What better time to heat up the “to tan or not to tan” debate than the summer and a news source, verywell.com, jumped right into the fray. (verywellhealth.com/safe-sun-tips-skin-cancer-awareness-month-5183976)
They start with a decent, pragmatic suggestion to use SPF and be aware that UV intensity increases with rays that are reflected off snow in winter and water in summer. They could have added that UV intensity is also affected by altitude, time of day and time of year. Those factors also dispel such notions as the popular, “sunbeds are more intense than the noonday sun.”
Of course, it’s difficult (if not impossible) to draw this correlation. There are hundreds of different sunbed types with a variety of different sunlamps – there is no “generic” tanning system. As well, the sun’s intensity at noon on a winter day in Minneapolis certainly isn’t the same as that of a clear, July afternoon on a beach in Jamaica!
But then comes this nugget of wisdom: “Dermatologists often advise that if you don’t need a flashlight, you need sunscreen,’’ says Noelle Sherber, MD, FAAD, a dermatologist in Washington, D.C. “Ultraviolet rays are invisible and are present in every season, so sun protection isn’t something that you should reserve for a summer beach day. On a cloudy day, up to 80% of UV exposure remains as compared to a sunny day. UVA light can also pass through windows, even when you are indoors or in your car.”
OMG.
Okay, it’s 7:30am, it’s raining, it’s daylight and I sure don’t need a flashlight, but I need sunscreen? That’s your prudent suggestion to the masses? One that everyone will find easy and be willing to follow? I think not. Now, let’s explore the next one – the notion of someone potentially getting sunburned as they sit indoors near a window reading a book. Has this ever been documented? I have read research regarding UVA transmission through glass, but it would take an immense total UVA exposure to draw a conclusive link to skin cancer. So, if a doc says so, it must be true …?
Offered next: “There is no safety in tanning beds … many small doses of UV light exposure such as those an indoor tanner might receive are more carcinogenic than the sunburn a vacationer might experience.” Are you kidding? You’re telling us that one UV session at a professional salon, determined by skin type and administered in moderation and responsibility, is MORE carcinogenic than a blistering sunburn? Uh, I think I’ll need a few peer-reviewed scientific studies to confirm that statement.
Jill Stewart Waibel, a dermatologist with Baptist Health’s Miami Cancer Center also chimes in with “… there is very little regulation of indoor tanning salons, so there is great variability in operator safety.” Huh? The indoor tanning industry has been regulated since 1979 (that’s 42 years) by 21CFR1040.20 and tanning systems are currently listed as a Class II medical device. In addition, 44 states have restrictions regarding minors and 22 states restrict those 18 years and under from indoor UV tanning. State and local restrictions also cover a myriad of areas including the use of FDA-compliant eye protection, salon and sunbed sanitation and frequency of UV sessions. No, Dr. Waibel, indoor tanning regulations have been and are firmly in place.
Millions of people weigh the risk/benefit of UV exposure and choose to tan responsibly at a professional salon where sessions are delivered according to individual skin type and controlled by a timer to minimize risk of sunburn.
Feel free to share this article with your salon guests!
