Posts Tagged Tanning

The Use of Tanning Beds Raise Skin Cancer Risk

December 26, 2011 at 11:56 am · Filed under Melanoma Newz ·Tagged , , , , , , ,

We all know that too much of one thing could eventually be a bad thing. Smoke too much and get emphysema. Eat too much high fat and salty foods–and you are diagnosed with high cholesterol. Eat too many unhealthy foods and you will become over-weight. Stay out too long in the sun without the proper protection and you will get sunburned or worse skin cancer.  Buy one of those nifty tanning salon packages and you increase your risk of skin cancer.

Tanning beds are already linked to melanoma. The World Health Organization list tanning beds in its highest risk group of things that cause cancer, calling it a human carcinogen. They recommend children do not use them. All over the country the debate on the legal age a minor should be able to tan with and without parental permission has been big this past year.  According to the World Health Organization, 30 million people in the U.S. use tanning beds. A study published in the Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology finds that  the use of a tanning beds before the age of 30 increases the risk of skin cancer and early-onset basal cell carcinoma (bcc) by 75%.

The study was conducted at the Yale School of Public Health in New Haven, Connecticut. Led by Susan T. Mayne, Senior author of the study and professor at the School of Public Health. She says in a statement  that; ”Indoor tanning was strikingly common in our study of young skin cancer patients, especially in the women, which may partially explain why 70 percent of early-onset BCCs are in females.”  It’s not surprising that the rate of skin cancer and BCC’s are more common in females. The majority of TV, print and media ads are geared toward making women believe that healthy beautiful skin is linked to having a tan.

Melanoma rates in general have been rising for the past 3 decades. Those who tanned vigorously in the 80′s are now reaping the benefits of skin cancer. The American Cancer Society estimates that 70,230 people will be diagnosed with some form of skin cancer. Melanoma accounts for only 5% of skin cancer cases, but causes the majority of death. The only way to reduce the incidence of skin cancer (bcc) and melanoma is to reduce indoor tanning. It’s a tricky subject since most people only learn from trial and error. It’s down right scary. I wonder all the time what can be done? How will those that choose to tan by the use of tanning salons or the sun learn that it is dangerous. Sure a healthy dose of sunlight is needed for the sake of Vitamin D production, but excess tanning and sun exposure will only lead to trouble…

How can the mindset that tanning creates beauty be eliminated?: 

  • Love the skin you’re in! Each and every one of us was created the way we were supposed to be. Trying to morph ourselves into what we aren’t disrupts our natural beauty.
  • Use sunless tanning lotions or spray tans. If you must have that year round “bronze glow” then use a fake-n-bake. Studies have shown that the use of sunless tanning lotions decreases your chance of developing skin cancer.
  • Research the dangers. There is a ton on information out there. Sometimes you can’t rely on what other people are telling you–Educate yourself and your family. Teach your children at an early age to be sun safe.
  • Cherish your life! We only get one.
  • Think about your loved ones. (Notice a trend?) Nothing should come down to life and death when you have a choice. Tanning is a choice.

 

Source:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45656187/ns/health-cancer/#.TvizKtS0xLA

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Minors In California Now Banned From Tanning Salons

October 10, 2011 at 5:57 am · Filed under Melanoma Newz ·Tagged , , , , , , ,

Thanks to Governor Jerry Brown and melanoma awareness advocates such as AIM at Melanoma, the California legislation that would ban minors 18 and under from using tanning beds has been signed into law!  The law, SB 746, will take effect January 1, 2012. Currently, California allows minors who are 15-17 years old to use tanning beds with written permission from their parents. California is the first in the nation to set a higher age limit restricting minors from tanning bed use. Texas has the next highest age limit and teens are able to use tanning beds from the age of 16. Illinois, New York, Ohio and Rhode Island have age restrictions and are considering doing the same as California, but have not yet begun a campaign.

