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A newsflash came from the United States Protective Task Force (USPTF), which took time during March 2018 to make some recommendations on sun safety (goo.gl/PTtriH). The ominous sounding acronym actually does good work by reviewing evidence of benefits and harm from something without prejudice of the cost involved in making the assessment, and reviews preventive services for patients without obvious related signs or symptoms. Well, with that mouthful past us, let’s begin.
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So, what’s all the fuss about? Their summary recommends “counseling” – yes, counseling young adults, adolescents, children, and parents of young children – about minimizing exposure to UV radiation. At risk are fair-skinned people between the ages of six months and 24 years old. However, I’m not sure how in-depth the counseling is going to go with a six-month-old.
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Apparently, this counseling is needed to reduce their risk of skin cancer. Why could this be of interest to indoor tanners? Well, let’s start with the fact that this Federal Government organization summary speaks only to those with “fair” skin types. This points to those of Skin Type I and II on the Fitzpatrick Scale (goo.gl/Z78nmL). I had the opportunity to meet Thomas Fitzpatrick at a scientific conference several years ago. It was interesting getting to shake the hand of and talk to the man whose skin type scale has been required to be displayed on every sunbed and booth manufactured in the U.S. since 1985 (which was only one year before I began my journey in indoor tanning.) Fitzpatrick developed this scale in 1975 as a method to estimate the response of different types of skin to UV light. To this day, the scale remains a recognized tool not only for indoor tanning, but also for dermatological research into human skin pigmentation.
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Fun Fact: Did you know that the six skin categories of the Fitzpatrick scale are based on the 36 categories of the older von Luschan scale? I had to dig deep into my research to find that fact. In the early 1900s, Felix von Luschan, an Austrian, developed a method to classify skin color as compared to the color of 36 opaque glass panes arranged in a chromatic scale. But, I digress. (Apologies, as I always wanted to be a history teacher).
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The Fitzpatrick Scale
- Type I (von Lushan 0-6) Always burns, never tans (pale white; blond or red hair; blue eyes; freckles)
- Type II (von Lushan 7-13) Usually burns, tans minimally (white; fair; blond or red hair; blue, green, or hazel eyes)
- Type III (von Lushan 14-20) Sometimes mild burn, tans uniformly (cream white; fair with any hair or eye color)
- Type IV (von Lushan 21-27) Burns minimally, always tans well (moderate brown)
- Type V (von Lushan 28-34) Very rarely burns, tans very easily (dark brown)
- Type VI (von Lushan 35-36) Never burns, never tans (deeply pigmented dark brown to darkest brown)
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So, how does this relate to indoor tanning?
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Our industry does not even recommend indoor tanning for people who are classified as Skin Type I. Therefore, can we conclude that all those who are not of “fair skin” don’t need counseling? Strange, indeed. What about those over age 24? Do they need counseling? Indeed, not so much, as the USPTF admitted that the net benefit of counseling all adults older than 24 years is quite small.
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So, let’s sum it up. Every sunbed and booth sold for residential or commercial use in this country must have a warning label on it, as well as a chart with recommended exposure times based on Skin Type. Natural sunlight of course, has no recommended exposure schedule, and the effects of overexposure are typically not seen until 8-24 hours later. Fair-skinned people (some of whom can NEVER develop a tan) are especially at risk. So, yes, the fair should be counseled!
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Millions of people weigh the risk and benefit of moderate UV exposure and choose indoor tanning facilities, where sessions are delivered according to individual Skin Type and a timing system to minimize the risk of sunburn (erythema) and overexposure. For more information on Skin Types, take the course entitled “Just My Type” in the Sun is Life® Training Program at sunislife.com
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For more information on Skin Types, take the course entitled “Just My Type” in the Sun is Life® Training Program at sunislife.com
