Alexandra asks: I am just dying to find a good self tanner!! I don’t want to go tanning indoors, and I’ve used the Jergens stuff for about a month and I’m not getting the results I want. Are there any good products out there that won’t turn me into an orange?
The Right Brain understands tans:
It’s not surprising that the Jergens product isn’t giving you a great new tan. It has very low levels of DHA (the active ingredient that stains your skin) so you really won’t get a dark change in color. Neutrogena’s Micro Mist spray product contains more DHA so you might try that. (Read our previous posts to learn more about sunless tanning.)
Sunless-tan vs Indoor tan
While self tanning technology isn’t perfect, it is a good alternative to indoor tanning which exposes you to ultraviolet radiation that has been identified as a known carcinogen by the Department of Health and Human Services. To ensure that everyone understands the risks associated with tanning the US has passed a new law to explain the dangers.
The TAN Act
The new law is officially called the Tanning Accountability and Notification Act, or TAN Act for short. It directs the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to make sure that the language and positioning of the warning labels used on tanning devices clearly communicate the risk of irreversible damage to the eyes and skin, including skin cancer.
Why you should care
According to Diane R. Baker, MD, FAAD, president of the American Academy of Dermatology, “The current labeling on tanning equipment inadequately explains the serious risks associated with indoor tanning.” This lack of information increases the risk for the estimated 30 million people (including 2.3 million teens) who tan indoors. While they are not all linked to tanning, over 1 million new cases of skin cancer are diagnosed in the United States every year. The TAN Act should lead to measures that will dramatically reduce the risks associated with indoor tanning.
Considering the known dangers, some people wonder if indoor tanning should be illegal. In that sense, this issue is a bit like the anti-smoking campaign. Should the government protect us from things that are known to be dangerous even though they give us pleasure? Leave a comment and tell us what you think: Should tanning beds be illegal?
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while indoor tanning should not be illeagal, the warnings labels and the damages that using sun lamps can do to you need to be posted different. i am 21 and i was treated for a basal cell skin cancer , which can be caused from other family members that it as well which in my case they do but after my derm asking question he determined that this is from indoor tanning beds and too much sun i usually never went in the natural sun except on vacations or a day on the beach but i did use sun lamps and i used them alot since i was
about 13 so 8 years of baking in sun lamps caused what i have my point is that you realize it is bad for you (such as i did) but you dont realize how bad it is for you. i know my derm
had said to me there is a govt offical that is trying to make is so anyone under the age of 18 cannot visit a tanning salon without a drs. note that is a wonderful idea i encourage all of you to write to your stae governers because i was going to these salons with out a parental note and the employees were allowing me to tan even though clearly i did not look 18 , over
500,000 people a year are affected by this basal cell even though it usually does not spead it will cause tissue damage. and cancer is cancer. and it is our job to protect the youth of it. if i would know what i do know i wish someone eles that was young and had a skin condition that was caused
by sun lamps would have stood up.
Sure, and let’s outlaw fitness clubs and yearly doctor visits while we’re at it. Indoor tanning is by far the safest and most certain way to get as much Vitamin D as we need.
The caveat is the salon you go to! It’s not the exposure to ultraviolet light that hurts you… it’s the OVER exposure to UV light that can be harmful.
But tell me one thing in life that is not harmful when abused by OVER doing it!
mori goldlist
Toronto Canada
If nothing else, people should stop going because of all the peeping toms popping up in the news…
I knew a girl in high school that went every day to a tanning booth. She ended up with advanced skin cancer in her senior year.
“Should tanning beds be illegal?” (Can’t resist this: I just love a good political question!
I think tanning is foolish and risky…. but I don’t like the idea of big government, only getting bigger, by intruding in our lives with laws in areas that concern personal decisions.
Having said that, I also don’t like the idea of paying for someone else’s health care somewhere down the road because they made a bad decision in some form of risky behavior and now need treatment but can’t pay for it without assistance from tax payers.
Certainly a simple question from Right Brain….with no simple answer!
Karen, Having said that, if you would just read all the latest studies that aren’t controlled by the drug companies, you will see that for every 1 person that dies of OVERexposure to sunlight, there are a hundred that die of UNDERexposure!
