I'm a little tired of reading and writing about sunscreen. Maybe it's not the actual reading and writing that has me worn out. Maybe it's the realization that I keep reading and writing about sunscreen yet the information is just not sinking in with the masses of sun-hungry people out there -- according to the EPA, there has been a staggering 1,800 percent increase in malignant melanoma cases since 1930. Recent figures show a shocking rise in skin cancers among those in their 20s and 30s.

The experts at Canyon Ranch are weighing in on sunscreen. So here I go again, with some more about this tiring topic.

• Sunscreen contains unique chemical components which absorb ultraviolet (UV) light. When applied to the skin, the chemical molecules form an invisible, protective layer that repels the penetrating UV rays. It also helps prevent premature aging and pre-cancerous growths.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and Bare Escentuals, a company that offers a makeup line of products made from 100 percent pure bareMinerals -- free of preservatives, talc, oil, fragrance and other skin irritants -- will be featuring a limited edition Pink Passion Rose Radiance Collection.

According to Bare Escentuals, all profits from the three-piece collection -- i.d. bareMinerals Rose Radiance All-Over Face Color, i.d. Rose Radiance Lip Gloss and the i.d. Heavenly Face Brush -- are going to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

In an effort to celebrate mothers, daughters, girlfriends and women everywhere as they embrace life, renew hope and fulfill their dreams Bare Escentuals encourages all women to Think Pink this October.

According to the company website, Bare Escentuals began thirty years ago to create a feather-light makeup as a solution to the heavy look and feel of traditional foundations. While beneficial for most women, the makeup line is especially designed for women with skin sensitivities, allergies, scars, blemishes, rosacea, wrinkles and pigmentation. Bare Escentuals CEO Leslie Blodgett uses real women with real skin problems to be the company's beauty spokesmodels.

Bare Escentuals Pink Passion Rose Radiance Collection will be available during National Breast Cancer Awareness Month from Sephora locations nationwide. To learn more about the makeup products offered and the special Pink Passion Rose Radiance Collection, visit Bare Escentuals.

Researchers have concluded that many cancers are associated with an increased risk of developing thyroid cancer after treatment for the first cancer. In addition, there appears to be a 30 percent chance for thyroid cancer survivors developing a second and different cancer later. Western General Hospital in Edinburgh, UK researchers looked over 25 years of health information collected by cancer registries and found that for thyroid cancer survivors, many of the second cancers diagnosed tended to be skin, prostate, kidney, adrenal gland cancers, and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. They also found a number of thyroid cancer diagnosis after another cancer had been diagnosed and treated.

According to the research report, the only cancers not significantly associated with increased risk of thyroid cancer were those of the lips, mouth, pharynx, gallbladder, some female genitals, prostate, and bladder. The highest risk of being diagnosed with secondary thyroid cancer occurred during the first year following the diagnosis of the first cancer. The researchers note that the two-way associations between cancers might be due to shared genetic, hormonal or environmental risk factors or the use of potentially cancer-causing therapies for both cancers. What this study indicates is the real need for both physicians and cancer survivors to be on the lookout for the possibility of thyroid cancer following other cancers, and other cancers following thyroid cancer.

I admire the ambition and resolve of Jennifer Rogers, a 29 year old native from the San Francisco Bay Area who started a cosmetics company to fight cancer after losing her grandmother to a long battle with cancer. Sometimes it is good to know what is behind a product, and this is the story of why Rogers became determined to see her vision of a cosmetics company to help in finding a cure for cancer become a reality.

"When you lose hope you feel like you have lost everything. My grandmother was approved for clinical trials to test a very promising new drug that had recently been approved by the FDA for other cancer use. Traditional treatments had not worked and it really was our glimmer of hope at a devastating time. Two weeks after she was approved for trials she showed up as scheduled to receive the treatment and was told that her body was physically too weak for the medication and they sent her home knowing she would die. Watching her struggle with cancer and never complain or give up the fight has forever changed me."

Someone asked Rogers what made her think she could start her own cosmetics company, and she replied, "Nobody ever said I couldn't." She first entered her cosmetics company idea in the Visa Challenge Ideas Happen contest. While her idea was well received, she did not win. This didn't stop her though, and in 2004 she launched Parlay Cosmetics on her own. Parlay donates 50 cents of every product purchase to the Cancer Research and Prevention Foundation. Parlay means to take original winnings and bet on an upcoming event. With cosmetics named Roulette Rouge, Dice Rollin' Diva, Blackjack Babe, Showdown Shimmer Paints and Payline Princess Eyeliner, you can bet on Roger's new cosmetic company to be a winner.

Greg Williams got the idea for a line of lip gloss with a .46-carat, manmade diamond inside the tube after watching high rollers at casinos buying fancy cocktails with diamond garnishes. When Williams and his wife, Gail Hill Williams of ACI Consulting Group, thought about ways to expand their company's outreach projects, they decided to focus on raising money for ovarian cancer and felt the lip gloss with a diamond inside might be the best choice for the new project.

Smooches Kissing Gloss, made from natural ingredients with a berry-mint flavor, sells for $105 dollars and up to 30 percent of the profits go to the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance, an organization devoted to placing ovarian cancer education, policy and research issues on the agendas of lawmakers and health care leaders. Williams feels that ovarian cancer does not receive the same attention that breast cancer does, and he is hoping his new lip gloss will change that for ovarian cancer. Right now you can find Smooches Kissing Gloss at the Adam Broderick Salon and Spa in Ridgefield, CT., but Williams is planning on getting the lip gloss to high-end department stores, such as Bloomingdale's and Nordstrom's. Ovarian cancer is called the silent killer because usually there are no obvious symptoms until the disease reaches an advanced stage. 

Photo credit: Aaron Flaum