Melanoma and Red Hair

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Red-hair gene tied to melanoma

It's no secret that fair-skinned redheads have a higher risk of melanoma. Now, an Australian group has identified the genetic link. People with dangerous variants of a gene called the melanocortin-1 receptor (MC1R) have at least double the risk of contracting skin cancer, even if they have medium or olive skin, researchers said here today. "The [variants] associated with red hair are the ones with greatly increased risk of melanoma," says Richard Sturm of the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia, lead author of the study. Redheads are known to have about a five times higher risk of melanoma than people with dark hair.

Although exposure to ultraviolet light places people at risk for melanoma, genetic factors also play a role. People face a high risk of melanoma if they have fair skin, red hair, blue eyes, freckles, or a tendency to react to sun by burning rather than tanning.

Sturm's group has spent the last few years trying to pinpoint the specific genes that underlie these risk factors. They focused on the MC1R gene because it varies greatly among Caucasians, he says, and because variants of the gene specify whether a person has red hair.

The type of MC1R gene a person carries also determines whether he or she produces the kind of melanin typical of fair-skinned people, called pheomelanin, or that typical of brown-skinned people, called eumelanin. "It's the gene that determines your tanning potential," Sturm says.

Because of the protective effects of eumelanin, dark-skinned peoples - such as African-Americans or Australian aborigines - generally do not develop melanoma, although they can develop other forms of skin cancer and other sun-induced skin damage such as premature aging.

In a small preliminary study, the Australian team examined 111 people at high risk and 109 people at low risk for three types of skin cancer. The researchers then checked to see which alleles of the MC1R gene were present. The results showed that the presence of any of the three alleles for red hair triple the risk of skin cancer and melanoma.

To confirm these results in a larger study, the Australian team tested for variants of the gene in 459 Australians with melanoma and 399 research participants who did not have melanoma.

People with one of the three dangerous MC1R variants were twice as common in the melanoma group as in the control group. People who were homozygous for the red-hair alleles had four times the incidence of having skin cancer as people with the wild-type MC1R gene. But even carriers with darker hair and medium or olive complexions had more than twice the risk of developing melanoma.

Sturm plans to develop a genetic test that could let people know their risk more accurately than a self-assessment of skin and hair color. Still, everyone, no matter what his or her genetic make-up, needs to limit sun exposure, Sturm says. "Anyone who thinks they're protected because they have a wild-type genotype is fooling themselves.

This was extracted from an article I was reading.

Graying hair and Skin Cancer

Cause of gray hair may help in finding the cause of skin cancer

Surprisingly, researchers have found the one of the factors that can cause graying hair may also prove to be a cure for skin cancer. In a study published in the on-line medical journal 'Science', scientists have found ample similarities between the causes of your hair turning grey and the highly deadly form of skin cancer known as melanoma.

This study states that the loss of hair color is caused by a gradual dying of adult stem cells that generate the melanocyte cells which in turn make the pigment in hair follicles. The melanocytes produce pigments that makes our hair appear brown, blond or red. When the stem cells, from which melanocytes are made, become depleted in hair follicles, there is a subsequent loss of pigment producing ability and consequently, your hair loses color and turns grey. A striking similarity is seen in skin cancer, as same stem cell system fails to work correctly in the formation of malignant melanoma cells. These are cells that manufacture pigments that proliferate uncontrollably and produce cancerous tumors known as melanomas in the skin.

The authors of this study are focussing more of their attention towards finding some solution to the problem of skin cancer and not merely on stopping the graying hair. Scientists are hopeful that this discovery could lead to a successful treatment for melanoma, which can prevent the deadly form of cancer from spreading or even forming in the first place. Thousands of people develop this type of cancer in America and worldwide, but unfortunately it is an aggressive form of cancer that is very difficult to treat successfully. It is estimated that malignant melanoma kills approximately 7,900 Americans each year.

More research and findings are needed to successfully establish a definite relationship between gray hair development and melanoma cancer, which would lead to a better understanding about the growth of malignant melanoma cancers. This understanding would help in making a cure to curb the unwanted growth of these cancers.

It is said that most scientific discoveries are revealed by accident, and such accidents are always welcomed in the scientific community, for, they lead to many astounding and wonderful concepts that have helped mankind. This study may be one example of an accidental discovery that leads to a significant advance in the treatment of disease.

