Protect Your Skin

1. Consider Your Water

And tailor your skin-care products accordingly. “Soft water doesn’t remove soap well, so it can leave a residue on your skin,” says Susan H. Weinkle, an assistant clinical professor of dermatology at the University of South Florida, in Tampa. If your water is soft, use face and body cleansers sparingly (no more than a nickel- or quarter-size amount, respectively). Hard water, on the other hand, doesn’t allow washes to lather easily, prompting you to use even more cleanser, which can cause dryness. Gentle, nonsoap formulas, which aren’t meant to lather, can minimize this, says Carolyn Jacob, a dermatologist in Chicago. Experts suggest trying Avène Extremely Gentle Cleanser ($23,). To check the water quality in your area, log on to the Environmental Protection Agency’s website (epa.gov).

2. Drink Green Tea

“If your complexion is red or blotchy, this tea’s anti-inflammatory properties can be soothing,” says Andrea Cambio, a dermatologist in Cape Coral, Florida. “Iced is best because hot beverages can worsen redness and other symptoms of rosacea.” Another benefit: The epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) in green tea may help prevent the collagen destruction that leads to wrinkles as well as sun-induced DNA damage in the skin (think lines and discoloration), according to some experts. Consider subbing tea for your morning mug of coffee.

3. Keep Stress in Check

It takes a toll on nearly every part of your body, including your skin. In a study conducted at Stanford University, researchers found that during exam time, students who felt stressed had more severe acne breakouts than did those under less pressure. That’s because stress increases the body’s production of hormones such as cortisol, which can make skin oilier and decrease its ability to fight off acne-causing bacteria, says Lisa Donofrio, an associate clinical professor of dermatology at the Yale University School of Medicine. To keep that frazzled feeling under control, regularly practice stress-management techniques, like yoga, deep breathing, and meditation. This “can help conditions such as acne, psoriasis, rosacea, and seborrhea,” Donofrio says

4. Improve Your Air Quality

Avoiding smoky environments is smart, since “just being around smoke can lead to the release of free radicals that damage skin and hasten aging,” says Diane S. Berson, an assistant clinical professor of dermatology at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University, in New York City. Other indoor pollutants can adversely affect skin, too. Change the air filter in your furnace regularly, and if you cook with oil, use the fan over your range. Also keep in mind that dry indoor air can dehydrate skin and make fine lines more noticeable. Run a humidifier in your bedroom to minimize these problems.

5. Switch to Plain Toothpaste

Those with tartar-control ingredients or added flavors, like cinnamon, may contribute to a common skin condition called perioral dermatitis. It looks like pimples, redness, and scaling around the mouth, says Donofrio. Use a basic paste instead, like Crest Cavity Protection Toothpaste ($4 at drugstores). Note: If you suffer from this problem, see a dermatologist for antibiotics to clear it up.

6. Watch Sun Exposure Indoors

Yes, you read it right: UV rays (in particular UVA rays) can penetrate the windows in your home and office and cause wrinkling and brown spots. The same goes for car windows: Studies have found higher rates of skin cancers on the left side of the face and upper body than on the right, since that side is more exposed when you’re driving. Cancers aside, “many people have more wrinkles and sun damage on the left side of their faces, too,” notes Donofrio. Make protection a no-brainer by always wearing a moisturizer with SPF. Try La Roche-Posay Anthelios SX Daily Moisturizing Cream With Mexoryl ($34).

7. Monitor Your Dairy Intake (If You Have Acne)

Research from the Harvard School of Public Health found that teenage girls who consume a lot of milk are almost 30 percent more likely to have acne than those who drink less, and experts believe the same holds true for adult women prone to serious breakouts. Surprisingly, skim milk seems to be a worse offender than whole milk. Scientists don’t understand exactly why milk products can lead to acne, but some surmise that the natural hormones present in dairy may be to blame, says Leslie Baumann, a dermatologist in Miami Beach, Florida, who notes that even organic milk can cause breakouts. Cottage cheese, instant breakfast drinks, and sherbet are also linked to acne. While cutting back on dairy won’t solve a pimple problem single-handedly, it may make a difference for those who suffer severe breakouts, say experts. (If you go this route, be sure you’re getting enough calcium from other food sources, such as leafy greens, or consider taking a supplement.)

