Viral TikTok suncream trend sparks medical warning
The trend encourages users to apply sunscreen to certain parts of their face while leaving other areas exposed, aiming to create a contoured look from a tan.
Dr Amir Khan said that a tan is skin damage, stressing that there is no such thing as a safe tan.
He cautioned that while a contour might be temporary, the risks of premature skin ageing and skin cancer are long-term and not worth taking.
Watch the video in full above.
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The Guardian
16 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Microplastics are everywhere, even in human testicles. So will the patriarchy finally step in?
There is plastic in your balls! Surely this should be headline news every day until the news breaks that 'there is no longer plastic in your balls', accompanied by photographs of celebration parades and ecstatic couples kissing in the streets. It shouldn't require the 'angle' of a global plastic pollution treaty conference this week to edge it back into the media. It shouldn't oblige a report in medical journal the Lancet on Sunday revealing that the health effects of plastic in the environment are 'causing disease and death from infancy to old age' and are responsible for at least US$1.5tn every year in health-related damages. It should only require you looking at your own balls or – with consent – the balls of someone you truly, deeply love and value, then realising, holy shit, there are microplastics in there. Of course, maybe you live your life balls-free – but perhaps you know a dog? If that dog has balls, then I have terrible news: the scientists who found microplastic particles in every single human testicle in their study found them in all the dogs' balls, too. Patriarchy, not for the first time, you have seriously let me down. Raised from birth in western society, I have been passively inculcated with a relentless message that protecting your balls was our most important collective priority. Freud insisted that male identity was so rooted in the symbolism of aggressively functional genitalia that 'castration anxiety' mobilised men into behaviours of dominance, control and whatever other compensatory masculine unpleasantness Donald Trump got up to this morning. When the boss was 'busting your balls', it was bad. If a situation 'had you by the balls' it was bad. When a woman was a 'ball-busting bitch', she was unforgivable. 'Genital theft panic' is an actual term used by actual anthropologists to describe the social terror of something nefarious stealing function from your soft bits when you're not looking. So, here I was thinking, 'Ah, yes, I don't expect the patriarchy to care that scientists have found synthetic plastics in blood, placenta and breast milk, contributing to placental dysfunction, ovarian atrophy, endometrial hyperplasia and fibrosis in women – because I'm a feminist with pattern recognition. I don't expect the patriarchy gives much more thought to the plastic pollution of waterways, the poisoning of animals, or the fact that there has been a trash island named the North Atlantic Garbage Patch – now hundreds of kilometres across – growing in the ocean since 1972. But now that there are microplastics in your balls with considerable evidence suggesting they are reducing your sperm count, inflaming your tissues and affecting both your and our species' fertility, surely some good old-fashioned genital theft panic will kick in and patriarchy will aggressively – with much swagger – ride in to save what it holds dear. I repeat – you've let me down. Because, given the opportunity to literally save your own balls, you've instead defaulted to a significantly less useful habit of 'bullying people who utter uncomfortable truths' at conferences whenever the plastic problem is mentioned. Experts trying to communicate to the world that the projected tripling of plastic products by 2060 is a catastrophically dumbarse idea say they have been yelled at, harassed and intimidated by representatives of petrochemical lobbies and petrostates who make money from the ubiquitous fossil fuel-based pollution product. This is the sixth attempt at a plastic pollution treaty since plastic started turning up in brains, livers, kidneys, blood, joints and your balls, and the UN decided 'hey, maybe this is a problem?' back in 2022. The previous five attempts have failed. Well may some men fear that the radical humanity of feminism will deprive them of status, power and even identity – but it's not the sisterhood busting your balls, fellas. It's chiefly the fossil-fuel interests of usual suspects like China, Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the US in the form of 460m tonnes of synthetic garbage spewed on to the planet every year. Now microplastics are found everywhere from the peak of Mt Everest to the depths of the Mariana Trench. Lord Howe Island is a volcanic rock island about 600km off the Australian east coast governed under a conservation authority applying strict visitor controls, and if you squeeze the muttonbirds there (please don't), they are so full of plastic that they crunch. They crunch. Male persons, please consider the comparable fate awaiting your balls if the new treaty fails – because those universally plasticised testes from the aforementioned study that should have sent every red-blooded testicle-cherisher across humanity racing for a global ban and immediate cleanup operation were retrieved from people who had died before 2016. Even more plastic has been pumped into the planet since then – and for what? In the majority of cases, single-use plastics used for packaging, drink and food containers. Less than 10% of plastic is recycled. I want you to remember this, men, the next time you stare at a shelf of juicy shrink-wrapped capsicum at the supermarket. I want you to ask, 'what is the trade-off for this?', and to consider the global plastic pollution treaty, and your balls. If patriarchy isn't coming to save them, then maybe you should? Van Badham is a Guardian Australia columnist.
