Ski Banz Product Demonstration

What causes Skin Cancer?

Skin Cancer Basics

The skin is the body's largest organ and has several important roles, including protecting us from injury, light and infection, and maintaining the body's temperature. Though skin cells are stacked in three layers--the epidermis, the dermis, and the subcutaneous--it is the epidermis that contains three types of cells that may develop into skin cancer.

The top or outermost layer is made of dead cells that contain keratin. Keratin is a hard waxy substance that helps protect the body. Keratinocytes are the cells that make keratin, and can develop into squamous cell carcinoma.

Melanocytes are deeper within the epidermis and secrete a substance called melanin. Melanin is a pigment that gives our skin color and helps protect cells from sun damage. It is produced in response to sun exposure and is the reason fair-skinned individuals will tan. Melanocytes can develop into malignant melanoma.

At the base of the epidermis are the basal cells. All other cells in the epidermis are derived from the basal cells. Basal cells can develop into the most common type of skin cancer, basal cell carcinoma.

Causes of Skin Cancer

Healthy skin cells grow and multiply in a controlled manner. The new cells produced in the inner basal layer are pushed to the outer layer, die, and are eventually sloughed off. Each skin cell contains genetic instructions, called DNA, that dictate how it grows and functions. If the DNA is damaged and the skin cell begins to malfunction, the body is sometimes unable to repair it. Cancer occurs when these damaged cells start growing out of control, and invade their neighboring cells.

What can damage the skin cell's DNA? Exposure to the sun's ultraviolet (UV) light is the number one cause of skin cancer. There are two types of UV light that reach the earth's surface: UVA and UVB. UVB light is responsible for sunburns, affects only the outer skin layer, and has the greatest role in causing skin cancer. It is filtered by glass and its intensity varies throughout the year. UVA light also causes skin damage, has more intensity than UVB, and can reach the skin's deeper layer. It can penetrate through glass, shallow water, clouds and pollution.

Other causes of skin cancer include:

•Use of tanning booths which use high doses of UVA light.

•Immunosuppression from diseases such as HIV, chemotherapy or drugs used in organ transplant patients.

•Exposure to extremely high X-ray or radiation levels.

•Contact with particular chemicals such as arsenic, industrial tars, oils and soot.

How Skin Cancer Spreads to Other Parts of the Body

When cancer spreads from its primary location to a distant part of the body it is called metastasis. Cancer cells travel through the lymphatic or vascular system. The metastatic or secondary tumor is the same type of cancer as the original. For example, if melanoma spread or metastasized from the skin to the brain, the secondary tumor would be made up of abnormal skin cells. The tumor would be located in the brain, but it would not be composed of abnormal brain cells. The secondary tumor would be referred to as metastatic melanoma.

February Reviews and Giveaways

WTS Toy Review

Baby Banz is pleased to share another 5 star review of our Adventure Banz with you. This time from What The Stuff Toy review.  We are always so pleased when parents review our products with such high marks!

Heres the link to their review of our Baby frames: http://wtstoyreview.com/REVIEWS/Adventure-Baby-Banz-Baby-Sunglasses-Product-Review.htm

What the Stuff Toy Review has been developed to provide readers (moms and dads, manufacturers and commercial buyers) with product reviews and buyers guides for both ordinary and unusual products available on the market for babies through teens.  All items found here are reviewed and evaluated by our product specialist team, and you can rest assured that you will find honest and interesting information about each product.

Winter Skin Care for Baby and Kids

Come autumn and winter, when your household's central heating usually goes back on, it's easy to find that a baby's new skin gets drier than it has been. There are some simple things you can do to keep your child's skin as healthy as possible.

Dr Sarah Jarvis, FRCGP, is a special advisor to Comfort Pure, and here she offers some simple tips and guidelines to ensure your baby's skin doesn't dry out from over bathing, dressing your child in the wrong clothes, or from washing them in detergents that are unsuitable for baby garments and bedding. 


Winter skin problems
Babies may be particularly prone to dry, irritated skin in winter. A number of factors play a part:
Central heating tends to make the atmosphere dry, and can dry out your baby's skin. Your baby's hands and face are particularly prone to getting cold. This can cause dryness and chapping. Wind, as well as cold, can cause chapping. Fortunately, simple measures can help to keep your child's skin in tip-top condition:

• Don't bath your baby more than every 2-3 days, and keep bath time short
• Don't bundle your child up too warmly. This can make him sweat, which can irritate the skin
• Remember that the difference between outside and inside temperature is greatest in winter. Lots of layers of thin clothes will allow you to adjust his clothing to keep him at the right temperature
• Never wear wool next to the skin
• Use lots of unscented emollients, applied frequently during the day, if your child has dry skin
• Rinsing clothes thoroughly, and using a fabric conditioner designed for sensitive skin if you use one, are all the more important at this time of year, when your baby's skin may be irritated by other things.

