TanningTruth.com
“Sun Scare”: How Commercialism Has Twisted Proper Sun Care
What is the International Smart Tan Network?
The Fundamentals About Tanning
Why Indoor Tanning Is "Smart Tanning"
How Do You Define Moderate Tanning?
How Do Indoor Tanning Facilities Teach Sunburn
Prevention?
Smart Tanning Means Understanding Benefits and Risks
“Sun Scare”: How Commercialism Has Twisted Proper Sun Care
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Scaring people out of the sun is a multibillion-dollar business.
Smart Tan coined the term “sun scare” in 1996 to properly identify those
who were distorting the truth about sunshine’s complex relationship with
human health in order to scare you out of the sun. Some “sun scare”
groups profit by marketing a distorted sun abstinence message, while
others simply tell you to avoid any and all sun exposure because they
don’t trust you to make your own informed decision about proper sun
care:
- Cosmetic Corporations – These giant “cosmeceutical”
firms are driven by multibillion-dollar profits and are the leading
purveyors of “sun scare.” These sunscreen manufacturers are
marketing their products to block any and all UV exposure rather
than simply for sunburn prevention. Sunscreen companies are enjoying
record profits right now. For instance:
- $9 billion pharmaceutical giant Schering-Plough (Coppertone)
reported sun-care related sales of $204 million in 2005, up 16
percent from 2004 and up 40 percent from 2003, making the
division one of Schering-Plough’s best performers by percentage
growth.
- $50 billion Johnson & Johnson’s consumer products unit –
which markets sun care products like Neutrogena and Aveeno, is
one of the pharmaceutical giant’s most profitable divisions,
with increased sales of $2.36 billion in the first quarter of
2006 alone. Neutrogena’s marketing uses some of the most
aggressive sun-scare tactics of any sunscreen company. In
marketing its “Age Shield” SPF 45 product, Neutrogena warns
people, “As part of your daily skin care regimen, Neutrogena
recommends Healthy Defense SPF30 Daily Moisturizer to combat
damage from daily sun exposure.”
- Beauty magazines – Chock full of cosmetic
advertising, the average North American beauty magazine contains 21
pages of anti-sun-related advertising in every issue. That’s an
estimated $1 million a month in revenue for many beauty magazines,
which explains why their editorial message is so heavily slanted
against sunshine.
- One prominent example of how advertising affects beauty magazine
coverage of this issue: Cosmopolitan magazine sold sponsorship of a
cover feature on sun care to Neutrogena in May 2006. The package of
stories – as beauty magazines often do – featured and recommended
usage of Neutrogena products. Further, Cosmo Editor Kate White
personally trumpeted the message of her advertiser on a publicity
tour that included a prominent interview on NBC’s The Today Show in
April. Neutrogena products were featured on that appearance as well.
In essence, Cosmopolitan has compromised its editorial integrity and
has officially become a paid lobbyist for the cosmeceutical
industry, which markets its product based on all-out fear and denial
of the benefits naturally derived from sunlight.
- Skin Care Lobbying Groups – The American
Academy of Dermatology, the Skin Cancer Foundation and the National
Sun Safety Alliance all are prime examples of groups that the public
perceives to be independent and altruistic, but which have strong
ties to the pharmaceutical manufacturers of sunscreen products. This
is one reason why most of these groups still recommend daily usage
of sunscreen 365 days a year for people in all climates despite the
fact that such a regimen clearly promotes over-use of sunscreen and
may be contributing to the epidemic of Vitamin D deficiency in North
America today.
Some purveyors of “sun scare” have deluded themselves into thinking
that it is acceptable to overstate the risks associated with
overexposure in order to convince people to moderate their sun exposure
habits. This segment of the anti-tanning “sun scare” lobby, in an effort
to rightfully increase awareness about sun care, often says the wrong
thing the wrong way for the right reasons. But the fact that the
intention – to reduce skin damage – is right does not give them a free
pass to obscure the facts and ignore conflicting data, as they often do.
For example:
- Some dermatology industry leaders still maintain that there are
no known health benefits to regular sun exposure. This position is
totally non-defendable. There is plenty of well-researched material
documenting the positive physiological and psychological effects of
UV exposure. They are in full denial.
