Americans At Risk For Premature Skin Aging From The Sun—Even WhenIndoors (NAPSA)—You may be out of the sun but your skin’s not necessarily out of danger. Nearly two-thirds of Americans feel they are safe from the sun’s damaging rays while indoors, according to a new survey, when, in fact, UVA rays from the sun can pass through glass and lead to premature skin aging. Even among those who are aware that skin damage from the sun’s UVA rays can occur while inside, nearly 80 percent seldom use sun precaution. One thousand (1,000) times more UVAradiation reaches the earth’s surface than UVBradiation, and it penetrates the skin deeper, causing facial fine wrinkling and certain types of dark and light spots on the skin. Fortunately, for millions of Americans, there’s something they can now do aboutit. When used as part of a complete sun protection and sun avoidance program, new prescription retinoid creams, such as AVAGE™ (tazarotene) Cream 0.1%, visibly reduce the facial fine wrinkles and certain types of skin discoloration on the face caused by overexposureto the sun. In clinical studies, up to 82 percent of AVAGE™ Cream users had visible improvement in the reduction of certain types of dark spots on the face, and up to 58 percent had significant improvement in facial fine wrinkles after just 24 weeks. “The UV rays of the sun actually cause physical changes both Barbara Katz, who uses the Some of the unsightly signs of sun-damaged skin are fine lines, wrinkles, dark spots and light blotches. on and beneath the skin’s surface, resulting in facial fine wrinkling and certain types of facial discoloration. AVAGE™ Cream is different from department store and drugstore anti-wrinkle remedies, which work primarily at the surface of the skin, exfoliating at the outermost level,” said Diane Berson, M.D., assistant professor, Department of Dermatology at Cornell Medical Center. “It works by penetrating the skin’s surface to provide a visible improvement in the appearance of the facial skin. It does not eliminate or pre- vent wrinkles, repair the damage caused by the sun, reverse photoaging, or restore more youthful skin, but it can improve the look of the skin.” “Years of exposure to the sun have taken their toll on my skin. I didn’t use to pay attention to protecting my skin from the sun, and now I’m sorry,” said cream. “I was self-conscious about the fine wrinkles and blotchy dark spots on my face, but luckily my doctor treated me with AVAGE™ Cream, and my skin looks noticeably improved.” The cream is safe and generally well tolerated. In clinical trials, reported side effects were mild to moderate in intensity, and were typically limited to the skin. Patients may experience mild to moderate side effects before seeing results. “As with all retinoid therapies, results may vary,” said Dr. Berson. “I encourage my patients to be patient, because facial fine wrinkles do not show improvement overnight. It can take weeks and sometimes months to achieve the desired results.” The most commonside effect is desquamation (exfoliation, or flaking of the skin) at 40 percent, which showsthe active ingredient is working. Pregnant women should not use AVAGE™ Cream. Patients must not be pregnant when starting to use AVAGE™ Cream, and must avoid using the product while pregnant. Patients who can become pregnant need to talk to their doctor about effective birth control before they start to use AVAGE”™ Cream. Full prescribing information for AVAGE™ Cream can be viewed at www.avage.com. People are encouraged to see a board certified dermatologist or plastic surgeon to see if the cream is right for them.
