Go To The Source: Where Did You Get That Info?

This fall, a story came in from Lynchburg, Va.-based WSET television station reporter Danner Evans that issued grave implications to those that tan indoors. Of course, I had to reply—here is an excerpt from the original report followed by my comments:

“Summer is over, so you may be thinking of ‘fake-baking’ to keep your summer-like glow. But new research shows just how dangerous indoor tanning can be. Everywhere you turn, they’re tall, thin and tan. But getting that bronzed glow can be dangerous, even indoors. Just ask Heather Schulte. She tanned in a salon twice a week from the time she was 14. When she was 18, doctors diagnosed her with melanoma skin cancer. Heather stated: ‘I thought [indoor] tanning was better for you than the sun.’ Dermatologist Lynn Cornelius says that’s simply not the case. Today, most tanning beds only [emit] UVA rays—not UVB, which are thought to cause burning. But new research shows UVA rays are linked to melanoma and can be more dangerous in a tanning bed. Cornelius claims that ‘the problem is that UVA exposure that is given to tanners is probably five to 10 times what you normally would experience outside.’ Schulte adds: ‘Don’t think it can’t happen to you, because it can.’”

Dear Ms. Evans, Per your report on indoor tanning, which aired in October and is posted on your news station’s Web site, www.wset.com: The overwhelming majority of indoor tanning lamps in commercial use utilize a combination of both UVA and UVB light. A precise amount of UVB is necessary to stimulate the production of melanin in the skin and UVA is needed to oxidize (or produce) the cosmetic tan. This information comes to you via LightSources, Inc., one of the largest manufacturers of indoor tanning lamps in the world.

Dermatologist Lynn Cornelius’ quote regarding research that claims women using a tanning bed more than once per month were twice as likely to develop melanoma is misleading. Indoor tanning allows for controlled, timed sessions according to skin type. Indoor tanning beds and booths use a wide variety of lamp types that reflect different light wavelengths during these timed sessions.

Using Cornelius’ logic, women with Skin Type II (fair skin) could use a very mild sunlamp for a just a minute or two, two times per month and be twice as likely to develop melanoma as women of the same skin type that tan frequently and risk overexposure/sunburn in natural sunlight. That is incorrect. However, that’s the message that you conveyed.

You also implied that Heather Schulte obtained melanoma from tanning bed usage. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, heredity plays a major role in developing melanoma. What do your viewers and readers know about Schulte’s heredity? What do they know about the cumulative amount of time she has spent in natural sunlight? Not much.

Approximately 75 percent of indoor tanners are female and under age 35. As of press time, the American Cancer Society estimated that 8,110 fatalities due to malignant melanoma—5,220 men and 2,890 women—will have occurred in 2007 in the United States. If indoor tanning was truly the link, wouldn’t those numbers be inversed (as in, more women than men would be affected by malignant melanoma-related deaths)? In addition, think about the fact that more than 90 percent of melanoma incidences and fatalities involve people older than age 35. (For more facts on melanoma, visit www.seer.cancer.gov.) Perhaps the information in this letter can be used in a follow-up story regarding the millions of people who weigh the risk/benefit of UV exposure and choose the controlled and responsible manner of tanning indoors where exposures are regulated by a timer and by skin type.

Sincerely,
Joe Schuster 

For more information on LightSources tanning products, visit www.lsitanning.com. If you have a question that you would like answered in this forum, e-mail joe_lsi@bellsouth.net.