From a hair stylist in mission viejo.

Hair Color: A Colorful Review

A STYLIST IN MISSION VIEJO CALIF. Here in Mission Viejo salon where I work....I was chatting with Sofia..Well maybe in a dream. No matter if you live in Europe or in the United States. It does not matter if you are famous we all want to be the best we can be. Hair color is crucial to enhance or detract. South Orange County hair does not have many celebrities but we have a lot of wanna be ones. A look back on hair's colorful history reveals its dark and sometimes laughable past. Hair styling here in Orange County might be a bit uninteresting at times but really for the most of the people..we look pretty damn good..well except around that Market Place area. The hair fashion police should patrol and arrest some of the women that go out of the house looking like Rosanne Barr on a bad day. Actress Sophia Loren Rodeo Drive Walk Of Style 09-09-03 Michael Yada A.M.P.A.S. All Rights Reserved Most women who describe themselves to a blind date start with their hair color. Why? Partly because we all bring up weight last. Even slender women are sensitive on this one. But more so, because of the emotional connection between a woman and her hair color is based on thousands of years of psychological mystique. When you select a hair color, you not only make a statement about yourself, you tell the world who you are and with whom you want jot be associated. A pretty heady concept for what seems simply cosmetic, but recall what Jane Russell, Liz Taylor and Sophia Loren did for brunettes. Raven-haired beauties owe their reputation for being sultry and exotic to such silver-screen sirens. Then, there's Jennifer Lopez and Catherine Zeta Jones! Actress Catherine Zeta Jones 2nd Annual A Fine Romance Fundraiser 11-18-06 DailyCeleb.com All Rights Reserved As for redheads, Rita Hayworth and Maureen O'Hara forever secured the idea that those formerly dubbed as "carrot-tops" are both fiery and passionate (an idea Nicole Kidman helps along), while blondes were never looked at in the same way after Marilyn and Mansfield. Of course, Madonna has made every color hot! Rumor And Humor Hair color history is filled with both rumor and humor, but its timeline does reveal what we're attracted to when we select a color and where the roots of cultural attitudes lie. Archaeologists believe that cave men used minerals, insects and plants to paint their bodies and hair to appeal or repel, though no one has yet discovered the first color to bewitch the Neanderthal man. In 27 BC (which could be thought of as "pre-carrot-top"), the Gauls dyed their hair red to indicate class rank. But in the Dark Ages, red was associated with witchcraft. Probably because the first documented natural redhead, an actual genetic error, appeared in Scotland about this time. Image Of Redhaired Queen Elizabeth I From Book - Queen Elizabeth I CEO by Alan Axelrod Alan Axelrod All Rights Reserved Queen Elizabeth gave regal red its proper place in history when her auburn tresses were imitated to reflect royal class and today Fergie carries on the blueblood torch. Blonde, it seems, has always been considered the most alluring to men. Roman law decreed that yellow or blonde was to be worn by "women of the night," perhaps the first indication that blondes were having more fun. Renaissance women favored golden hues, by then considered angelic, and enhanced them by mixing black sulfur, alum and honey, applying it to their hair and spreading their tresses over a brimless hat until the sun helped them achieve the shade they desired. Centuries later when bleaches were developed, Hollywood's blonde bombshells put the angelic image to rest and created the blonde "bad girl" who is synonymous with sexy. While brunettes, who make up more than 60 percent of the population, never got the reputation or social attention that blondes and redheads did, they always had the greatest variety of shades to choose from, since early hair color, such as henna, indigo, sage and chamomile, could only darken hair—not lighten it. Because so much of the Asian, south American and African population fell into the brunette category, it came to connote exotic to Europeans. Hair Color Formulations Actress Halle Berry Los Angeles Premiere of "Things We Lost In The Fire" 10-15-07 DailyCeleb.com All Rights Reserved As attitudes about color changed, so did hair color formulations. Egyptian henna (now experiencing a resurgence in popularity because of its natural appeal) and mixtures made from plants and insects were the first hair colors. Natural ingredients, limited as they were, remained the essence of hair color until the 19th century. In the 1800s, men began using silver nitrate to darken their mustaches and in 1825, the first real hair color formulation was developed. Grecian Water—a mixture of distilled water, silver nitrate and gum water—was highly popular until it was discovered that after repeated usage it turned hair purple. As history is inclined to repeat itself, hair now turns slightly green when "gray coverage" products that contain metallic salts, continue to oxidize on hair. In 1859, a German student, working with coal tar, diluted it with alcohol and the result was a purple dye. This lead to the first synthetic dye to be used on fabrics and hair, and later, to 20th century dyes, which were compounded from petroleum products. Modern