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How Angelina Jolie’s preventive double mastectomy has changed the conversation about breast cancer

By Paige Dzenis | May 15th, 2013 | 3:30 pm

Photography by Eric Charbonneau/Getty Images

When Angelina Jolie announced her preventive double mastectomy in yesterday’s New York Times, the almost-instant reactions were unanimous: Jolie was praised for her courage in both having the surgery and opening up to the public about it. Today that openness has continued, with Jolie’s doctor at the Pink Lotus Breast Center posting further details about the decision making process and medical procedures the actress undertook. It is by far the most detailed account we’ve ever read of any celebrity’s private medical information—to the point that you actually have to remind yourself while reading that it’s specifically about Angelina Jolie.

While Jolie’s double mastectomy makes headlines all over the world, other women with “the breast cancer gene” are now coming forward to talk about their own experiences. Read more »

What’s in your bag, Lisa Ray?

By Paige Dzenis | October 31st, 2012 | 2:00 pm

3 Comments

Photography by Farzin Ghayour

See what’s inside Lisa Ray’s purse! »

Lisa Ray is no stranger to multi-tasking. From hosting Top Chef Canada to acting in an Oscar-nominated film to supporting philanthropic ventures around the world, she’s mastered the art of doing it all. And this October was no different: Ray partnered with Pantene and the Canadian Cancer Society as an ambassador for the Pantene Beautiful Lengths program, a decision that was motivated by her own diagnosis of Multiple Myeloma in 2009. So what does a spokesperson/actress/TV host/social activist carry with her on a day-to-day basis? Daily affirmation cards, three pairs of glasses and one very necessary iPad, to start! Curious? Let’s explore Lisa Ray’s Gucci purse and see what else in inside…

They said/We said: Could spray tanning cause cancer?

By Alexandra Grant | June 13th, 2012 | 4:30 pm

1 Comment

Photography courtesy of H&M

Toddlers in tiaras take heed: a panel of scientists is warning that dihydroxyacetone (DHA), the main ingredient in spray tanning and other sunless tanning products, may have some dangerous side-effects.

In a large-scale ABC News investigation, top scientists in a range of fields were tasked with combing through the most recent research on DHA, and the discoveries they made aren’t great news for spray tan aficionados.

According to the panel, DHA, the colour additive in sunless products that creates the products’ telltale “tan,” may actually cause genetic alterations and DNA damage. Several of the 10 peer-reviewed studies found that DHA altered the genes of some cells and organisms, which could lead to the development of cancer or other serious diseases.

The FDA, which first approved DHA for external use in 1977, told ABC news that they could not have foreseen the chemical being used as a spray application thirty years down the road, and what’s more, its use as an all-over spray has never been FDA-approved. They stressed that DHA should never be inhaled or ingested. For those who do get spray tanned (or for tanning salon workers, for that matter), protective gear should always be used for the mouth, eyes, nose and mucous membranes.

Researchers have also discovered that DHA may actually permeate through more layers of skin than they’d thought. We already knew DHA binds to the already-dead top layer of skin, but apparently trace amounts of DHA can make their way down to deeper, living layers of skin, which means it can get to the bloodstream.

Will you continue your spray-tanning regime or will this news be what pushes you to just embrace paleness once and for all?
Read more »