no it's not true...a tan from a salon coupled with a tan at the beach can be very harmful.
Stop feeding misinformation to people if you don't know what you are talking about. Tanning is good for you and you should read more about it. This is no expert in dermatology or UV light or anything. If you ask her to give you just 1 shred of scientific evidence, it is not possible. WHY? Because it doesn't exist. The reason Tanning is said to be bad is because the SPF companies endorse doctors to say so to push their lotions on the unsuspecting public.
You cannot live without the sun....scaring people away from it will cause more damage and health problems then you could know.
www.sunlightscam.com
Read, be informed and use common sense. Don't listen to these so called "health experts " like the one here saying she knows what she's saying without any backing of scientific studies or evidence whatsoever.
Truthtanning.com Funny people where is the sun all day long back in the day and as far as anyone knows they were fine does anyone have something diffrent? The other day while cruzing the caribbean I noticed people laying in the sun for hours. These are probley the same people who say oh its so bad for you then, they go lay in the sun for hours
Dear sue, Please point us to where you get your expert opinions from? Are you a cancer surviver? Are you a Dr? Do you work for a DR? Are you endorsed by any sunscreen manufacturers? Can you show us proof of what you speak?
Will you also suggest people stay off the beach to tan? Or stop laying out by the backyard pool to tan? I think NOT!
Why would you post such crap like your first sentence about final destination 3?
Did you see the movie where a guy gets in his car and it blows up when he starts it? Should everyone have unfounded fears of cars blowing up all the time just because it was in a movie once?
Come on. The only people that should spread crap are farmers!
Moderate , sensible and responsible tanning is the message that should be getting out, not your sunscare message.
If you need more information than this, I will be pleased to provide it for you.
But, this should be a good start for you to inform yourself a bit more and to not use Urban Legend based movies as reference material.
http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21368223/
http://www.theita.com/client_files/about/sunlightrobbery.pdf
http://www.theita.com/membersonly/holickpodcast.mp3 (Dr. Holicks latest pod cast.)
Also, check out the book: "The UV Advantage".
And http://stores.homestead.com/hstrial-MSorenson/StoreFront.bok
"Ignorance is not bliss."
Sue, you should really know the facts before you give advice to people. The vitamin d experts state that you should expose your arms and legs to 10-15 minutes a day to sunshine 3 times a week. Not your face once a month. There have been several major scientific studies done in the last several years that show that people that have higher levels of vitamin d can reduce their chance of cancer by 60%.
Didn't you guys read her profile? It says she is a writer for a magazine and has a Bachelor of Arts in Womens Studies.
Well that alone is proof that she's qualified to give medical advice on Ultraviolet Rays, Dermatology and Cancer.
I'm sick and tired of seeing people talk about something they have no clue on with absolutely no facts or evidence to support their theory.
Educate yourself and come back here with scientific evidence before you start talking trash about something you know absolutely nothing about.
Be an individual and think for yourself instead of listening to mumbo jumbo that is not proven facts.
Sue,
To say that you are an expert in something means that you have educated yourself in a mannor to give out educated & researched based information. The exact definition is:
a person who has a special skill,or knowledge in a particular field, specialist or authority!
In regards to the above article I would reccomend doing some additional research, not just a one sided view. Freedom of speech allows everyone the ability to express their individual views, it does not always mean that they are educated and researched based.
I would love to see who your sources were for this information and what research there is to back it. Media is a wonderful thing until someone abuses an "Expert" title.
I advise anyone reading this article to also visit some of the previously post sites for research based infromation.
In the first sentence of your self-righteous rant, you used the word "mannor." You have no credibility.
The author is correct. You (as well as the others attempting to argue against the dangers of tanning)are only trying to comfort your own conscience.
I am a stage 3 melanoma survivor. I had a 60% chance of survival. I was 11 years old, and am not very pale.
I am now 22, and a Yale graduate.
You are only fooling yourselves. For every link you post(of which, many are from shoddy .coms that are paid for by the tanning industry), I can find 10+ from the WHO, AMA, ACS, etc. proving that no tan is a safe tan.
Although I almost never curse, if you believe that tanning is healthy, you are a dumbass.