The government etc. thinks that people are so stupid when left on their own that they tell humans to keep out of sunlight. What utter rubbish!!!! There is nothing that keeps us alive that dosen’t need sunlight.
mori
it’s VERY important to note that these bills are pending – not official laws enacted. they are both still in committee (on the respective sides of congress).
Maybe they should make it illegal for minors… like smoking.
Mori,
Whoa. I don’t know what “studies” you’re citing, but I have NEVER read anything from a reputable source stating that many people die of lack of Vitamin D. It certainly can cause reduced absorption of calcium and phosphorus, which could lead to bone deterioration, but death? I highly doubt it. Show some proof.
Not to mention that most people DO get enough Vitamin D, through supplements, fortified foods, and everyday sun exposure (walking to cars, etc). There has been theoretical concern expressed over sunscreen blocking production of Vitamin D, but all of the studies I’ve heard of on this matter have proven no link between sunscreen and Vit. D deficiency.
I’m not even going to get started on your “tanning beds are safe!” spiel. My guess is that you work in/own/supply a tanning salon? Unbelievable. I see ridiculous, completely false, unsupported claims on the internet all the time, but this isn’t just a cosmetic matter (and UV rays definitely do affect appearance of skin and its ability to function properly, produce enough collagen, etc), it’s a SAFETY one.
Back up your claims, or stop lying and encouraging people to go to tanning salons. Sorry to be harsh, but really, as someone with a family history of skin cancer, I have ZERO patience for this.
Thanks, Lisa! I couldn’t have said it better myself.
Lisa: Extremely well put. I was ready to respond to Mori’s comment but you’ve said it all so well that I have nothing left to add. Thanks for taking the time to clarify this for our community!
Mori: Thanks for your contribution too, but be careful about your facts! We’ve got a lot of very smart Beauty Brainiacs who read our blog!
I am willing to publish my e-mail address and if any one of you nay-sayers wants, I will e-mail you tons of articles by the most reputable research facilities that backs up the claim that Vitamin D, which is actually a hormone rather than a Vitamin, is essential to life and that there are about 100 deaths caused by lack of Vitamin D to every death caused by excessive amounts of sunlight.
As to the drug company supplements? The common Vitamin D used is Vitamin D3, a plant extract that is very very ineffective in humans compared to the Vitamin D3 that our bodies produce when exposed to the B ray of the sun’s spectrum (as well as most tanning beds).
The Italians and French over the centuries have taught us that a glass of red wine or two a day is actually healthy. Doctors have now concurred. But imagine drinking two or three bottles of that same red wine daily… OVERexposure to anything, no matter how healthy, can be deadly.
The drug and makeup companies want your money… they don’t really give a damn about your health!
mori
Sorry, the common Vitamin D used is Vitamin D2 which is produced from plant extracts. Stay away from that, it’s just about useless when compared to the Vitamin D3 that our bodies produce NATURALLY with exposure to UV light.
Lisa, if your family has a history of skin cancers… take very little sunshine. It is probable that your family background is from a northern origin where sunlight was scarce and the inhabitants produced little protective pigmentation in order to allow the maximum amount of exposure to UV rays. Migrating to more southern latitudes meant that they were getting too much sunlight based on their natural protection and so they are in the “EXCESS” exposure category and should avoid much more sunlight than a darker skinned, therefore better protected skin type inhabitant.
The drug and make-up companies just want your money. They couldn’t give less concern for your safety and health!
Mori,
Please do supply us with these studies. Here’s just a few of the facts I’ve found in regards to skin cancer and tanning beds, off of only *one* website:
Exposure to tanning beds before age 35 increases melanoma risk by 75 percent. (source:IARC. The association of use of sunbeds with cutaneous malignant melanoma and other skin cancers: A systematic review. International Journal of Cancer. 2007:120:1116-1122.)
People who use tanning beds are 2.5 times more likely to develop squamous cell carcinoma and 1.5 times more likely to develop basal cell carcinoma; Occasional use of tanning beds almost triples the chances of developing melanoma. (source: American Cancer Society 2006, 2002 study from Dartmouth)
The indoor tanning industry has an estimated revenue of $5 billion. (source: Demierre MF. Time for the national legislation of indoor tanning to protect minors. Arch Dermatol 2006; 139:520-4.)
credits for these 3 go to the Skin Cancer Foundation website (skincancer.org)
So Mori, who is it that really just wants our money that couldn’t give a damn about our health?