8. Pay Attention to Your Cleanser

It may sound counterintuitive, but if you have dry skin, your choice of face wash may be even more important than your moisturizer. “A nonsoap cleanser is ideal because it helps replace the moisture barrier in the skin,” Donofrio says. “Consider it a preventive approach,” adds Berson. “You can use your cleanser to avoid dryness, eczema, and psoriasis rather than just treating these issues when they flare up.” A good, inexpensive, and natural one that Donofrio likes: Burt’s Bees Orange Essence Facial Cleanser ($8,). That said, applying a moisturizer after you cleanse is still smart. And if you’re using an acne medication, wait 10 minutes after you wash to minimize irritation.

9. Choose Water-Based Hair Products

Some conditioners, as well as pomades, volumizers, and styling creams, contain oils or waxes that can clog pores and create acne, especially on the forehead, the back, and the hairline. Even if you’re careful to avoid getting them on your skin, they can run down your face and body as you shower and when you sweat, or be transferred by your pillowcase while you sleep. Instead, look for water-based formulas and avoid those containing mineral oil, beeswax, or microcrystalline wax. Or consider Kairos hair products, a new line of water-based shampoos, conditioners, and styling aids created to help minimize breakouts (log on to kairosclear. for information).

10. Check Your Medicine Cabinet

Some oral contraceptives, antibiotics, fertility drugs, and antiseizure medications can bring on breakouts, says Jerome Litt, a dermatologist in Beachwood, Ohio. Antihistamines, diuretics, and some antidepressants can cause dry skin. And certain antibiotics, diuretics, and diabetes treatments can make you vulnerable to sun damage. “If you find your skin is reacting more while you’re taking a particular drug, talk to your physician,” says Litt. “He or she may be able to either lower the dosage or switch you to a different medication.”

11. Sleep a Full Night

While you’re snoozing, the skin’s repair mechanisms swing into action, says McBurney. Being sleep-deprived, by contrast, puts stress on the body, causing it to release more adrenaline and cortisol, which can trigger breakouts and other skin problems, says Barbara R. Reed, a clinical professor of dermatology at the University of Colorado, Denver. (And research from China found that insufficient sleep was a significant risk factor for acne among adolescents.) Make getting seven to eight hours of shut-eye your last good-skin move of each day

Zika virus infection – Saint Lucia 20 April

On 7 April 2016, the National IHR Focal Point of Saint Lucia notified PAHO/WHO of the first 2 confirmed cases of locally-acquired Zika virus infection.

• The first case is a 25-year-old male from the Castries district. On 16 March, he experienced fever, pain (joint, head, waist), neck stiffness and lymphadenopathy. Blood samples were collected on 17 March.
• The second case is a 28-year-old pregnant female from the Castries district in Saint Lucia. On 6 March, she experienced fever and rash (chest, hands, wrists, fingers, bottoms of her feet). She was at 9 weeks of gestation at the time of symptom onset. Blood samples were collected on 10 March.

On 29 March, blood samples were sent to the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) for testing and, on 6 April, samples were confirmed positive for Zika virus by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). None of the cases had recent travel history.

Public health response

To date, the Ministry of Health of Saint Lucia has implemented the following public health measures:

• conducting stakeholder consultations with
• the public and private sectors as well as nongovernmental organizations that focus on vector borne disease;
• with the tourism sector (Tourist Board, Ministry of Tourism and St. Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association) that led to a collaborative action plan to reduce the possible economic and health impact of Zika Virus;
• carrying out public awareness campaigns to encourage the public to take action to reduce the breeding of mosquitoes in and around their homes and within their communities;
• organizing clean-up campaigns in collaboration with private and public sector organizations to remove sources of mosquito breeding and to disseminate information on mosquito borne disease prevention;
• strengthening antenatal care to reduce the impact of Zika Virus on neonatal health by providing bed nets to antenatal clinics at the community level, with assistance of PAHO;
• training health care workers and preparing facilities to manage potential congenital malformations (e.g., Guillain-Barre Syndrome and microcephaly);
• strengthening surveillance for Zika virus, microcephaly and Guillain-Barre Syndrome at the two main public hospitals;
• conducting routine Vector control measures.
•  