-very qualified and only posting to stop the spread of misinformation... tanning is never safe, and i hope that you take care of your health
I am very sorry for the struggle that you have gone through with your Melanoma. I can't imagine how horrible of an ordeal that could have been for you at such a young age. However, if you will look at the studies on Melanoma you will see that most Melanoma starts in places on your skin that rarely see the sun. It will also state that Melanoma is mostly acquired by those who are predisposed to get it anyway. You may also note that even if you tan regularly, your chances of getting Melanoma only raise by 2% - 4%. On the other side of that, scientist have found absolutely no link between moderated tanning and Melanoma. They have found more evidence that certain ingredients in sunscreens are carcenogenic. (means they cause cancer) There are many leading dermatologists that will tell you that the benefits you get from moderated tanning, whether indoor or outdoor, far outweigh the risks. I don't fault you for your ingnorance on the issue. I'm sure you believe what you are saying because ever since you were diagnosed, your parents have been drilling your brain with the idea that the sun is bad for you. Sweetie, I hate to tell you this, but if you got Melanoma that young, you were gonna get it no matter what how you tried to prevent it. My worry for you is that you are now terrified of the sun and will have to deal with many different illnesses as you grow up that are caused by Vitamin D deficiency. If you want some advise from a doctor you should check out Dr. Joseph Mercola's website and watch some of the informative videos that he has about Vitamin D and the Sun.
http://www.mercola.com/forms/background.htm
There is also a great book that you should read by Michael Holick titled: "The UV Advantage." My advice to you is to do your own research and form an educated opinion before you go on believing something that just 1 person said.
Oh yeah, I forgot to add that just because you have had a particular illness doesn't make you an expert. Besides you had that illness when you were 11. I had the Chicken Pox when I was 10 that doesn't mean I know everything there is to know about Chicken Pox. You can only be considered an expert if you have a degree in that particular field of study, have spent a substantial amount of time working in that field, or have done and insane amount of research on the particular issue.
A little long but hoping this writer will now actually do some homework.
Hello,
I am a service tech in the Tanning Industry.
There is some really good research coming out of universities such as Stanford and Boston Universities talking about the benefits of sunlight and vitamin D. Indoor sun and outdoor sun are the same so they both produce natural vitamin D. A lot of people don't know that. 5-7 minutes in a tanning bed can produce upwards of 5000 IU of Vitamin D or more, naturally, just what a body needs.
There are so many people suffering from things that are caused by a lack of vitamin D and supplements are just not the answer. We as humans, just like all other life on this planet, need sunshine, and the Vitamin D it provides, to thrive and survive. In the past 60 years, we've changed our lifestyle and habits to indoor activities instead of being outside like nature designed.
I saw this article and video clip on an NBC channel and wanted to forward it to you. http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/n...storyid=105084 If you click on the video you can watch the video. If you research this you will see that many are now realizing that because we don't go in the sun, don't go to indoor salons and slather on sunscreen we are keeping ourselves from a vitamin that can truly keep us from disease and even death.
I would like, for once, to see a news report that is factual and positive for the benefits of sun instead of the doom and gloom from the dermatologists who scare us all into thinking that if you get even a little sunlight you are going to die from melanoma. It's just not the truth.
The Charlotte Observer
Scripps News
Contra Costa Times
ABC News
ArabianBusiness.com
Autism Today
Babygooroo.com
Baltimore Sun
BBC News
Boston Herald
Canada.com
CancerConsultants.com
CBC News
Chicago Tribune
Diabetes Health
Doctor's Guide
EarthTimes.org
Epoch Times
Feel Great Coaching Wellness Blog
Fitness.com
Foodconsumer.org
Freep.com
Globe and Mail
Hamilton Spectator
Houston Chronicle
inthenews.co.uk
Independent.ie
Indystar.com
KaiserNetwork.org
KPBS San Diego
Laboratory Product News
Media‑Newswire.com
Medicexchange.com
Minnesota Public Radio
Mo Blogs
National Post
Natural Products Insider
NIH News
Nutra Ingredients
Press TV
Reuters
Sacramento Bee
Scotsman.com
Telegraph
thisislondon.co.uk
Times Online
UCSD Medical Center
Washington Post
http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/news.shtml
PEOPLE! All these articles support evidence that Vitamin D is good for us and prevents many diseases. No one is debating THAT issue. What is up for debate is the issue of HOW the Vitamin D should be obtained in the safest manner. We can take an oral supplement, we can get direct sunlight exposure, or possibly we can get it from the UVB rays in a tanning bed. However, the argument is, does the sun and tanning bed exposure cause skin cancer or not? Not one of these myriad articles pertains to the research data on that issue.
