Researchers from multiple institutions, including Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, looked at the top-rated one percent of sunscreens on Amazon to see whether people are picking the sunscreens that provide the best protection. Researchers picked the sunscreens that had both the highest ratings and highest number of reviews by consumers on Amazon.
Given that the marketplace has led you in the right direction with so many other consumer products, you might be wondering whether it’s a good place to read up on the sunscreen you’ve been meaning to buy as summer kicks into high gear. The answer, according to a study published Wednesday by Shuai Xu of Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, is yes and no.
“If the dermatologist did not check their entire body, these skin cancers would be missed,” said lead author Dr. Murad Alam. He is vice chair of dermatology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, in Chicago. His team reviewed the medical records of more than 1,000 patients for the study, which is scheduled for publication in September in the International Journal of Women’s Dermatology.
While patients often ask Murad Alam, a professor and vice chair of dermatology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, if something bad will happen if they decide to discontinue treatments, the answer, he said, is “a very unequivocal and certain no.”
“If the finding can be translated in humans, they have to show that cortisol can push growing hair follicles into the rest phase,” said Rui Yi, a professor in the departments of pathology and dermatology at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, who was not involved in the study.
“This is a compelling first step in defining a potential relationship between maternal diet and allergy risk,” said Dr. Peter Lio, a clinical assistant professor of dermatology and pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, in Chicago.
“Research shows that over a quarter of all patient visits involve a skin-related problem, which means all physicians must be able to identify dermatologic conditions, no matter their specialty,” said Dr. Steve Xu, a board-certified dermatologist, Assistant Professor of Dermatology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, and the study’s primary investigator. “Our research demonstrates a clear need for diagnostic tools like VisualDx in the exam room to make specialist knowledge readily accessible for the benefit of both the patient and the provider.”
It’s showing up in young people too, according to Dr. Amy Paller of Northwestern University, who is part of a pediatric dermatology registry also collecting images of patients’ toes. Among the theories: Is it just inflammation triggered by an infection instead of the cold? Is the virus irritating the lining of blood vessels in the skin, or perhaps causing microscopic blood clots?
Dr. Amy Paller, chair of the department of dermatology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, said one possible explanation is that these patients had such a mild disease and that viral replication was limited, making the virus undetectable.
Although there are no conclusive studies connecting this rash to COVID-19, “we are seeing this in unprecedented numbers during the COVID-19 pandemic, so we have to think that there might be a relationship,” Dr. Amy Paller, the chair of the Department of Dermatology at Northwestern University School of Medicine, said.