WHO risk assessment

The detection of autochthonous cases of Zika virus infection indicates that the virus is spreading geographically to previously unaffected areas (Saint Lucia). The notification of autochthonous transmission in a new country does not change the overall risk assessment. The risk of a global spread of Zika virus to areas where the competent vectors, the Aedes mosquitoes, are present is significant given the wide geographical distribution of these mosquitoes in various regions of the world. WHO continues to monitor the epidemiological situation and conduct risk assessment based on the latest available information.

• All patients (male and female) with Zika virus infection and their sexual partners (particularly pregnant women) should receive information about the potential risks of sexual transmission of Zika virus, contraceptive measures and safer sexual practices, and should be provided with condoms when feasible. Women who have had unprotected sex and do not wish to become pregnant because of concern with infection with Zika virus should also have ready access to emergency contraceptive services and counselling.
• Sexual partners of pregnant women, living in or returning from areas where local transmission of Zika virus is known to occur, should use safer sexual practices or abstinence from sexual activity for the duration of the pregnancy.
• As most Zika virus infections are asymptomatic:
• Men and women living in areas where local transmission of Zika virus is known to occur should consider adopting safer sexual practices or abstaining from sexual activity.
• Men and women returning from areas where local transmission of Zika virus is known to occur should adopt safer sexual practices or consider abstinence for at least four weeks after return.

Independently of considerations regarding Zika virus, WHO always recommends the use of safer sexual practices, including the correct and consistent use of condoms to prevent HIV, other sexually transmitted infections and unwanted pregnancies.

Skimp on Sunscreen

Skimp on Sunscreen

"Your sunscreen probably isn't shielding you from sun damage because most of us don't apply the shot-glass-sized amount (1 ounce) of SPF 30 or higher sunscreen -- the minimum experts say we need to protect us.
'Most people under-apply by one-fourth. Whatever you're putting on is probably too little, so at least double it,' says Jeffrey Dover, MD, FRCPC, associate clinical professor of dermatology at Yale University School of Medicine] and director of SkinCare Physicians in Chestnut Hill, Mass. Also, many people also don't apply sunscreen every two hours as dermatologists recommend."

Get Overexposed

Get Overexposed

"There was a time when people thought it was healthy to slather their bodies in baby oil and spend entire days baking in the sun in order to tan their skin. Over the years, dermatologists set us straight, telling us in no uncertain terms that sun worshipping will only put us on the path to premature aging -- and skin cancer.
'If there's one thing in the world that one can do to avoid the ravages of injury to the skin, it's avoid the sun,' says Norman Levine, MD, a dermatologist in Tucson, Arizona Ariz., and the author of Skin Healthy: Everyone's Guide to Great Skin. 'When the sun damages the cells and deeper skin tissues irreparably you get skin aging and you are more prone to skin cancer.'" *

Smoke

Smoke

"If the risk of lung cancer, emphysema, heart disease, and stroke aren't enough to scare you off cigarettes, how about all those wrinkles you'll get?
Study after study shows just how extensively smoking ages the skin. 'It does a lot of what the sun does. It just does it inside (the body) instead of outside,' Dover says. 'It makes the skin weak, tired, and listless looking.'
If that weren't enough, smoking also yellows the skin, interferes with its blood supply, and slows wound healing. 'So if you injure your skin it may not heal as well if you're a smoker,' Levine says."

Head to the Tanning Bed

Head to the Tanning Bed

"Think a tanning bed is safer than being outside in the sun? Think again.
Tanning beds give you a concentrated burst of ultraviolet light that causes skin aging and will increase your risk for melanoma skin cancer. 'Never go into a tanning parlor,' Levine says. 'There couldn't be a worse thing to do to your skin.'"