TANNING: IS IT SAFE?

Can sunshine, now shunned by so many who fear skin cancer and wrinkles, save many more lives than it harms? People who avoid ultraviolet (UV) light, whether generated by the sun or artificial methods, may be at increased risk of breast, prostrate, lung, breast, colon, ovarian and pancreatic cancer, according to information obtained by Wolff System Technology, manufacturers of tanning equipment. A recent study in the medical journal Cancer estimates that tens of thousands of Americans die each year of cancers possibly caused by too little sun exposure and too little vitamin D. Scientists at the National Cancer Institute recently found that the chances of dying from many of these cancers was reduced by 10 to 27 percent for people who live in the sunniest areas. Current indoor lifestyles, sun-blocking pollution and sunscreens reduce vitamin D production, which is found in few foods consumed today. The body relies on UV light to get most of the vitamin D it needs to stay healthy. According to Michael F. Holick, MD, professor of dermatology, medicine, physiology and biophysics at Boston University Medical Center, brief exposure to sunshine or artificially produced UV light produced by indoor tanning beds can help to ward off not only such cancers but also osteoporosis, hypertension, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and depression. His studies indicate that exposing people with high blood pressure to ultraviolet B (UVB) rays in a tanning salon lowers their blood pressure readings as much as a drug will; he also found that increasing vitamin D improves the heart’s pumping ability and reduces cardiac strain. Vitamin D is made in the skin when it is exposed to UVB rays in sunshine or from indoor tanning beds. A sunscreen with an SPF of 8 blocks 95 percent of the skin's ability to make vitamin D, and an SPF of 15 blocks it by 99 percent, according to Michael Stepp, CEO of Wolff System Technology. Says Stepp, “We advocate the use of a sunscreen outdoors for people with vulnerable skin types as well as those who can tan well, but only after exposing the skin moderately to produce the necessary vitamin D.” Stepp adds that “spray-on” tanning booths and self-tanning creams do not supply vitamin D. “Given the weight of the scientific research on the anti-cancer effects of frequent solar ultraviolet exposure, the anti-exposure advice of the American Academy of Dermatology, the American Cancer Society and the Skin Cancer Foundation must be balanced with tips on tanning responsibly,” Stepp maintains. “Anti-tanning lobbyists have intentionally confused the public to believe that any UV light exposure is dangerous. In fact, regular moderate sun exposure is not linked to melanoma, but intermittent sunburn—particularly among those who are predisposed to sunburn—is believed to be the risk factor. We encourage responsible tanning, not the avoidance of it.” In the 1950s, before the invention of antibiotics, it was common for doctors to prescribe exposure to UV light to patients. Today, with many observers warning against the overuse of antibiotics, some physicians such as Dr. Gordon Ainsleigh advocate responsible UV exposure because “its dramatic benefits for immune system stimulation and cancer suppression far outweigh any risks.” Referring to the research of Frank and Cedric Garland and Ed Gorham, Gary G. Schwartz, William B. Grant and Esther John, in addition to his own work, Ainsleigh says that routine non-burning sun exposure inhibits the progression of all of the five deadliest cancers in America. He adds, “American Cancer Society statistics show that sun-inhibited internal cancers kill at more than 100-times-greater frequency than do sun-promoted skin cancers, so increasing sun exposure will save many lives.”