formulations, which can look natural and leave hair in beautiful condition, were fast to follow, rapidly changing attitudes about hair color and the women who use it. Color Hair With Pride Hair From Bygone Era In the '20s, henna re-emerged as the color of choice. The '30s saw hair color go back in the closet because only 'loose girls" used it. By the end of the '30s, women admitted they colored their hair – and reveled in it. Still, tints could only darken hair and harsh bleach was required to lighten it. Then, in 1950, came the first real breakthrough that lightened hair without bleach. Clairol introduced Miss Clairol Hair Color Bath, which lightened and tinted in a single step, making blonde an easy thing to be. With this watershed discovery, color took off. Spray-in colors became popular in the '50s, and the '60s saw the introduction of shampoo-in color. Henna re-emerged as a favorite and by the '80s, women had the choice of temporary, permanent, semi-permanent and now, semi-permanent color, which combines the gentleness of semi-permanent with no-fade properties of permanent hair color. In addition to henna, we now have vegetable dyes, to satisfy those with a "natural" bent. Alexis Bledel DailyCeleb.com All Rights Reserved Laboratories throughout the world are now working on the first laser color. While lasers can lighten in a nanosecond, the process has yet to be controlled. Unless you want to go from black to white blonde (or maybe hairless) in a lightening flash, forget lasers for the time being. They're more perfected for use in hair removal. Given all these modern choices, the biggest question women now face is "What's best for me?" But before you make the leap, consider this: While you might be tempted to select a color based on your wildest fantasies, your best bet is to match your eye color and skin tone. In general, cool skin and eye tones are best complemented with cool or "ash" shades. Warm, golden skin and eye tones look most natural with warm hair colors, such as golden blonde, burnished brunette or red. Any color can be warm or cool, depending on its primary base. The manufacturer's name usually indicates into which category a color fails. Natural Hair Color Jessica Alba DailyCeleb.com All Rights Reserved If you prefer a natural look, also stay within a few shades of your natural hair color. (Hairdressers refer to shades as levels. Those levels range from one, which is black, to 10, which is pale blonde.) Go a bit lighter or darker, more golden or red, but avoid going from rich, dark brown to blazing red, unless daring is your style. Also, the farther you move from your natural hair color, the more obvious your roots will be as they grow out. Women who defect from brunette to auburn may not have to touch-up their roots for as long as two months, but if you're brunette and want to be a pale blonde, you can expect roots to be visible in as little as four weeks. As for color categories, temporaries wash out, semi-permanent shades slowly fade in four to six weeks and permanent colors are just that. So, if you're certain you like the color, it's less costly to choose a permanent hair color. At Home Hair Color Madonna 2006 Vanity Fair Oscar Party 03-05-06 DailyCeleb.com All Rights Reserved Hair condition matters, too. If your hair is permed or relaxed, semi-permanent color is an advantageous choice because it's gentler on hair that's been previously exposed to chemicals. (Never bleach relaxed hair.) The new semi-permanent or long-lasting semi-permanent colors, the newest color category, combine gentleness with long-lasting shades for one of the best choices yet. And if you're just experimenting, sheer or slightly tinted color glossers add healthy looking sheen and shine without noticeably altering your natural color. Whatever color you choose, use a color refresher shampoo to extend the life of your hair color—and your budget. To create a quick color rinse at home, steep chamomile flowers and use when the water has cooled to extend a blonde; mix rosemary with strong, dark tea to add luster to a brunette; try saffron to brighten a red. Experiment with customizing an herbal rinse yourself, but avoid acidic fruits, such as lemons, and strong vegetable colors. Over time, their effect is too uncontrollable, as thousands of women in the Ukraine Alicia Keys DailyCeleb.com All Rights Reserved and Russia can attest from using a beet juice rinse to achieve red. As hair grows out, the uncolored re-growth takes on some color while the older, porous ends grab and retain lots. Sun exposure enhances the effect. The result looks like the rings of a tree stump—in several shades. Read hair color instructions carefully and when in doubt, always do a test on a small strand first. But if you've made a mistake, don't hide under a hat for months. Salons have color removers that take you right back to where you started, where hopefully, history won't repeat itself. Summary A look back on hair's colorful history reveals its dark and sometimes laughable past. Archaeologists believe that cave men used minerals, insects and plants to paint their bodies and hair to appeal or repel, though no one has yet discovered the first color to bewitch the Neanderthal man. Hair color history is filled with both rumor and humor, but its timeline does reveal what we're attracted to when we select a color and where the roots of cultural attitudes lie.