Baby's skin and bathtime
As the old saying goes, "Skin is a wonderful thing - it keeps the outside out and the inside in." Your precious baby's skin is thinner than yours, and loses water more easily. Although bath time and bedtime are often the most enjoyable part of the day with your baby, you do need to take special care of their skin at this time.

For the first few weeks of life, stick to water only - whether changing diapers or bathing.
Once your baby is a few months old, you may find they start getting very dry skin or eczema. Use an unscented bath emollient at bathtime, and a soap substitute such as aqueous cream to avoid drying their skin out.

After the bath, slather on lots of unscented lotion before you put their pajamas on. Lots of parents don't like the look of really greasy lotions on their baby's skin. However, they do tend to stay on longer, and usually work better, than creamy versions. Use a greasy lotion at night when you're not showing your little darling off to the relatives!

An unscented barrier cream on the skin under the diaper will prevent irritation of this vulnerable area. That's especially important at night, since babies go for longer than they do in the day (we hope!) without having their diaper changed.
Obviously you won't want your baby to get too cold. But it's equally important not to let them get too warm. Apart from other risks, a warm baby sweats more when they're tucked up too warm in bed. This can lead to irritation and dryness of the skin.


It's winter time, but teh sun's UV damaging rays are still just as strong. Keep baby protected from the sun with proper fitting sunglasses, hat and sunscreen!


The best clothes for baby and how to wear them
There are so many delicious baby clothes out there, and they all look so tempting. But you do need to remember that your baby's skin is very thin and fragile compared to yours. It's beautifully designed to help your baby regulate his temperature, keep essential fluids in and protect against infection. However, it needs a helping hand from you to keep it soft, supple and in perfect working order.

Avoid wool next to the skin anywhere - including woolly hats! Wool can irritate the skin and cause worsening of eczema. Your baby's scalp is particularly prone to a kind of eczema called cradle cap, and the skin of the face - which woolly hats may rub against - is particularly sensitive.

As much as possible, stick to natural fabrics rather than synthetic. They let your baby's skin 'breathe' and help prevent them sweating, which can irritate the skin.

Use several layers of thin clothing rather than over-thick garments. This lets you adjust their clothing much more easily in different temperatures. 

Always take hats off indoors. Your baby loses a lot of excess heat through their scalp - a warm hat in a warm room can prevent essential heat loss.


Combatting common baby skin problems
Very few babies have the perfect skin the media would have us believe! Up to 1 in 3 babies is born with some sort of birth mark, with names like mongolian spots, stork marks or strawberry naevi. Most of them are nothing to worry about. Within their first few months of life, babies get all sorts of rashes and skin problems. Here are a few tips to help:
Strange as it may seem, water can dry your baby's skin out. For the first few months of life, don't bathe them every day. A bath every two to three days is fine, with 'topping and tailing' in between.

If your child has eczema, your doctor can advise about emollients (moisturisers) as well as bath products.
Simple unscented emollients are the mainstay of treatment for eczema. They replace moisture and prevent moisture loss from the skin. However, they only last for a few hours, so need to be reapplied several times a day.

To minimize the chance of diaper rash, change diapers frequently and apply barrier cream to protect their skin from urine. Keep your baby's skin open to the air indoors as much as possible - lie him on a towel to catch any spills!
Lots of babies are born with tiny white or red pimples around their nose, lips and eyes, or develop them within a few weeks of birth. They're called milia or milk spots, and they don't need any treatment unless they get inflamed and sore-looking. If they do, see your GP or health visitor.


How to care for baby's clothes
Your skin is the biggest organ in your body, but all too often we take it for granted. In fact, it does a superb job at keeping out infection and stops your body from losing essential fluids. Old skin is being rubbed off the surface of your body, and new skin is being formed, all the time. But your baby's skin is thinner and more vulnerable than yours. That means you need to reduce irritation from the clothes they wear 24 hours a day. 


Top tips include:
Consider using a fabric conditioner that has been designed for sensitive skin - the benefits of the softening effect on the fibres can outweigh any possible risk of irritation by the ingredients. 
Ideally, wash new fabrics before you put them on your baby to keep them feeling soft.

February Giveaway Winner Announced

Congrats to our winner, Briann!!


In our "Your Opinion Counts" Comment Contest for Februray, we had a total of 91 entires. Random.org selected #50 which mean Briann Neeley has won a complete Protection Collection from Baby Banz valued at over $150!

