The Denver Post reports that the Food and Drug Administration has announced new rules specifying that sunscreen manufacturers must label their products as having passed tests examining the sunscreen’s ability to protect people from ultraviolet rays, both UVB and UVA rays.

The New York Times, “While entomologists say that the mild weather in much of the country this winter is unlikely to spawn a tick population explosion this spring and summer, they suggest that just like humans and dogs, the pesky critters appear to be enjoying the great outdoors a month or two earlier this year.”

The key to a rosy, healthy-looking complexion may be as simple as eating more fruits and vegetables, researchers say.

USA Today reports, “Eighteen states are considering measures banning the use of indoor tanning devices for those under 18, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures,” while “five more are weighing increased regulation, such as requiring parental consent.

The New York Times reports that in Idaho, “lawmakers and public health experts…are confronting a problem that they say has developed in one of its newer panoramas: suburban strip malls dotted with salons like Beach Club, Jamaca Me Tan, Planet Beach and Tan du Soleil.”

CBS reports that the Food and Drug Administration has warned that some “skin creams, soaps and lotions that are manufactured overseas and sold in some US shops might contain toxic amounts of mercury.”

The Washington Post reviews the safety of ultraviolet lamps in gel manicures, citing a 2009 Archives of Dermatology article about two women who developed non-melanoma skin cancer on their hands after such exposure to UV lamps.

Reuters reports that according to an analysis conducted by scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published online in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, tattoos and piercings made by amateurs may increase the risk for hepatitis C.

The Los Angeles Times “Booster Shots” blog reported, “In one of the most comprehensive health examinations of body piercing, researchers have found that the wildly popular fashion statement is relatively safe, although about 20% of piercings become infected,” according to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Dermatology.

Breast-feeding exclusively is recommended for a baby’s first six months of life, followed by continued breast-feeding along with food until a baby is at least 12 months old, the American Academy of Pediatrics reaffirms in a new policy statement.

The AP reported, “The California Department of Public Health sent out a medical alert to health care professionals earlier this month, calling on them to notify the state of potential mercury poisoning cases and to ask their patients to stop using” skin-lightening creams made in Mexico.

ABC World News reported, “Here’s a surprising fact we learned. There are more tanning salons in America than there are Starbucks. It is a huge, booming business. But some members of Congress warned today that it is also built on massive deception.”

USA Today reports, “A half-million-dollar study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found no obvious medical explanation for a mysterious and controversial skin disease whose sufferers report a crawling sensation on or under their skin and fibers emerging from it.”

The Los Angeles Times “Booster Shots” blog reports that “kids are really bad about using sunscreen consistently,” according to a study published in Pediatrics.

The AP reports, “Dermatologists will soon get some high-tech help deciding which suspicious-looking moles should be removed and checked for melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.”

So, you or your child have a wart. Should you treat it with an over-the-counter product containing 50% salicylic acid (aspirin)? Or, should you have your doctor freeze it? Which is more effective?

Indoor tanning beds may be even more likely to cause skin cancer than previously believed. New research published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology suggests that the main type of ultraviolet rays used in tanning beds – UVA1 – may penetrate to a deep layer of skin that is most vulnerable to the cancer-causing changes caused by UV rays.

California has become the first state to ban teenagers under the age of 18 from using tanning beds. I suspect there will be more.

The New York Times (Subscription Publication) “Well” blog reports, ”People who frequently use tanning beds experience changes in brain activity during their tanning sessions that mimic the patterns of drug addiction,” according to a study appearing in the journal Addiction Biology.

The Wall Street Journal reports (for subscribers) that the newest generation of sunless self-tanning products smells better, looks more natural, goes on more evenly, and helps smooth wrinkles. Some even contain sunscreen.

Here are six tanning and sunscreen myths for your Labor Day Holiday weekend from MedScape:

ColdSore-FX is a new topical product promoted for cold sores. Is it worth considering?

WebMD reports, ”Spider bites aren’t as common as most people and most doctors think, according to a new analysis” published in the The Lancet.

It turns out that an aspirin a day may keep melanoma at bay, according to a new study. 

The Food and Drug Administration’s long-awaited announcement of significant changes to sunscreen labeling was widely reported both by television and print media. The changes will empower us, as consumers, to make better decisions in choosing a product to prevent sun damage as well as reduce overall confusion about sunscreens. From now on, the gold standard is broad-spectrum protection.

The National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention has declared the Friday before Memorial Day, which kicks off the summer, a “Don’t Fry Day.” Here are five tips from the Council that I first posted last year:

Memorial Day weekend marks the beginning of the summer season for most of us. So, now that summer is officially here and everyone is spending some quality time outside — which means protecting ourselves and our kids from mosquitoes and other insects.

A recent survey is revealing that a majority of young women admit to using tanning by both the use of tanning beds and basking in the sun. Both are potentially dangerous, a fact not realized by many who tan.

USA Today reports, “Since 1992, rates of melanoma – once considered an old person’s disease – have risen 3% a year in white women ages 15 to 39, according to the American Cancer Society.” Alarmingly, many young women who are developing melanoma have spent time tanning indoors at salons.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has released a new report urging a ban on allowing minors to use tanning beds.