Research. Educate. Advocate.

To support medical RESEARCH for finding effective treatments and eventually a cure for melanoma. To EDUCATE patients and physicians about the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of melanoma. To act as an ADVOCATE for the melanoma community to raise the awareness of this disease and the need for a cure. Melanoma Research Foundation (MRF) is the largest independent, national organization devoted to melanoma in the United States. Committed to the support of medical research in finding effective treatments and eventually a cure for melanoma.

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Inside To Out

From chocolate to wine, if it goes in your mouth and helps your skin, you'll find it here.

Green Tea & Skin

How many times has someone told you green tea is good for you or tried to convince you to switch from your morning Caffe Misto Grande to a piping hot cup of Genmaicha?  If you're a cancer survivor like me, my guess is you've heard it more times than you can count.  So, what's the big deal with the green stuff? Green tea has high levels of catechins (a subtype of polyphenols) and catechins help fight damage caused by free radicals.  To keep it short and sweet, free radicals are bad.  There are multiple reasons free radicals form in our skin, but the most common reason is due to UV radiation (surprise, surprise).  A day at the beach and your skin is free radical central! Many green tea studies have been done over the years, looking at green tea taken orally as well as topically, and they all seem to say the same thing, green tea is GOOD.  It may not be a miracle drink, but it's the closest thing we've got.  As a beverage, it has no calories and is loaded with antioxidants.  Drinking 3-10 cups per day of this catechin rich drink has anti-aging and anti-inflammatory effects on the skin and has been proven to give you added protection against skin cancer. As a cream, it has anti-bacterial properties and no side-effects. I still drink my morning coffee, but by afternoon it's all about the green!  (Try Genamicha loose green tea, with its roasted brown rice.  It tastes like liquid popcorn!  Or for a cold tea to replace your afternoon soda, try Trader Joe's Unsweetened Green Tea.)

Red vs White

RED VS WHITE You may have heard that red wine is better for you than white, ever wonder why? I mean, both are made from grapes, and grapes are fruit so...? Red wine, like green tea and chocolate, is rich in polyphenol, a type of antioxidant. Read more

Love of Chocolate

I admit, I have a weakness for all things chocolate: hot cocoa, smores, chocolate souffle, pane chocolat...it's all perfection! The good news is, certain types of chocolate actually have health benefits (in the 1600 and 1700s chocolate was even used as medicine to treat angina and heart pain)! Read more

Caffeine & Skin Cancer

It has been known for years that drinking coffee is associated with a decreased risk for non-melanoma skin cancers, but a recent study done at Rutgers University supports the theory that caffeine, applied directly to the skin, might help prevent UV light from causing skin cancer. Read more

Is Lycopene All That?

Anyone ever tell you that if you eat a lot of tomatoes you don't need to wear sunscreen? Well, that's not totally true, but I can understand the confusion! Lycopene, the best free radical "scavenger" in the carotene family, can block UV light. Read more