Chemotherapy and hair loss: What to expect during treatment

Chemotherapy and hair loss:

Find out what to expect when it comes to chemotherapy and hair loss. Plan to use your energy staying healthy rather than worrying about how you look.

You might not think about how important your hair is until you face losing it. And if you have cancer and are about to undergo chemotherapy, the chance of hair loss is very real. Both men and women report hair loss as one of the side effects they fear most after being diagnosed with cancer.

Whether or not you have hair loss from your chemotherapy depends mostly on the type and dose of medication you receive. But whether you can maintain a healthy body image after hair loss depends a lot on your attitude and the support of your friends and family.

Chemotherapy and hair loss: Why does it occur?

Chemotherapy drugs are powerful medications that attack rapidly growing cancer cells. Unfortunately, these drugs also attack other rapidly growing cells in your body — including those in your hair roots.

Chemotherapy may cause hair loss all over your body — not just on your scalp. Sometimes your eyelash, eyebrow, armpit, pubic and other body hair also falls out. Some chemotherapy drugs are more likely than others to cause hair loss, and different doses can cause anything from a mere thinning to complete baldness. Talk to your doctor or nurse about the medication you'll be taking. Your doctor or nurse can tell you what to expect.

Fortunately, most of the time hair loss from chemotherapy is temporary. You can expect to regrow a full head of hair six months to a year after your treatment ends, though your hair may temporarily be a different shade or texture.

MORE ON THIS TOPIC

• Chemotherapy: Drug treatment uses chemicals to kill cancer cells

Chemotherapy and hair loss: What should you expect?

Hair usually begins falling out 10 to 14 days after you start treatment. It could fall out very quickly in clumps or gradually. You'll likely notice accumulations of loose hair on your pillow, in your hairbrush or in your sink or shower drain.

Your hair loss will continue throughout your treatment and up to a month afterward. Whether your hair thins or you become completely bald will depend on your treatment. Generally, you can lose about 50 percent of your hair before it's noticeable to other people.

It takes about four to six weeks for your hair to recover from chemotherapy. In general, you can expect about a quarter inch of growth each month.

When your hair starts to grow back, it will probably be slightly different from the hair you lost. But the difference is usually temporary. Your new hair might have a different texture or color. It might be curlier than it was before, or it could be gray until the cells that control the pigment in your hair begin functioning again.

Chemotherapy and hair loss: Can hair loss be prevented?

No treatment exists that can guarantee your hair won't fall out during or after chemotherapy. The best way for you to deal with impending hair loss is to plan ahead and focus on making yourself comfortable with your appearance before, during and after your cancer treatment.

Several treatments have been investigated as possible ways to prevent hair loss, but none has been absolutely effective, including:

• Scalp hypothermia (cryotherapy). During your chemotherapy, ice packs or similar devices are placed on your head to slow blood flow to your scalp. This way, chemotherapy drugs are less likely to have an effect on your scalp. Studies of scalp hypothermia have found it works somewhat in the majority of people who have tried it. However, the procedure also causes a small risk of cancer recurring in your scalp, as this area doesn't receive the same dose of chemotherapy as the rest of your body. Most people who try this procedure find it to be uncomfortable and very cold.
• Minoxidil (Rogaine). Applying minoxidil — a drug approved for pattern hair loss in men and women — to your scalp before and during chemotherapy isn't likely to prevent your hair loss, although some research shows it may speed up your hair regrowth. More research is needed to understand whether minoxidil is effective in regrowing hair after cancer treatment.

MORE ON THIS TOPIC

• Minoxidil (Topical Route)

Chemotherapy and hair loss: How to make the best of it

Your hair loss generally can't be prevented or controlled, but it can be managed. Take the following steps throughout your treatment to minimize the frustration and anxiety associated with hair loss.