Manufacturers of sunscreen and endless numbers of doctors and scientists who strongly support avoiding unprotected sun exposure and avoiding tanning beds altogether?
Or is it the tanning salon industry?
FYI: The incidence rate of skin cancer in Caucasians is indeed much higher than in darker-skinned individuals. The mortality rate from skin cancer, however, is significantly higher for darker-skinned individuals, though no definitive answer has been found as to why exactly this is.
p.s. Karen and Right Brain-
No problem! The Brains do us all a great favor by refuting incorrect claims and educating us on what’s what in this industry, and I know that I appreciate it very much! So I thought I’d try and help the cause.
And Karen, I’ve noticed you do a lot of clarifying and bring helpful, accurate info to the forums–so thanks to you, too!
I’ll send a few but for full facts, just google Vitamin D and read for yourself. The research has been going on for years.
Do you really believe that G-d and/or evolution would have put us on this planet, naked and under the sun if it was bad for us???
Sunlight is the most important thing to earth… if the sun stopped shinning, all of us would die… even the drug and make-up company owners!
Bathe In The ‘Sun Vitamin’
Wed, August 2, 2006, Ellen Campbell-Grizzle
Scientists now know that the biologic effects of vitamin D are extensive. Many cite results from various studies showing the presence of receptors for vitamin D in a wide variety of cells to support claims that this hormone has diverse biologic effects and potential for greater health benefits.
Vitamin D is fat-soluble substance that acts like a hormone, regulating the formation of bone and the absorption of calcium and phosphorus from the intestine. It helps to control the movement of calcium between bone and blood. Many doctors are aware of the link between the deficiency of vitamin D and the deformed bones seen in rickets. In adults, a lack of the vitamin causes a softening of the bones known as osteomalacia.
Most people, including infants, require little or no extra vitamin D from food if they are regularly exposed to sunlight. Vitamin D cycles through the kidney and liver and is transformed into a potent steroid in the same chemical class as oestrogen.
Inadequate exposure to sunlight.
The term vitamin D usually refers to vitamin D3 also known as cholecalciferol, that is generated in the skin of animals and the plant form and vitamin D2 or ergocalciferol.
Low levels of vitamin D have been found in females in sunny countries where women have to be heavily veiled in public and private. Excessive exposure to sunlight does not lead to overproduction of vitamin D.
Vitamin D toxicity is usually a consequence of overdosing on supplements. Ingestion of milligram quantities of vitamin D over periods of weeks or months can be severely toxic to humans and animals. In fact, baits laced with vitamin D are used, very effectively, as rodenticides. An excess of the vitamin can cause loss of appetite, weight loss, nausea, headache, depression and deposits of calcium in the kidneys.
Current research
Research is showing that receptors on many cells listen and respond to vitamin D. They have identified this hormone as one of the most potent inhibitors of the growth of normal and cancer cells. There is also the claim that it builds the immune system. One research team added vitamin D to a blood mix and noted that ‘disease-fighting cells roared to life’.
Five-point Vitamin D Primer
SIRI AGRELL Globe and Mail, April 30, 2007
Do you put on sunscreen if the curtains are open? Think tanning beds are for sorority girls? Live in Vancouver?
Well, it might be time to get a little more natural light in your life as researchers suggest that the vitamin D produced by sun exposure has a number of profound health benefits.
In June, U.S. researchers will announce what they say is the first direct link between vitamin D and cancer prevention. Their four-year clinical trial found that women taking the vitamin had a 60-per-cent reduction in cancer incidence compared to those not taking it.
Reports that vitamin D deficiency have been linked to cancer, multiple sclerosis, juvenile diabetes and osteoporosis should have people rushing to change their lifestyle, says John Cannell, head of the Vitamin D Council, a California-based non-profit organization.
He says it’s especially important in Canada, where the sunlight that triggers production of the vitamin in the body is scarce in winter.
Here’s how he suggests improving your body’s levels of the sunshine vitamin:
GET TESTED
Dr. Cannell believes everyone should have a blood test to determine, then monitor, their vitamin D levels. He recommends going to the doctor three or four times a year and asking for a 25 Hydroxy Vitamin D level test. “It should be between 125 and 150 nanomoles per litre,” he said. “It’s important that the patient not accept the doctor saying your levels are fine. They’ve got to get the number and get their levels up.”