- “People who practice proper sun protection and are concerned
that they are not getting enough vitamin D should either take a
multivitamin or drink a few glasses of vitamin D fortified milk
every day. ..Dietary intake of vitamin D can completely and easily
fulfill our needs.” – Dr. Raymond L. Cornelison Jr., then-president
of the American Academy of Dermatology, in a July 3, 2003 AAD press
release entitled, “Vitamin D + Sunshine = Bad Medicine.” This isn’t
true – sunshine is the body’s natural way to make vitamin D, and the
vitamin D community has agreed that one cannot reliably make vitamin
D through dietary supplementation alone.
- Some dermatology industry leaders, in efforts to increase
awareness about sun care, have clearly overstated the risks
associated with UV exposure. For example, dermatology industry
leaders have gone on record advocating daily use of sunscreen 365
days a year in all climates. This is clearly misbranding the product
in seasons and climates where sunburn is not a possibility. Further,
this over-use of sunscreen completely prevents the body from
naturally manufacturing vitamin D. And vitamin D deficiency in our
society appears to be epidemic.
- “Overwhelming evidence links the development of most skin
cancers to exposure of skin to ultraviolet radiation contained in
sunlight. (Vitamin D Scientists Dr. Michael) Holick hints that
judicious daily exposures might be safe. However, I believe that
every photon hitting the skin could produce a photo-mutation leading
to skin cancer.” - Dr. Mark V. Dahl, past president of the American
Academy of Dermatology in a 2003 editorial criticizing Holick's work
published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings. Dahl’s comment that any bit of
sun exposure could lead to skin cancer is akin to saying that any
car trip is dangerous and therefore people should not drive a car –
it’s not the most accurate way to portray the relationship.
- Some dermatology industry leaders, in attempts to scare people
out of the sun, still compare tanning to smoking, making the
statement that indoor tanning is like a cigarette for your skin.
This hyperbole is nothing short of ridiculous:
- Smoking introduces unnatural substances into your body that your
body is not designed to process. In contrast, your body is designed
to process UV light, and in fact is reliant on UV exposure for
natural body functions.
- Smoking is related to 20 percent of all deaths in the United
States and 30 percent of all cancer deaths, according to the
American Cancer Society.
- Lung cancer rates are 22 times higher for current male smokers
and 12 times higher for current female smokers as compared to
non-smokers. In contrast, there are no studies showing that tanning
in a non-burning fashion is related to any increase in skin cancer
risk. This is critical, because we believe that burning, not
moderate tanning, is the significant UV-related risk factor.
- 18 of 22 studies ever conducted on indoor tanning and melanoma
have shown no connection at all, including the most recent and
largest study on the topic. The four older studies that have alleged
small increases in risk have all contained unexplained statistical
anomalies, such as failing to control for confounding variables such
as outdoor sun exposure. In some studies, frequent tanners had lower
risk as compared to non-tanners, which also is unexplained.
The public and the press look up to medical professionals as
objective sources of public health information. But when dermatology
industry lobbyists obscure the facts and distort the picture to attempt
to influence health policy, that creates an abrogation of trust that is
unfortunate for all parties involved, and the consumer suffers.
Sun Scare: Calling Any UV Exposure a ‘Carcinogen’
The U.S. federal government in 2000 included ultraviolet light on its
list of known human carcinogens – a document it produces bi-annually to
warn people about dangerous chemicals and exposure circumstances. In
doing so, ultraviolet light became the first item on that list that
humans also need in order to live and would die if they didn’t
receive. That is nothing less than confusing. Here are a few things to
keep in mind if you have heard about this listing:
- The criteria to be on the list does not take into consideration
the dosage required for a substance to be harmful. That is the
problem. According to the listing criteria: “The Report does not
present quantitative assessments of carcinogenic risk. Listing of
substances in the Report, therefore, does not establish that such
substances present carcinogenic risks to individuals in their daily
lives.” In other words, the criteria to be on the U.S. government’s
list of carcinogens does not differentiate between sunburn and
normal daily UV exposure. Purveyors of sun scare conveniently have
neglected to disclose this shortfall. This exclusion makes this
listing meaningless.
- This report means nothing more than this: Repeated sunburn and
overexposure may increase your risk of skin cancer. The list does
not mean that moderate tanning in an non-burning fashion will cause
skin cancer. That’s because there is no research in existence to
demonstrate that tanning without burning is a significant risk
factor for anything.