Briann's comment was:

I love Baby Banz!

I received the pink new adventure banz and not only do I love them so does my baby girl! She loves just running around the house with them on. I love how they don't hurt her behind the ears, they stay on and they are great for the sun and OH so cute! I would recommend these to anyone!

Briann Neeley       Spanish Fork, UT

2/9/2010 12:46

Briann has won her choice of: (1) UV Swimsuit, (1) pair of our new Adventure Banz, (1) UV Bucket Hat, (1) 5 piece sunscreen kit (1) sunglass case and (1) pair of Earmuffs!!

Stay tuned for more ways to win from Baby Banz. Each month we post a link to all of the giveaways and reviews around the web - check out February's post here: Februray Reviews and Giveaways

Super Hearing Protection from Baby Banz!

Baby Banz would like to congratulate Drew Brees on the New Orleans Saints' Super Bowl win, but even more so for his choice to protect his son Baylen's hearing during the after-game festivities! 

Protecting little ears can be difficult with the lack of kid-sized hearing protection available today. Baby Banz has the answer! The Baby Banz Hearing Protection line is the Ultimate in Childrens Hearing Protection and has been met with rave reviews since it's launch in 2009. Want to snag your own pair for the next big game, car race, firework display or other loud event? Check out http://usa.babybanz.com today!

Skin cancer - the facts - Stay Safe in the sun

• Skin cancer often first appears as a change in a mole or a patch of skin.
• The most serious type of skin cancer is a malignant melanoma but other types, known as non-melanomas, are the most common.
• When found early melanomas can be treated quickly and cured.
• The main cause of skin cancer is too much sun and sunburn can double the risk.
• The most common sites for melanoma are the leg in women, the back in men and the face in older people, but they can grow anywhere.
• You may have some moles or dark patches on your skin that are flat or slightly raised. Usually these will remain harmless all your life.
• Show your doctor any moles or patches of normal skin that change in size, shape or color over weeks or months.
• Other signs that need to be checked out include a new growth or sore that won't heal, a spot, mole or sore that itches or hurts or a mole or growth that bleeds, crusts or scabs.

Your Opinion Matters to Baby Banz!

Want your chance to win a complete Protection Collection valued at over $150?

Do you LOVE our Baby Banz sunglasses, UV Hats, hearing protection and UPF 50+ swimwear? Share your feedback and stories with us, and the world and your child could win new gear!

Log in to http://usa.babybanz.com and leave your review of any Baby Banz product before Feb 15, 2010 to enter to win!  Receive one entry per comment, per product - no limit!

Facebook Fan Drive - CLOSED, THANK YOU!

What's that 552 fans?! Let's get to 1000 this month! Every 15th new fan gets a pair of Baby Banz!! 

Click here! http://tinyurl.com/yk5y5nd

 As soon as we get to 1000 fans we get to have our custom Baby Banz Fan Page link - let's make it happen so it's easier for everyone to find us as we continue to grow our network to spread sun safety awareness!

Designer Sunglasses are Ideal from Baby Banz

Baby Banz sunglasses continue to be an altogether adorable item for your children, but there is an even more significant purpose to outfit your children with a fantastic pair of sunglasses. The sun’s rays are likely to be seriously detrimental to your infant’s eyes and a fantastic set of sunglasses come with the protection that they need.

When purchasing a pair of Baby Banz sunglasses make certain that you have the sunglasses fitted to your infant’s face. Little ones continue to be growing and are likely to rapidly grow out of a pair of sunglasses. The glasses should certainly fit comfortably to the face and keep the sunlight from creeping in around the edges. Style is fun for the glasses, but yet the fit is a more main component when choosing sunglasses.

Always check to make certain that the sunglasses you choose provide 100% protection from UV rays. Always check the labels to make certain that the sunglasses you go for provide one hundred percent security . Baby Banz sun glasses do just that! It really is most important that you defend your infant’s eyes from harmful sunlight.

The moment you have identified a pair of glasses that provide the type of protection that your children require from the sun, you may commence to try things out with diverse designs for your child. Sunglasses continue to be a fantastic style item and can look perfect on your child. Baby Banz gives you some of the best designs and looks for children while still providing the perfect protection for the eyes. All of Baby Banz sunglasses are at the top of the line for baby sunglasses. Selecting a superior quality brand label helps make sure that you are getting a pair of sunglasses that is hard wearing, protective and elegant.

Infants and tiny kids can be rough on a pair of sunglasses, so keep with the names that are the highest in quality. You possibly will have to pay out a little more for a pair of Baby Banz sunglasses, but they will offer the very best security and hold up well under the abuse that your toddler might inflict on them.