You can justify suntanning however you want. Every one of my patients who come to my office with melanoma, it was caused by excessive UVA and UVB exposure. The damage to their skin, even those without melanoma, is so great, not to mention these patients LOOK older than their age due to the effects of the UVA and UVB rays.
I could list TONS of professional journal, peer reviewed scientific research (the ONLY research you should be consulting) that correlates melanoma and carcinoma with UVA and UVB exposure.
The future research being consucted now is, how much UVA/UVB exposure is alright without increasing cancer risk. To be fair, perhaps only 5 minutes of 100% UVB exposure (you are NOT getting this ina tanning bed, but 95% UVA instead) is fine, reaps the health benefits and no increase in cancer risk will be found. But how many people who sunbathe and use tanning beds only stay in the light for 5 to 15 minutes? It's more like several hours for a day at the beach or by the pool, and generally 20 to 30 minutes in a tanning bed. THIS IS TOO MUCH and that HAS been proven. Do your research.
The conspiracy theory that the medical profession is just out to scare everyone to benefit the sales of sunscreen lotions is pure moronic nonsense. That's not even a good argument or point of contention. It's just stupid. The medical community will always err on the side of being overly cautious because they know most everyday citizens will go way beyond the guidelines anyway, and they do.
As a dermatologist who treats patients with skin cancer, I'll just say here, do your research on the correlations between UVA/UVB rays and melanoma and cancinoma. That is the issue here. No one is debating whether our bodies need Vitamin D. The naysayers are missing the point here. Your tans aren't going to look so pretty when your dermatologist has to cut a 10 inch circle of dermis, epidermis and subcu out of your thigh to remove a carcinoma. Those scars don't tan over.
Saying that "UV light causes cancer, so therefore humans should avoid UV light" is like saying that "Water causes drowning, so therefore humans should avoid water."
Consider:
- Tanning is a natural and intended body function. If one reads all the studies on this topic and one truly understands the research methods used to collect the data, you will see that NO research suggests that tanning in a non-burning fashion is a significant risk factor for permanent skin damage.
- Recent vitamin D research has shown that 97 percent of Canadians and a majority of Americans are vitamin D deficient today. Because humans get 90 percent of their vitamin D naturally from sunlight, don't you think this means we're intended to be in the sun on a regular basis?
- Indoor tanners have 90 percent higher vitamin D levels compared with non-tanners. A single indoor tanning session can make 10,000-20,000 IU of vitamin D naturally, which stores quite nicely in your system.
- A tan, in combination with sunscreen usage, is more effective at preventing summer and vacation sunburns as compared with sunscreen usage alone. That's because a tan is your skin's natural protection against sunburn.
So let's do the math: Humans need UVB in sunlight to make vitamin D naturally (unless you eat fresh salmon daily). Tanning in a non-burning fashion makes vitamin D better than any other source and - unlike sunburn - is not a significant risk factor for permanent skin damage. Additionally, tanned skin is less likely to sunburn than non-tanned skin.
Now consider the $35 billion a year made by sunscreen/cosmetic manufacturers who have told us to wear sunscreen 365 days a year and to avoid all UV exposure.
Seems the $35 billion "sun scare" industry is twisting what ought to be pretty obvious math. Tan Smart. Don't Ever Sunburn.
Visit TanningTruth.com for more information.
That first analogy you used was grossly oversimplified. Exposing youself to UV radiation does cause melanoma. Exposing yourself to water gets you wet.
