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The professional indoor tanning industry promotes responsible indoor tanning
and sunburn prevention as "smart." We choose not to use the word "safe."
Here is why:
The word "safe" implies that one can recklessly abuse something without
any fear of causing harm. And reckless abandon certainly is not the behavior
the professional indoor tanning industry is teaching. In fact, we are playing
a key role in successfully preventing that kind of reckless abuse. By teaching
a "smart" approach to sunburn prevention that recognizes that people
do perceive different benefits from being in the sun, we are able to teach sunburn
prevention in a practical way that respects both the potential benefits and
the risks of sun exposure.
For example, previous generations believed that sunburn was an inconvenient
but necessary precursor to developing a tan. Today we know better, and we are
teaching a new generation of tanners how to avoid sunburn at all costs. Again,
our position: Moderate tanning is the best way to maximize the potential benefits
of sun exposure while minimizing the potential risks of either too much or too
little exposure.
These graphs illustrate our point. The top graph shows the conventional thinking
about sunlight: that totally eliminating sun exposure eliminates risks. That
oversimplification is why the $30 billion sun-care industry tells us to wear
sunscreen 365 days a year, no matter where we live. But the bottom graph is a
more accurate, albeit more complicated, description of the risk function. The
one thing we do know for certain about sunlight is that zero exposure does NOT
equal zero risk; in fact, the risks of zero exposure would be deadly. So the
risk function must be curved. The vertex of that curve - where risk is minimized
- is different for every person and cannot be randomly defined. What's more,
this graph does not even take into account the balance between benefits and
risks. That has to be part of the equation if any campaign is going to be effective.
Human life is totally reliant on sun exposure, and the life-giving effects
of ultraviolet light. The question for each of us - a question that nobody knows
the exact answer to - is how much sun exposure is appropriate, and how much
is too much. Basing the answer to that question on the belief that any exposure
increases one's risk of skin damage - a belief that is not categorically supported
in the medical literature -fails to recognize the positive influence ultraviolet
light and sunlight have on our lives.
New research on breast cancer, prostate cancer, colon cancer and other deadly
diseases - research that shows that regular sun exposure may play a key part
in preventing the onset or retarding the growth of these deadly diseases - supports
the position that moderate sun exposure, for those of us who can develop a tan,
is the best way to maximize the potential benefits of sun exposure while minimizing
the potential risks of either too much or too little exposure.
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