HOLD OFF ON THE SUNSCREEN
“If you properly apply sunscreen, you might as well stay inside,” Dr. Cannell says.
Sunlight is the best source of vitamin D, experts agree. How long you should stay outside depends on how much sun block your skin creates naturally, Dr. Cannell says. “Unfortunately, vitamin D deficiency discriminates according to race.” Fair-skinned people, especially blonds and redheads, need only about 20 minutes a day to produce the recommended levels. Those with darker skin could need five to 10 times longer.
Of course, never allow the skin to burn, Dr. Cannell advises. Vitamin D production is maximized before skin turns pink, and further exposure does not increase levels.
It is possible to trigger the same vitamin D production with a tanning bed, Dr. Cannell said, but not just any tanning bed. “You’ve got to find a suntan parlour that has the old-fashioned type of sun bed,” he said. “The new, high-pressure beds have taken out the ultraviolet radiation.” Ask the owner if the parlour’s beds have UVB light, which is close to natural sunlight. Two-three times a week for 10 minutes will produce plenty of vitamin D.
GOT MILK?
Only a few foods have naturally occurring levels of vitamin D, and usually in insignificant quantities. Fatty fish like salmon, sardines and herring contain vitamin D, as do egg yolks, shiitake mushrooms and reindeer meat. Some juice and cheese companies also fortify their products with vitamin D, but Dr. Cannell says it is more effective for adults to go outside than to modify their diet.
An adult would have to drink about 40 glasses of milk a day to get the recommended dose of vitamin D. Milk is a more adequate source for children.
TAKE A PILL
In the winter months, and for those who do not want to expose their skin to sun, Dr. Cannell recommends taking vitamin D supplements. Vitamin D3 cholecalciferol pills are available over the counter in most pharmacies and health-food stores. He suggests taking 2,000 international units of the supplement per day. Dr. Cannell cautions against buying supplements over the Internet. “You can get capsules with 50,000 units. That’s a medicine; it’s not for supplementation,” he says.
“There are some people who say, ‘If a little bit is good, then a lot is better,’” he says. “But that can be a problem.”
Lack Of Vitamin D Causes Disease
11 Oct 2006
Experts warn the dangers of vitamin D deficiency are more widespread than commonly thought.
A study by Otago University shows a growing incidence of rickets, a bone disorder caused by lack of Vitamin D which is generated by sunlight.
Robert Scragg, of the Auckland University’s School of Population Health, says recent research shows a third of children are not getting enough vitamin D.
And he says evidence is growing that deficiencies of the vitamin causes other illnesses in adults as well as children.
Professor Scragg says that includes many types of cancer, heart disease, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis.
Research On Vitamin D Changing The Reputation Of Indoor Tanning
Jamee Clasen, September 19, 2006
People are just better looking when they are tan.
At least that’s the opinion of senior James Card and freshman Jaryd Cabieles. And they aren’t the only ones. The indoor tanning business is a multi-million dollar industry that attracts more than one million Americans every day.
Recent studies should ease the minds of tanning critics and fans alike. In fact, with surprising new research piling up, some doctors are not only condoning the occasional vitamin-D-boosting tan, but are also encouraging it.
In his book “The UV Advantage,” Dr. Michael F. Holick, professor of medicine, dermatology and biophysics at the Boston University Medical Center, details research and studies that conclude ultraviolet (UV) exposure actually saves many more lives than it harms.
UV radiation, which comes from sunlight and artificial tanning beds, stimulates production of vitamin D in the human body. This is important for several reasons.
“Without the vitamin D that comes almost entirely from the sun, your bones could not obtain the calcium they need to be strong,” Holick said in his book.
Although vitamin D occurs naturally in foods such as tuna, salmon and some types of milk, diet accounts for very little of the vitamin circulating in the blood. Holick concluded that sufficient amounts of vitamin D from UV exposure can help combat harmful conditions such as osteoporosis, hypertension, diabetes, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis.
UNO baseball player Gene LeDuc said he used the sunlight to heal his elbow after having Tommy John surgery on it last year. He said he was made aware of the healing effects of vitamin D from his former baseball coach, and a nutrition class he took his freshmen year.