A while back Samantha Guild of AIM at Melanoma joined us for our Ban The Tan Twitter Party. She spoke of ways to get our voice heard and how to support the legislation by contacting the Governor. All of that hard work has paid off. It’s so amazing what can be done when people pull together for a common (history making) cause! SB 746 has had the support of the American Cancer Society, California Medical Association and AIM at Melanoma. Obvious opposition have been the Indoor Tanning Association, Hollywood Tan, Palm Beach Tan and Club Tan. Tanning is a luxury that targets 5-10% of teenagers in affluent areas of California which will be business lost for tanning salon owners. Bummer. This law has the best interest of our future generations in mind. Teens are bombarded with messages that a tan makes a person look healthy and beautiful. Now it is time to bombard our teens with messages to love the skin we are in!

The business lost from this law will be well worth the young lives saved. 

Source:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/09/california-bans-tanning-beds_n_1002589.html

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/california-politics/2011/10/tanning-beds-minors-bill-signed.html

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Ban The Tan Highlights!

August 26, 2011 at 10:45 pm · Filed under Prevention, Skinz Newz ·Tagged , , , , , ,

In case you missed the most awesome Twitter Party to date, Ban The Tan! I’ve compiled some highlights, facts, quotes and the myths that we discussed during the party. I was pleased that Donna Helm Regen was my guest host. She has a great passion for raising awareness about this preventable disease since she lost her daughter to Melanoma. The UV Skinz team also joined in on the fun!  It was also so great to have Samantha Guild from AIM at Melanoma to support our Party and get the message out on how people can get involved with tanning bed legislation. It all came down to education! Educating our children and educating each other. Then doing it over and over and over again. Until the word is out there and people realize the dangers of tanning.

Enjoy the quotes–it was awesome to get some really true and candid Tweets!

#banthetan Quotes!:

  • “Natural is certainly healthier.”
  • “No tan is worth your life.”
  • “Remember that tan = damaged skin; damaged skin = damaged DNA; damaged DNA = welcome mat for Melanoma.”
  • “I like the shade myself. Pasty and proud!”

Thanks to Samantha from AIM we all learned some really interesting facts about Melanoma! If you would like more information on how you can support tanning bed legislation in your state feel free to email sguild@aimatmelanoma.org or call 916-706-0599.

Facts (Courtesy of AIM at Melanoma):

  • Melanoma is the 13th most expensive cancer in the U.S. Costing $2.36 billion in medical expenditures in 2010.
  • Only 32 states have statutes that regulate indoor tanning beds.
  • CA, NY, NJ, PA, and are RI are considering legislation to ban minors under 18.
  • Some sun beds emit UV radiation 5 times the strength of the midday sun.

During our discussion I posed some truth/myth questions to keep the convo going. Most everyone responded with the correct answers. Kudos to our followers who are up to date on their Melanoma and tanning bed facts!

Myths:

  • “Tanning beds aren’t addicting, I could stop if I want to.”

While not everyone who goes tanning is an addict, a new study has shown that frequenters of a tanning salon may be suffering from a form of addiction. Tanorexia.

  • “Getting a base tan from a tanning salon will protect my skin from sun damage.”

Tanning beds emit high intensity UV rays, which cause deep skin damage and over time are linked with the development of skin cancer.

  • “Tanning gives my skin a healthy glow.”

There is no such thing as a healthy tan. Any change in your natural skin color is a sign of damage. Not only can tanning cause skin cancer, in the long run, too much exposure to the sun may change the skin’s texture, giving it a tough, leathery appearance.

  • “I don’t go very often, so the rays won’t affect my skin.”

UVA and UVB rays are damaging to the skin – regardless of how often you are exposed.  Even the person that tans once a month is risking aging their skin.

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Ban The Tan Twitter Party

August 15, 2011 at 6:49 pm · Filed under A Day in the Life of..., Melanoma Newz, Skinz Newz ·Tagged , , , , ,

In just a few short days UV Skinz along with Donna Helm Regen, Melanoma actvist, will be hosting our  first Twitter Party together! If you are wondering what a Twitter Party is then I have the answer for you. Thanks to the Twitter Party Guide! This site has everything you need to know about Twitter Parties and a huge following to help make your twitter party a success.

So, What exactly is a Twitter Party?

