HARD WORK PAYS OFF

PTAF Inspires Pro-UV Article

Finally, a victory for indoor tanning published in the mainstream media – and it’s all thanks to the Professional Tanning Action Fund (PTAF).

Due to the diligent efforts of the Professional Tanning Action Fund (PTAF), some positive news about sun exposure has been printed in a popular national magazine. Men’s Health ran a story called “You Need Vitamin D,” which presents some of the most balanced news about sunlight outside of the indoor tanning industry. The article’s appearance in the national health magazine is the result of the hard work of PTAF, whose members threatened the magazine’s publisher with a libel suit unless it started offering balanced coverage on tanning-related issues.

Many in the industry probably remember an article in the May issue of Prevention magazine titled “A Killer Tan.” The piece, written by Hallie Levine, was filled with what many tanning professionals consider to be half-truths, misquotes and pseudo-science. What was worse was the author’s unfavorable view of studies into the positive effects of moderate sun exposure being conducted by Dr. Michael Holick and Dr. William Grant. The story outraged many in the indoor tanning industry iˇˇˇˇding Bob Wagner, PTAF Executive Director. After reading the article, Wagner sprang into action. He contacted John Adams, the attorney PTAF has retained to handle such matters, who promptly threatened to take legal action on behalf of the tanning industry for such irresponsible journalism. “The attorneys at Rodale Publishing, which own Prevention and Men’s Health magazines, recommended the publication write a story looking at the positive effects of moderate sun exposure to compensate,” Wagner said. “This recent story in Men’s Health is the result of Adams’ correspondence and discussions with Rodale’s attorneys.”

Tanning professionals who are tired of negative press should read the Men’s Health article titled “You Need Vitamin D” by Tom McGrath. The report starts out in a first person narrative, where McGrath states that his former habit of avoiding the sun at all costs might cost him his life. He elaborates on this motif by explaining what current research suggests – that sunlight helps the body create vitamin D, which is essential to health. “The writer also managed to interview Dr. Michael Holick and Dr. William Grant and listed much of their research into the positive effects of moderate sunlight exposure,” said Bob Wagner. “It was good to see this important research cited in such a well-read magazine.”

Although the article does detail the various schools of thought on sunlight and vitamin D production, that’s not all it contains. The article is balanced by the opinions of James Spencer, M.D., director of dermatologic surgery at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York. He criticizes Holick’s research – which concludes that more sunlight-induced vitamin D could help prevent certain illnesses – saying Holick is oversimplifying things. Still, the majority of the piece focuses on the benefits of moderate sunlight exposure, which is a good thing. “This is the kind of reporting that we, as an industry, have been wanting to see for quite some time – the kind that isn’t one-sided,” Wagner said. “We consider this a victory for the tanning  industry.”