You need to cite more reliable sources for all of the information you provided as "fact" besides tanningtruth.com. When you go to their "About Us" link, all it says is that it's a public information site....it doesn't claim to be expert advice given by doctors or members of the national institute of health or anything of the sort. Wikipedia is a public information source, too, created by people who are probably about as experienced in the topics they discuss as the guys who put that tanning truth website together. I notice they don't mention where their support comes from, nor does "Doctor" Sorenson ever once on either that site or his blog reveal his medical credentials....questionable, at best.
Humans can't overdose on vitamin D when it's made by the body, but they can OD on the sun, and that includes tanning beds. Get sunburned. And get cancer. If not cancer, then ugly, leathery wrinkly skin that's prematurely aged (photoaging).
No one’s suggesting we try to live without sunlight. It’s FAKE SUNLIGHT we can live without. Why waste money and time on dangerous overexposure to UV rays when we have a nice flaming ball of gas sitting 93 million miles away giving us FOR FREE what the tanning industry purports to SELL under the guise of being "safer and healthier"?
Is suggest everyone slap on some sunscreen and then WALK THE HE** OUTSIDE instead of wasting your time in a bulb-lined coffin.
I agree with you. Tanning bed supporters are lying to themselves to ease their own worry, rather than being humble and accepting the truth. It's braver to admit when one is wrong, but these people are small-minded. I posted above along the same train of thought, before I read the remainder of the posts.
Wow, there "are" a lot of tanning bullies in cyberspace..It's creepy how protective they are of their so-called beautiful tan and the warmth and brightness of the sun. I am 55 years old and I now realize that if I hadn't been prudent about staying out of the sun after being diagnosed with Malasma at age 30, I would have gotten skin cancer and ruined my skin way worse than it already was!
Vitamin D experts, advising people to get in the sun, is very irresponsible! I've been studying this for many years and they are going against reputable organizations like, The Skin Cancer Foundation and The american Cancer Society. I just read the smoking gun study on Vitamin D preventing breast cancer, published by "The American Cancer Society", "Vitamin D Fails To Decrease Breast Cancer Risk", posted on 11/11/2008 and it was reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, concludes that there is no evidence that Vitamin D decreases breast cancer incidence in post-menopausal women.
The article concluded, "when it comes to Vitamin D there are a lot of questions and not many answers." In another article published by the American Cancer Society, it states, "the problem is-as it has been for many years-that when the vitamin claims are subjected to the magnifying glass of a well-done clinical trial, the claims simply don't hold up."
Vitamin D experts are recommending sun exposure when we know it does cause cancer. One of the top Vitamin D experts, Dr. Michael F. Holick, in Boston, Mass. is selling books and getting paid by the tanning industry. His book, "The UV Advantage", recommends tanning beds in the winter, among other ridiculous claims. Tanning beds have been proven to cause Melanoma! Someone every hour dies of Melanoma in the US and it's getting worse every year!
Anyway, I'm very worried about the unsuspecting young person taking this bad advice in order to "be" healthy. You can get Vitamin D in safe ways like diet. You can irridate vegetables like mushrooms to get a huge amount of Vitamin D. The average life span was 49 years old in 1900, why are we using logic from the dark ages when we know science proved a long time ago that UV exposure is cumulative and does cause cancer?
"Vitamin D Fails To Decrease Breast Cancer Risk"
This was another designed-to-fail study that got unnecessarily lot of news coverage. I'd say that study failed mostly because it used too small amounts of vitamin D. It also counted only breast cancer. 400 IUs barely even show in blood levels. If you get 20 minutes of full-body exposure in summer at midday, you get 10 000-20 000 IUs. After that, the production maxes out and you won't get more D. Sun lotions block a big portion of the UVB needed for vitamin D. It's probably optimal to stay around 15-20 minutes in the sun without lotion and then protect yourself. No need to irradiate yourself more if you don't want to.
Lappe et al performed a double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled trial with 1400-1500 mg of calcium and 1100 IUs of vitamin D. The vitamin D group had around 60% less risk for getting any cancer.
http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/85/6/1586
Quote: "When analysis was confined to cancers diagnosed after the first 12 mo, RR for the Ca + D group fell to 0.232"
After 12 months the Ca+D group had 77% less risk for getting cancer. Sounds unbelievably good but I can't find any faults in the study, so I'll believe it for now.