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
What the colour of your snot says about your health
No one enjoys struggling with a streaming nose. We're quick to apologise to colleagues for constantly snivelling and quick to discard our tissues, too. While you may think it disgusting, researchers looking into our nasal secretions find snot fascinating. The nasal microbiome is becoming increasingly studied, with experts learning more about how our airways work, which protective bacteria dominate and which appear at the site of disease. They've also found that snot is crucial for supporting our immune system and that studying it could hold the key to curing respiratory problems such as asthma and sinusitis. So what exactly is snot, and why do we need it? 'Snot is essentially a hydrogel, similar to the water-based gels used in beauty products like moisturisers,' says Rebecca Carrier, a professor of chemical engineering at Northeastern University in the US. 'Its chief role is keeping the nasal passageways moist and defending us against infection.' As a result, it contains proteins that control the microbes' ability to penetrate the mucus wall, which, in turn neutralises dangerous bacteria. Dr Aran Singanayagam, a respiratory clinician scientist, adds: 'It is absolutely critical for protecting the airways by trapping the virus and bacteria that we breathe in. Bacteria binds with snot and the snot changes the way the bacteria function, influencing the severity of a disease,' says Prof. Carrier. The role mucus plays in immune health Snot colour and consistency can be a good indicator of our health and can often tell us a lot about the state of our respiratory system. So, what might the colours of our snot indicate about our health? Here, Dr Pedro Barata, a professor at the University of Porto, who has worked extensively with colleagues to learn more about the nasal microbiome and identify the role mucus plays in immune health, shares his insight.
STV News
2 hours ago
- STV News
Twins diagnosed with breast cancer within weeks of each other
Identical twin sisters diagnosed with breast cancer within weeks of each other say they want to inspire others by sharing their journey on TikTok. Amanda Mcinulty and Rhona Buchanan, now 51, have shared similar life experiences despite spending the past three decades separated by 300 miles. Born just 14 minutes apart, the twins each have a son and a daughter, and even became grandmothers to two boys born within two weeks of each other. They describe themselves as 'absolutely inseparable,' keeping in close contact through daily calls and even claiming to share 'sympathy pains.' STV News Amanda and Rhona have been 'inseparable' since they were children 'When Amanda's eldest daughter was born, I went to bed, turned out the light and had this almighty pain in my stomach,' Rhona recalled. 'I phoned her and she confirmed her waters had broken and she was heading into the hospital.' Amanda added: 'When I was five and my appendix burst, Rhona actually got taken into the hospital with sympathy pains. She didn't want to miss out on the action, clearly.' 'She knows me more than I know myself, I think… Is that a bad thing?!' Rhona first noticed a change in her left breast in January 2025, which prompted her to visit her GP. Supplied Rhona, following her mastectomy 'It was a kind of dimpling above my left nipple. The doctor initially couldn't see anything but I didn't think it was sinister.' In April, Rhona was referred to the breast clinic to undergo an ultrasound and mammogram. She realised something wasn't right during the tests. 'It was taking a wee bit of time and I realised 'this is taking longer than it should be.' He was taking lots of pictures, asked for a pen to mark different locations. 'Then he said, 'look give me five minutes and I'll explain what I've seen.' And I knew. I began to shake.' STV News Amanda chose to undergo a full mastectomy Scans revealed multiple tumours in Rhona's breast, which led to her being diagnosed with invasive lobular cancer. The devastating news was delivered to Amanda – who lives in the Midlands – over FaceTime. 'I had a breast screening letter sitting by my work computer for months,' Amanda admitted. 'I had no symptoms, no issues. But after Rhona's diagnosis, I thought, 'I might as well book it.'' 'I decided there and then, I might as well make the appointment.' She spent several weeks in Scotland supporting her sister, but returned south for her own screening – where she, too, was diagnosed with breast cancer just six weeks later. 'I thought, 'how ironic.' I told them my twin sister has just had her left breast removed. I couldn't believe it.' Amanda's cancer was identified as invasive ductal cancer. She was offered a lumpectomy but chose a full mastectomy instead. STV News Rhona and Amanda have been filming TikToks to raise awareness of breast cancer In recent months, both have undergone mastectomies. Amanda was given the option for a lumpectomy to conserve part of her breast, but she opted to have it fully removed. 'I thought it was the best option – and I'm really glad I chose it,' she said. 'We feel empowered by it – it's the new us.' Rhona has completed radiotherapy and will be on tamoxifen for the next 10 years, while Amanda is currently awaiting pathology results to determine her next course of treatment. Both women admit the experience has been emotionally and physically challenging. 'I had that 'why me' moment – everyone diagnosed with cancer would have that moment,' Rhona said. 'But for someone to be there knowing what I'm going through, the same emotions…Amanda can now ask me, is this normal? 'She's seen me at my lowest, trying to get pain under control. She was aware there were going to be days like that.' Amanda added: 'I had no symptoms at all. You don't realise how important checking is until something like this happens. My cancer was quite far down, I wouldn't have been able to feel a lump.' The twins are now awaiting blood test results to see what insights they might provide for their daughters, and researchers are interested in studying their genetic links to cancer. Amanda said: 'I think knowledge is power. You don't think it's going to happen to you; six months we didn't know, now our lives are completely different.' STV News Amanda and Rhona with their husbands and grandchildren Rhona added: 'It's not just for our daughters, it's for other family members, siblings and grandkids. 'We've been through something awful, but it's brought us closer together.' The sisters have been spending time together sharing their cancer journeys on TikTok. Rhona said: 'It has helped take our minds off it. It has been a bit of fun and a good laugh, the outtakes are hilarious! 'We've got over 1,000 followers now… We were glad when we had 100 followers! It's spiralled from there.' Their videos have reached people from across the world from the US to Sweden, with followers sharing stories of their own experiences. Rhona said: 'We have shown our scars to our friends. We're making people aware that 'it's not bad, you get it removed' and you do kind of feel empowered by that.' 'We don't know what's around the corner, but we're taking the positives from it,' Amanda added. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