- Sunburn and overexposure are exactly what we are trying to
prevent by teaching moderation and sunburn prevention.
- The list does not take into account that there are positive
effects of regular ultraviolet light exposure. One thing we know for
certain: You would be dead today if you did not receive any
ultraviolet light.
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| © 2006 the International Smart Tan Network |
What is the International Smart Tan Network?
Dedicated to educating indoor tanning professionals and the millions of
customers they serve, the International Smart Tan Network is a synergetic
worldwide consortium committed to researching and promoting the responsible,
life-long skin-care regimen of moderate suntanning for individuals who can
develop a tan and sunburn avoidance for all.
Redefining the standards of professionalism in the indoor tanning salon
industry, Smart Tan and its members are committed to the following objectives:
Objectives
- Teaching millions of tanners worldwide how to maximize the potential
benefits of sun exposure while minimizing the potential risks associated
with either too much or too little sunlight.
- Encouraging both tanners and non-tanners to examine the scientific
research supporting the benefits associated with sun exposure, while at the
same time respecting the potential risks.
- Supplying indoor tanning professionals with new and unparalleled
educational opportunities to further their understanding of ultraviolet
light and the tanning process.
- Raising consumer expectations of what constitutes a professional indoor
tanning facility.
- Funding new scientific research on the positive effects of ultraviolet
light and promoting this emerging field of evidence in its proper context.
The Smart Tan Creed
Moderate tanning - for those individuals who can develop a tan - is the smartest
way to maximize the potential benefits of sun exposure while minimizing the
potential risks associated with either too much or too little sunlight.
The Golden Rule of Smart Tanning
Don't ever sunburn.
© 2006 the International Smart Tan Network
The Fundamentals About Tanning
Moderate tanning, for individuals who can develop a tan, is the smartest way
to maximize the potential benefits of sun exposure while minimizing the
potential risks associated with either too much or too little sunlight.
This position is founded on the following tenets:
- The professional indoor tanning industry promotes and teaches what we
refer to as The Golden Rule of Smart Tanning: Don't ever sunburn.
- The indoor tanning industry has been more effective at teaching sunburn
prevention than those who promote complete sun avoidance. Non-tanners
sunburn more often than people who tan indoors.
- An estimated 30 million North Americans patronize indoor tanning
facilities at some point during the year. Every year, millions of indoor
tanners successfully develop "base tans" before embarking on sunny vacations
- tans that, combined with the proper use of sunscreen outdoors, help them
prevent sunburn.
- Public debate on this issue has completely lost the perspective that
there are known physiological and psychological benefits associated with
sunlight, that there are many other potential benefits that need further
research, that the risks are manageable for anyone who has the ability to
develop a tan and that, for many people, the benefits of sun exposure
outweigh the risks associated with overexposure.
- A tan is the body's natural protection against sunburn. Your skin is
designed to tan as a natural body function, and the body is designed to
repair sun damage as a natural process.
- The professional indoor tanning salon industry is part of the solution
in the ongoing battle against sunburn and in teaching people how to identify
a proper and practical life-long skin care regimen.
© 2006 the International Smart Tan Network
Why Indoor Tanning Is "Smart Tanning"
Indoor tanning, for individuals who can tan, is an intelligent way to
minimize the risk of contracting sunburn while maximizing the enjoyment and
benefit of having a tan. Again, we call this SMART TANNING because tanners are
taught by trained tanning facility personnel how their skin type reacts to
sunlight and how to avoid sunburn outdoors, as well as in a salon.
Tanning in a professional facility today minimizes risk because commercial
tanning salons in the United States and in most Canadian provinces are regulated
by the government. In the United States, exposure times for every tanning
session are established by a schedule present on every piece of equipment that
takes into account the tanner's skin type and the intensity of the equipment to
deliver a dosage of sunlight designed to minimize the risk of sunburn. The
schedule, regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, also takes into account
how long an individual has been tanning, increasing exposure times gradually to
minimize the possibility of burning.
That kind of control is impossible outdoors, where variables including
seasonality, time of day, weather conditions, reflective surfaces and altitude
all make outdoor tanning a random act and sunburn prevention more difficult.
© 2006 the International Smart Tan Network
How Do You Define Moderate Tanning?
