Snail slime may be the new mud

The first time people heard that taking a bath in mud could help exfoliate the skin, many thought that it was insane. After a few years though, people began paying hundreds of dollars for mud treatments and even buying soaps made out of it. Now, according to MSNBC, there may be an even stranger skin care product on the market - snail slime.

Although still not very popular in the U.S., products containing the guts and slime of snails have been regularly sold in South America and South Korea. Apparently this has been going on since the mid 90's, when people began to notice that handling snails was helping their skin feel softer. MSNBC reports that snails' secretions may protect against UV rays and eliminate dead skin cells.

The PBS program NOVA reported on this subject and claimed that the slime works by being a yield-stress fluid. Meaning that depending on how much pressure is put on it it can act as a liquid or a solid such as glue.

Notready to have a beauty routine that includes slime? That's fine, ethnic women looking to exfoliate and protect their skin against UV rays can use African American skin care products that are already on the market with added SPF and no snail extract.  

Grape compound may protect skin against the sun

For ladies who are interested in protecting their ethnic skin naturally, there may be a new tool in the battle against damage from the sun - grapes. Researchers at the University of Barcelona have found a compound in grapes that may protect against the sun's ultraviolet rays.

These findings add grapes to the list of fruits that contain sun-protecting properties, which also includes pomegranate, found in some skin care products for black skin. The compound, called flavonoid, has already been shown to have other health benefits, particularly for brain health.

These results could lead to the development of new skin care products that contain grape extract.

"This study supports the idea of using these products to protect the skin from cell damage and death caused by solar radiation, as well as increasing our understanding of the mechanism by which they act," said researcher Marta Cascante.

Until those products are developed, there are plenty of other natural African American skin care products on the market that contain healthy extracts of fruit and green tea for sun protection. 

New skin care brochures available in Spanish

The Association for the Advancement of Wound Care (AAWC) has recently released educational brochures in Spanish about the importance of skin care and wound treatment. In the past, these brochures have been widely used by doctors and caregivers, now they will be available in Spanish to better serve the Hispanic population. 

One of the pamphlets, called The Skin You're In (La Piel en la Que Estás) details how to protect skin against environmental factors such as sun and wind. The association released a statement about the importance of these brochures.

"The brochures are invaluable, containing useful information for those who suffer not only with a skin issue but also with a low budget. Many clinics and hospitals display them within their facilities. The great part is that while they can be purchased from AAWC, the brochures are also available to download and print free of charge without permission," states Terry Treadwell, M.D., FACS and AAWC President.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau there are and estimated 48.4 million Hispanic people in the U.S. The only country with a larger population of Hispanics is Mexico.

Learning about proper skin care is important for people from every culture. Women looking to better understand skin care should research ethnic skin care products, which can help protect the skin with SPF and antioxidants while keeping it looking great.  

Uncovering the myths of skin cancer

Although there has been a lot of talk about skin cancer lately, many people still can't differentiate between facts and fiction about the disease.

Recently, Medscape News ran an article explaining some of the myths about sun cancer, to help people gain a better understanding of how to protect themselves from this usually preventable form of cancer.

One of the myths they corrected was that darker-skinned people do not need sunscreen. Medscape's expert stated that increased skin pigmentation is equivalent to an SPF protection of 3, which is not enough to protect against skin cancer.

Another theory they explored was that people do not have to wear sunscreen in the car. While windshields may provide mild UVB protection, most side windows do not. Therefore, it's important to wear sunscreen in cars to to protect exposed arms.

The New York Times reports 74 percent of skin cancer tumors are found on the left side of people's bodies. This statistic has been connected to sun exposure while driving.

Ethnic women looking to protect themselves from sun damage should consider using an African American skin care product with added SPF.