Getting vitamin D levels fixed will also help your blood pressure and reduces your risk of getting influenza among a lot of other things. No need to stay out in the sun if you don't want to, supplements will also work if you use big enough doses.
The bottom line after all is said and done: The cure is worse than the disease. Why risk one horrible cancer to prevent another? And the American Cancer Society did write that the Vitamin D study was very credible. They are credible. Every hour in this country, someone dies from Melanoma. You can get Vitamin D easily without the sun. I have close family members who needed to get their Vitamin D from the sun and they still got breast cancer. Also, I've stayed out of the sun for 26 years and my complete bone composition test came back excellent. The truth is: UVR is radiation and there is a ton of evidence that it hurts immunity and once someone gets skin cancer, they are more likely to get other types of cancer. Look on skincancer.org. Someone very close to me almost died from this stupid analogy and it's just a matter of time before it happens again!
I agree that long-term sunbathing is taking unnecessary risk. If you want to be totally careful, you avoid the sun and take vitamin D supplements. Skin cancer by sun exposure is associated with sunburns, which you definitely want to avoid. Prudent exposure (no more than is needed to get enough D) should be safe and healthy. Sunbathing with sunblock is asking for trouble as it lengthens the time spent in the sun and can pretty much eliminate vitamin D production. Also, if you wash using soap after sunbathing, you might be washing vitamin D-containing body oils away.
Sorry to hear about your friends. Vitamin D improves the prognosis of cancer and will probably be a component of cancer treatment in the future.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19269856
I agree that Vitamin D is a very important vitamin (it's really a hormone) but the problem I'm having with the advice to get it from the sun is: Radiation is cumulative, including UV radiation. Our skin keeps track of every bit of UVR througout our lives and most of us have already had way too much! There isn't and never have been any evidence that getting Vitamin D from the sun is better. And there is direct evidence that it hurts immunity.
I have stayed out of the sun for 26 years and I'm very healthy with a high vitamin D level. I've noticed others around me, who have been in the sun a little, have gotten cancer. Breast cancer runs in my family and I am at risk. My Mother and 4 of her sisters have had breast cancer and the other sister died of another type of cancer.
Other vitamin claims from the past have been proven, eventually, to not prevent any cancers. The difference with UVR induced Vitamin D preventing cancer is, if it is found to also be a bogus claim, the risk of this cancer prevention may have caused the cancers it claims to be preventing...It's a no-brainer to me... And when people have had very low Vitamin D levels, they are always put on supplements, not UVR exposure.
This comment doesn't really have to do with tanning beds per se. However, I think it is relevant to the discussion. I don't know where the author got her information, but 15 to 20 minutes of sun exposure once a month will not provide all the vitamin D necessary to prevent a deficiency in everyone. I am a caucasian women who lives in the deep south (in Alabama) and have lived here all my life. I have a vitamin D deficiency verified by lab tests (not just low levels-- a true deficiency). I am not nor have I ever been shy of getting outside in the sunshine at every opportunity, though I do always try to avoid burning. In fact, much more sun exposure (than that mentioned by the author) at this latitude is unavoidable. Based on my personal experience, I would venture to say that 15 to 20 minutes of sunshine on the face weekly and possibly even daily would not provide enough vitamin D to prevent a deficiency in some people.
What kind of quack says, against all known Vitamin D research of the twentieth century? for the rest of your claims, specifically that vague and yet narrow claim about tanning beds (and thus sunlight) diminishing your vitamin d stores- Source of that claim please? Because as I understand it, it doesnt diminish the stores you have- it breaks down a precurser to vitamin d in your skin so you cant overdose just from being in the sun. You are no expert.
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Most people who use tanning beds prior to going to the beach do it so that they are less likely to burn as bad from the sun. If you get yourself to a "base" tan by using tanning beds it's not gonna kill you. They say that cellphones are linked to cancer now so it's really up to you what you want to do. I find it stupid that all these people freak out about things like this. LIVE YOUR LIFE AND STOP WORRYING! If ya don't like it then don't do it