The term "moderate tanning" means something different for every different
individual, and that is an important point. The bottom line - what we call "The
Golden Rule of Smart Tanning" - is simple: Don't EVER sunburn. A fair-skinned,
red-headed, green-eyed person may not have the ability to develop a tan without
sunburning. This person should not attempt to tan then. On the other hand, most
of us have the ability to develop a tan, and the majority of us tan very easily.
Moderation, in our view, means avoiding sunburn at all costs. Going about that
agenda will mean something different to every different person.
© 2006 the International Smart Tan Network
How Do Indoor Tanning Facilities Teach
Sunburn Prevention?
The indoor tanning industry is at the forefront in educating people how to
successfully avoid sunburn over the course of one's life. In fact, studies of
indoor tanners have shown consistently that indoor tanning customers, once they
begin tanning in a professional salon, are up to 81 percent less likely to
sunburn than they were before they started tanning.
Consider that sunburn incidence in the general population has been steadily
increasing. Sunburn increased 9 percent from 1986-1996, according to the
American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), and the sub-group most likely to burn was
older men.
We believe that teaching people strictly to avoid the sun may be making them
more likely to sunburn when they do go outside for summer activities - and
everyone does go outdoors at some point. Consider:
- Tanning is your body's natural defense mechanism against sunburn, and
indoor tanners have activated this defense against burning; non-tanners are
more vulnerable when they inevitably do go outdoors.
- Indoor tanners are educated at professional tanning facilities how to
avoid sunburn outdoors, how to use sunscreens appropriately and how to
properly moisturize their skin.
When you also consider that the majority of people who sunburn are male,
according to the AAD, and that 65-70 percent of indoor tanning customers are
female, clearly, it is non-tanners who are doing most of the burning outdoors.
In the war against sunburn, tanning salons are part of the solution. Those who
abstain from sun exposure completely are more likely to sunburn when they
inevitably do go outdoors, even if they attempt to wear sunscreen.
© 2006 the International Smart Tan Network
Smart Tanning Means Understanding
Benefits and Risks
The professional indoor tanning industry promotes responsible indoor tanning
and sunburn prevention as "smart." We choose not to use the word "safe." Here is
why:
The word "safe" implies that one can recklessly abuse something without any
fear of causing harm. And reckless abandon certainly is not the behavior the
professional indoor tanning industry is teaching. In fact, we are playing a key
role in successfully preventing that kind of reckless abuse. By teaching a
"smart" approach to sunburn prevention that recognizes that people do perceive
different benefits from being in the sun, we are able to teach sunburn
prevention in a practical way that respects both the potential benefits and the
risks of sun exposure.
For example, previous generations believed that sunburn was an inconvenient
but necessary precursor to developing a tan. Today we know better, and we are
teaching a new generation of tanners how to avoid sunburn at all costs. Again,
our position: Moderate tanning is the best way to maximize the potential
benefits of sun exposure while minimizing the potential risks of either too much
or too little exposure.
These graphs illustrate our point. The top graph shows the conventional
thinking about sunlight: that totally eliminating sun exposure eliminates risks.
That oversimplification is why the $30 billion sun-care industry tells us to
wear sunscreen 365 days a year, no matter where we live. But the bottom graph is
a more accurate, albeit more complicated, description of the risk function. The
one thing we do know for certain about sunlight is that zero exposure does NOT
equal zero risk; in fact, the risks of zero exposure would be deadly. So the
risk function must be curved. The vertex of that curve - where risk is minimized
- is different for every person and cannot be randomly defined. What's more,
this graph does not even take into account the balance between benefits and
risks. That has to be part of the equation if any campaign is going to be
effective.
Human life is totally reliant on sun exposure, and the life-giving effects of
ultraviolet light. The question for each of us - a question that nobody knows
the exact answer to - is how much sun exposure is appropriate, and how much is
too much. Basing the answer to that question on the belief that any exposure
increases one's risk of skin damage - a belief that is not categorically
supported in the medical literature -fails to recognize the positive influence
ultraviolet light and sunlight have on our lives.
New research on breast cancer, prostate cancer, colon cancer and other deadly
diseases - research that shows that regular sun exposure may play a key part in
preventing the onset or retarding the growth of these deadly diseases - supports
the position that moderate sun exposure, for those of us who can develop a tan,
is the best way to maximize the potential benefits of sun exposure while
minimizing the potential risks of either too much or too little exposure.
© 2006 the International Smart Tan Network
