Smelly mee?

I was just pushing up the last of the three roller shutters in front of my retail pharmacy when from the corner of my eye I saw my loyal customer Mr Cheong, a gambling junkie, hurrying towards me.

I turned to him and beamed my best smile of the day at him

Good Morning Uncle Cheong! So how were the results last night? Won big again eh?

Shhh! You don't have to trumpet everything to the whole town, right! No lah... just small sum only. Enough to go on a trip to China with my missus only. But come, Ah Lim, I need to ask you something..

I led him pass the glass entrance, switched on the lights and the air conditioning. I invited him to take a seat by the consultation table and blurted out, out of habit ,my usual greeting to all my customers.

So how may I be of service to you...

Ah Lim, I know you all these years, you're still so formal. You'll never change. I want to ask you if you smell me or not.

Puzzled at why he should ask such a question that is totally out of context, I questioned him hesitantly..

What ...mee? Mee goreng ...or hokkien mee?

He looked cross

What? You are trying to be funny is it? Want to be a clown, go join a circus! I asked you properly if you can smell any bad smell from me or not, you make fun and talk about mee goreng..

I could almost feel the acid in my stomach burning its way up my gullet...Damn! What a blunder! I thought to myself, then putting on my most contrite face I quickly apologised.

Uncle Cheong, I really am sorry, I didn't know what you were talking about..

Hoping to redeem myself, I quickly dove into the subject matter..

Ok.. regarding your concern about your body odour.. is there any particular reason why you brought this up?

He gave an embarrassed smile

Last night while I was getting ready to sleep, my wife asked me to get a bath because she say I stink. I just took my bath less than 2 hours ago and she say I stink. I don't smell anything but to please her, I went to have another shower... Today I need to meet a few important business clients. I dont want to go there and spoil my chances of getting the deal just because they can smell me..

Suppressing a grin, I told him

Uncle Cheong, it is usual for us not to detect our own body odour unless it is quite strong and by that time, others around us would have gotten a good dose of the smell. Today, so far, I do not detect any odour from you,honestly. But I would...

Ok. good...

He interrupted

I've got to go for my meeting now.. I'll come back at lunch time and you can tell me how to get rid of my problem for good...

He whizzed out and disappeared before I could tell him to calm down so he wouldn't perspire so much and wish him luck in his business deal.

Sunblocks - Choice?

How does sunblock work?

As the name so states, sunblock blocks off the ultravoilet radiation and prevents it from penetrating and damagaing the skin.  Depending on the ingredients, the preparation, when applied and left to dry forms a layer on the skin and this reflects the UV radiation away. The active ingredients used in sunblocks can be either synthesized or naturally occuring. The latter is also known as physical sunblocks. These utilise the physical properties of its ingredients like zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide to reflect the radiation from the surface of the skin. Recent research directs users to go for the combination of zinc oxide and titanium dioxide preparations as these give better coverage against both UVA and UVB.

Choice of Sunblock

Some 10-20 years ago, sunblock usage was unpopular because the zinc oxide and titanium dioxide particles are large by comparison and upon application would be like a mask of white on the user. Nowadays, with the technology of micronisation, the preparations, which come in various formulations of gels, creams, lotions, spray-ons, are more cosmetically acceptable. Upon application and leaving it to dry on the skin, some preparations are so sheer that they could be hardly noticeable.

With environmental presevation awareness, users of chemical sunblocks like those which contain octinoxate, oxybenzone, 4-methylbenzylidene camphor and  those with preservatives butylparaben are decreasing. Some of these chemicals have been known to be absorbed through the skin into the body to cause a host of side effects from low birth weight babies to allergies. Others find their way to the coral reefs and increase the stress on the organisms there, resulting in coral bleaching and possibly also inducing the proliferation of some coral virus.

SPF and skin health

What is SPF?

SPF is the acronym for "Sun Protection Factor".

What does this mean?

It is the number which indicates approximately how many times more protection (in terms of exposure time) one would get when one applies the product on the skin as compared to unprotected skin. As an example, if your skin takes 5min under the sun to begin showing signs of injury (by changing colour or feel hot to the touch), applying a product with SPF 20 would give you  about 20x5min or 100min  before the skin begins to show the same signs under the same sun or ultra violet light intensity.

What is ultraviolet radiation and what does it do?

The sun generates and sends towards earth a vast spectrum of light energy of different wavelengths. The visible range is where our eyes are sensitive to and closest to this range, at either end, is the infra red and the ultraviolet range. The ultra violet range is that which causes skin damage. Recent studies have shown that three sets of wavelengths penetrate the skin and interact with the skin in different ways. UVB radiation affects the outer layers of the skin, the epidermis and the uppermost part of the dermis by causing skin dryness and burns. UVA penetrates deeper into the dermis, damaging the collagen and elastin fibres that hold up the structure of the skin, resulting in wrinkles and aging. . It also damages the DNA in the skin cell nucleus and makes the skin susceptible to cancer cell formation. Then there is UVC, the most potent and dangerous to the skin. Fortunately, the ozone layer of the earth has filtered off most of this radiation. However, with the presence of CFCs and other ozone-depleting gases polluting the upper atmosphere, and causing holes in the ozone, more of this UVC radiation is finding its way increasingly into our environment. Click on the link below and check out the animation which summarises the effects of uv radiation on the skin.

http://www.mydr.com.au/skin-hair/animation-uv-radiation-damages-your-skin

http://www.webmd.com/melanoma-skin-cancer/slideshow-sun-damaged-skin?ecd=wnl_wmh_060109

How much protection do I need?

Latest studies and dermatological reports indicate that UV damage has occured even before the skin feels any degree of discomfort or exhibits any sign of redness. The advice nowadays is generally to use some degree of protection even when there is no direct contact with the sun. This is because the skin is exposed to UV radiation from computer and television screens, fluorescent lights and some neon lights. Experts advise applying a moisturising lotion with a minimum of SPF20 twice to thrice daily while at home. and if there is exposure to direct sunlight as during participating in sporting or recreational events, then the higher the SPF and moisturising effect, the better. As water and perspiration can diminish the effect of sunblock, be sure to towel off and reapply regularly when participating in high energy or water sports or, look out for formulas that specifically state it is intended to be waterproof and suitable for use during sports.

... more to come soon