A twitter party is a fast and fun virtual party, using the twitter platform. Usually held in the evening, twitter parties typically last 1-2 hours and are a wonderful way for people to connect and discuss a topic of choice. Most twitter parties have an expert panelist and party host to keep the party on topic.

What are the benefits of attending a Twitter Party?

Twitter parties are a great way to connect with new friends using the power of social media. People get together for fun, friends and support. Often times twitter parties have some great prizes to give away.

This Thursday, Twitter will be the place to be, especially if you want to learn about the myths and truths on the use of tanning salons, how you can take action to help raise awareness about the dangers of minors using tanning beds and have a chance to win some fabulous prizes!!

You’re Invited!!

We invite you to join us for the Ban The Tan Twitter Party with guest host Donna Helm Regen,  Melanoma advocate. Donna became passionate about raising awareness on the dangers of tanning for minors after she lost her daughter, Jaime, to a 9-year battle with melanoma. You can read more about Jaime in her mother’s words in her Photo Story Friday feature. Donna tweets her way around Twitter with the Twitter handle, @melanoma_mama.

The fun starts at 3:00 P.M. PST on Thursday, August 18th. We will be using the hashtag #thebantan.

Tweet Grid is up and live! Make sure you bookmark the link!…http://is.gd/Fzfy0b

You Could Win!!

During the party we will be asking you the myths and truths on the use of tanning salons. There will be discussion on how you can become invovled in banning minors from using tanning beds. Your answer might just win you a prize!

Don’t forget, it all happens on Thursday, August 18th,  from 3:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. PST. The hashtag for the party is #banthetan.

Will you be there?

Please RSVP with your twitter handles in the comment selection below. To be eligible to win giveaway prizes make sure you RSVP and follow:

We hope to see you there RSVP below by leaving a comment with your Twitter handle!

Make sure you are ready for August 18th! Follow UV Skinz on Twitter @uvskinz

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Study Links Tanning Beds and Melanoma

June 28, 2011 at 3:38 pm · Filed under Melanoma Newz, Prevention ·Tagged , , , , ,

An Australian study published in the International Journal of Cancer is the first to link tanning bed use with early-onset melanoma. A Working Group of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC, a branch of the World Health Organization) used a sample of 600+ people and reviewed 19 international informative studies. Their findings concluded that “ever use of sunbeds was positively associated with melanoma.”

Well, did it really have to take that many people and that many studies to figure out that if you lay in a box with skin damaging UV radiation burning into your skin then you just might get skin cancer. I don’t know. What do you think?

Tanning bed use increases the risk of melanoma by 15% in both women and men. If a persons first exposure to tanning beds was  before the age of 35 the risk for developing melanoma increases by 75%! (Based on 7 informative studies).

With all the fight and debate over banning tanning for minors, it’s still very shocking that 2.3 million American teenagers visit tanning salons. The study found that the “frequent motivation for indoor tanning are the acquisition of a so-called safe tan and preparation of the skin before sun exposure.” I hope we all know that this a complete myth!  You can read more about how an “artificially induced tan offers virtually no protection against sun-induced DNA damage” in the paragraph with the title, Effects of artificial uv on human skin.  The study also states that sun exposure is the main environmental cause of skin cancer, but people may be exposed to UV radiation through artificial sources at home and at the workplace. Examples are lamps used in medicine, industry, business and research, domestic and cosmetic purposes.

The ignorance about the dangers of tanning salons is perpetuated by the false claims that tanning salon owners make to their customers.

False Claims such as:

    1. A “base tan” helps to avoid sunburn.
    2. Red UV light offers skin therapy benefits.
    3. Indoor tanning beds can increase levels of Vitamin D in the body, thereby reducing the risk of cancer.
    4. It isn’t safe not to tan. Avoiding the sun highly increases the risk of developing cancers including skin cancer. (What?!)
    5. Indoor tanning is safer than receiving outdoor exposure to the sun.

The conclusion?

“There is no such thing as a safe tan. Young adults should be discouraged from using indoor tanning equipment and restricted access to sunbeds by minors should be strongly considered.”  ~Dr. Béatrice Secretan, coordinator of the IARC Working Group

Source:

Wiley Online Library

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