Before treatment

• Be gentle to your hair. Get in the habit of being kind to your hair. Don't bleach, color or perm your hair — this can weaken it. Air-dry your hair as much as possible and avoid heating devices such as curling irons and hot rollers. Strengthening your hair now might make it more likely to stay in your head a little longer during treatment.
• Consider cutting your hair. Short hair tends to look fuller than long hair. So as your hair falls out, it won't be as noticeable if you have short hair. Also, if you have long hair, going short might help you make a better transition to total hair loss.
• Plan ahead for a head covering. Now is the time to start thinking about wigs, scarves or other head coverings. Whether you choose to wear a head covering to conceal your hair loss is up to you. But it's easier to plan for it now rather than later. Ask your doctor to write a prescription for a wig, the cost of which may be covered by your health insurance.

During treatment

• Baby your remaining hair. Continue your gentle hair strategies throughout your chemotherapy treatment. Try using a satin pillowcase, which is less likely to attract and catch fragile hair. Use a soft brush. Wash your hair only as often as necessary. Consider using a gentle shampoo. Stay away from shampoos with strong detergents and chemicals that can dry out your scalp, including salicylic acid, alcohol and strong fragrances.
• Consider shaving your head. Some people report that their scalp feels itchy, sensitive and irritated during their treatment and while their hair is falling out. Shaving your head can reduce the irritation and save the embarrassment of shedding. Some men shave their heads because they feel it looks better than the patchy hair loss they might be experiencing. Also, a shaved head might be easier for securing a wig or hairpiece.
• Protect your scalp. If your head is going to be exposed to the sun or to cold air, protect it with sunscreen or a head covering. Your scalp may be sensitive as you go through treatment, so extreme cold or sunshine can easily irritate it even more. Having no hair or having less hair can make you feel cold, so a head covering may make you more comfortable.

After treatment

• Continue gentle hair care. Your new hair growth will be especially fragile and vulnerable to the damage caused by styling products and heating devices. Hold off on coloring or bleaching your new hair for at least six months. Besides damaging new hair, processing could irritate your sensitive scalp.
• Be patient. It's likely that your hair will come back slowly and that it might not look normal right away. But growth takes time, and it also takes time to repair the damage caused by your cancer treatment.

Chemotherapy and hair loss: Cover your head

Covering your head as your hair falls out is a purely personal decision. For many women hair is associated with femininity and health, so they choose to maintain that look by wearing a wig. Others choose hats and scarves. Still others choose not to cover their heads at all.

Ask your doctor or a hospital social worker about resources in your area to help you find the best head covering for you. Look Good...Feel Better is a free program that provides hair and beauty makeovers and tips to women with cancer. These classes are offered throughout the United States and in several other countries. Many classes are offered through local chapters of the American Cancer Society. Look Good...Feel Better also offers classes for teens with cancer, as well as a Web site especially for men.

Radiation therapy also can cause hair loss

Radiation therapy also attacks quickly growing cells in your body, but unlike chemotherapy, it affects only the specific area where treatment is concentrated. If you have radiation to your head, you'll likely lose the hair on your head.

Your hair usually begins growing back after your treatments end. But whether it grows back to its original thickness and fullness depends on your treatment. Different types of radiation and different doses will have different effects on your hair. Higher doses of radiation can cause permanent hair loss. Talk to your doctor about what dose you'll be receiving so that you'll know what to expect.

Radiation therapy also affects your skin. The treatment area is likely to be red and may look sunburned or tanned. If your radiation treatment is to your head, it's a good idea to cover your head with a protective hat or scarf because your skin will be sensitive to cold and sunlight. Wigs and other hairpieces might irritate your scalp.

Hair Loss and Cancer

There has been a lot of loss throughout the years. Many many of us have lost friends and loved ones to cancer. Many of us have many friends that are survivors. In the business I am in I have been exposed to the many emotions that disease can bring.
Hair loss and the possibility of it can be very emotional for women. So much is placed upon a woman and her hair. Long beautiful hair,full hair..playboy bunny hair, Pamela Anderson hair.
I do believe there is power in shaving it off completely just bfore it all does. You own it,you are one with it. When a partner shares in it's removal, it can be such a powerful and uniting event. Love is what is experienced at it's deepest level. Take hold of each other. Man to man,Woman to woman. A unique experience can take place while holding on to a razor to clean the head and give power to health.