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Media

Hullabaloo

Everybody’s heard that “bad news sells newspapers,” and nobody knows this hackneyed line better than the people who shape and package our news for us!  What is most troubling is the media’s habit of presenting our industry in a very negative light. 

Every spring, the ordeal begins anew: the scare stories, the dire reports of isolated “tanning-related” incidents that we’ve all heard, year after year.  Do they give a balanced viewpoint?  Rarely.

This past summer, the term “tanorexia” seemed to get a lot of play.  Tanorexia, of course, refers to the extreme tanning habits of the small minority of indoor tanners who overdo it.  While our industry preaches and tries to enforce tanning moderation, there will always be that compulsive few who will tan too much, and too often – just as they did in the days before there was any such thing as indoor tanning. 

But, isn’t this the way with most human pastimes and activities?  Some people will just go too far, and they shouldn’t give a bad name to the entire group!

I’d therefore like to counter the negative media spin with some of the real positives about tanning; keep these in mind if ever you’re asked for your opinion of some news item that unfairly bashes our industry.

First, consider vitamin D.  I know, most of us are well aware that exposure to UV causes the body to produce vitamin D.  What most of us don’t understand however, are the far-reaching effects of this biological response. 

Vitamin D can be found in the foods we eat and in vitamin supplements we take, but the amount of vitamin D that we ingest daily isn’t sufficient in itself to prevent low bone density.  This condition has grown into a severe epidemic, affecting 25 million Americans at present.  Low bone density is the precursor to osteoporosis.  Further, vitamin D deficiency is also linked to persistent and unexplained joint and bone pain. 

The only way to raise one’s vitamin D to acceptable levels is to allow some of this light-induced vitamin D synthesis to take place.  Only twenty minutes of sunscreen-free exposure three times a week produces plenty of vitamin D.  The use of sunscreens, of course, increases the exposure time needed to make the process work.

But aside from healthy bones, what else do we get from UV exposure?  It has been established that UV exposure does protect against the development of multiple sclerosis.  In addition, the extra vitamin D produced by UV exposure is linked to decreased incidence of cancers of the lymphatic system, breast, ovaries, colon, prostate, bladder, uterus, esophagus, rectum and stomach.  Not only that, UV exposure leads to reduced incidence of rheumatoid arthritis and Type 1 diabetes.  It has even been found to protect against heart disease.  So, there’s lot’s more to vitamin D than just healthy bones!

But there’s even more!  Sunlight has the power to stimulate the production of endorphins and serotonin, which are the body’s “feel good” chemicals.  Lowered serotonin levels can lead to depression – it’s no wonder that getting a tan cheers us up!  Just as exercise produces a good feeling, so does tanning—somehow, it just makes you feel healthy!

But aren’t there some risks? Yes; but interestingly enough, the Journal of Cancer reported years ago that “the increased risk of non-melanoma cancer was a price to be paid for a decrease in internal cancer,” insinuating that some cancer risks are quite preferable to others.

At this writing, no well-designed studies support a connection between melanoma and exposure to UV from tanning beds.  Melanoma accounts for only 5 percent of all newly diagnosed skin cancer cases each year, but is responsible for the majority of skin cancer deaths. Contrary to what we might assume, melanoma is more common in people who work indoors than in those who work outdoors.  In addition, melanoma most commonly appears on parts of the body that do not receive regular UV exposure, making it somewhat of an enigma.  Anyway, you can draw your own conclusions from the foregoing information.

To sum up…overall, nature tells us that sunlight is good for us; if sunlight were really that bad for us, we’d have become nocturnal creatures – like mice – long ago.

So as always, tan responsibly and in moderation, don’t ever burn, and until next time, happy tanning! 

  Trick question?  You be the judge!