Melanoma Myth is Based on F.E.A.R.

OK, now let’s tie all of this information together, using the following three examples. (In each example, the individuals work indoors, live in Boston and take a two-week summer vacation in a high-intensity UVR environment.)

• Example 1: The individual utilizes a tanning salon on a regular basis in order to maintain a dark tan year-round.
• Example 2: The individual only utilizes a tanning salon a few times in order to develop a “base tan” before going on the two-week holiday.
• Example 3: The individual does not develop or maintain a tan.

Some questions: Which individual will have the most “natural” protection from UVR damage? Which individual will be required to use more “artificial” sunscreen? Which individual will most likely have the highest vitamin D level?

Obviously, the individual in Example 1 will have the most natural protection from UVR damage on the first day of the vacation and will only have to use a sunscreen when outside for a long period of time. Equally obvious is the fact that this individual is not likely to sunburn and is likely to have the highest blood level of vitamin D.

Meanwhile, the individual in Example 2 will have some protection from UVR damage on the first day of the vacation, but will have to use sunscreen sooner than the individual in the first example. Similarly, this individual is likely to have a higher vitamin D level than the Example 3 individual but not as high as the Example 1 individual.

The individual in Example 3 will only have the protection from UVR damage afforded by his or her constitutive (natural) pigmentation on the first day of the vacation and should start using a sunscreen immediately in order to prevent UVR damage. If this individual does not apply an adequate amount of sunscreen on day one (and continually reapply it), the stage is set for skin damage—the keratinocytes will signal the melanocytes to produce more and more melanin, and when the existing melanocytes cannot supply enough to keep up, they will start dividing. And, sooner or later, the signal to one of the “mother” melanocyte cells to stop dividing will get scrambled and result in a future CMM. Moreover, the overexposure will inevitably result in a painful sunburn.

The bottom line is that, when UVR strikes the skin, a natural reaction occurs—unfortunately, that reaction has led to the erroneous belief that UVR causes CMM when, in actuality, there is only a coincidental relationship. Frankly, it is time to quit blaming UVR for causing CMM and start searching for the reason that the stop-dividing signal to the mother melanocyte gets scrambled. When the answer to that puzzle is found, we will be on the road to solving the CMM problem. The “Melanoma Epidemic” authors summed things nicely by stating that their finding indicated “ ... the need for a new direction in the search for the cause of melanoma” and for a “ ... re-evaluation in the role of ultraviolet radiation ... ”

Patricia E. Reykdal and Donald L. Smith operate the Non-Ionizing Radiation Research Institute in Tucson, Ariz. They have written many articles promoting the benefits of controlled ultraviolet radiation exposure (CURE). You can e-mail comments or questions to reyksmith@aol.com.