and Solaveil helps select an SPF and frequency of reapplication. It then tells you the level of risk you are at and how soon you will begin to burn at this UV exposure. Eventually, an alarm goes off that tells you to reapply SPF.

The application is a great reminder for you and your family to keep track of your exposure to the sun, and it gives advice about other things you can do (besides apply SPF) to keep your skin protected. And, honestly, we forgot about the timer until it reminded us - fun in the sun is always a distraction from applying more SPF. However, generally practicing sun safety all the time, not just when you're in the sun, will work just as well as the app. Like the disclaimer says on the application when you download it - in the end, the responsibility for sun protection rests with the individual. 

With that in mind, no matter the weather, wear a daily SPF like Moisture Protect SPF 20 and reapply often. Drink plenty of water, and stay out of the sun from 11am - 3pm.

Sun Protection - In Style

A friend was recently diagnosed with melanoma. The location? His scalp. It never occurred to him to wear a hat when out in the sun. We don't see our scalp, and often times, protecting it from the sun can be forgotten. Since it can be a little cumbersome (or gross) to slather our domes with sunscreen, we've come up with five options that make protecting your scalp from the sun rather stylish. 

The Fedora - this conservative, lightweight fedora from Brixton Castor pairs well with jeans and a t-shirt. Avoid topping off your three-piece suit with it, or you'll end up looking like you just walked off set of the newest Gatsby film.

The Lumber Hat - similar to the fedora, this hat by G-star has the perfect sized brim. Not too small, not too large. Keep it cool, not nerdy by adding a vest to your outfit.

The Beanie  - You can't go a day in LA without seeing someone rocking this beanie with a pair of Persol sunglasses. Not just for hipsters, this soft, slouchy cap from All Saints is the perfect headwarmer on a cool evening.

The Baseball Hat  - You can never go wrong with throwing on the ball cap of your favorite athletic team. 

Alcohols in Skincare: Good or bad?

We've all heard at one point or another to steer clear of any skincare products containing alcohol. They can dry out your skin, cause irritation, and lead to premature aging. However, not all alcohols are bad. Alcohol can exist in its pure form (ethanol), or by attaching itself to another compound. It is in the latter instance that you actually want to see the word alcohol on the back of your product listing. 

Products containing the following alcohols should be avoided. They can dry your skin out or cause long-term damage. Products containing these alcohols quickly dry the oil from the skin, so when you are initially using these products, like acne solutions, you may notice a quick improvement in your skin's condition. However, after long-term use, your skin problems will be back, and you will start to think the product is not working.

• ethanol
• ethyl alcohol
• denatured alcohol (alcohol denat.)
• methanol
• SD alcohol 

Products containing the following alcohols are good! These are called "fatty alcohols," because, in short, they are derived from fats (or lipids).

• cetearyl alcohol
• cetyl alcohol
• stearyl alcohol

Wash & Buff and Cleanse & Shave are just two EVMAN products that use cetyl alcohol, an ingredient that moisturizes skin.

However, it's also important to note that the "dose makes the poison." Where is the alcohol listed in the ingredient listing? If it's the first ingredient, it is of the highest concentration, whereas ingredients at the end of the product are typically less than 1% of the product. So, you may see a product containing benzyl alcohol as the last ingredient. This alcohol is used as a preservative in the product and is perfectly safe to use. 

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