“I basically just relaxed on a recliner, and put the part of my elbow that had been operated on toward the sun so I would get the best sunlight,” said LeDuc.
So far, he said, it seems to be working.
“I’ve been ahead of schedule as far as recovery goes … I think it did help quite a bit.”
Sunlight has also been proven as a successful treatment for Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a type of depression beginning in the fall or winter that affects approximately seven to 10 percent of Americans each year.
“About this time of the year, when the days start getting shorter and the weather gets dreary outside, tanning is good for our moods because it helps alleviate SAD,” said Tracie Cunningham, executive vice president of Ashley Lynn’s Tanning.
Holick said people of African descent are especially inclined to become vitamin D deficient. Increased amounts of melanin in their skin act as a sunscreen, which means they must remain in the sun longer to get sufficient amounts of the vitamin. Consequently, between 40 and 60 percent of all African American adults are vitamin D deficient, he said. Luckily, the best preventative mechanism is simple: “Increase your exposure to sunlight.”
When tanning outdoors, Holick suggests applying sunscreen after exposing your skin to the minimum amount of sunlight it needs to build and maintain vitamin D levels. The exact amount is dependent on skin type, where a person lives, time of day and other factors.
It’s Official:
Fun In The Sunshine Can Be Good For You
SUNLIGHT could help prevent diseases including cancer, multiple sclerosis and diabetes, according to Capital-based scientists.
Experts from Edinburgh University believe wearing sunscreen at all times can starve the body of vitamin D, which they say protects against various diseases.
Their findings contrast with the common perception that sunlight is a health hazard due to the skin damage caused by ultraviolet rays.
But in the Royal Society of Chemistry journal, Professor Mary Norval, who led the team from the University of Edinburgh Medical School, said: “Vitamin D is now implicated in the prevention of an increasing number of non-skeletal disorders.
“These include internal cancers, such as colon, breast, prostate and ovarian cancers, and autoimmune diseases, like multiple sclerosis and insulin-dependent diabetes.”
The research supports the beneficial effects of sunlight, which is needed for the skin to synthesise vitamin D.
Prof Norval said: “Sunscreens shield the body from the type of UV light needed to make vitamin D, so covering any exposed skin with sunscreen at all times is not advisable.”
She added: “Despite the distinct possibility that the ozone layer will repair itself in the coming decades, the take home message from the research so far is that we should strike a balance between the positive effects of vitamin D formation and the serious negative effects of too much sun exposure.”
John Toy, medical director of Cancer Research UK, said he did not want people to “lock themselves away in a darkened cellar”. But he added: “Casual exposure to the sun is sufficient to get your vitamin D.
Vitamin D could halve breast and colon cancer incidence
By Clarisse Douaud
06/09/2007 – As many as 50 percent of breast and colon cancer cases could be prevented by increasing intake of vitamin D, according to a study that backs continued calls for higher upper limits of the ingredient.
Published in August’s supplement of the journal, Nutrition Reviews, researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) compiled data from observational studies showing an inverse link between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] and these cancers. They took previous results one step further by looking into the dose-response gradient between serum 25 (OH)D and the risk of both cancers.
The findings confirm what industry and researchers have long been advocating: that the public does not get enough vitamin D and as such the ingredient needs to be made more available to consumers through public awareness and increased upper limits.
Deficiency in vitamin D affects inhabitants of colder climates, because sunlight induces synthesis of vitamin D in humans. As such, if a consumer is not getting adequate exposure to the sun for vitamin D and its subsequent impact on their serum 25 (OH)D levels, they should be supplementing with vitamin D.
In adults, vitamin D deficiency can lead to osteopenia, osteoporosis, muscle weakness, fractures, common cancers, autoimmune diseases, infectious diseases and cardiovascular diseases.
According to the study, the median adult intake of vitamin D in the US is only 230 IU per day, versus the researchers’ recommended 2000 IU per day. In addition, they called into question the type of vitamin D used.
“Use of ergocalciferol (vitamin D2), which is popular in Europe and is used in some major US brands of multivitamins, should be discontinued immediately in favor of vitamin D3.”
Vitamin D refers to two biologically inactive precursors – D3, also known as cholecalciferol, and D2, also known as ergocalciferol. The former, produced in the skin on exposure to UVB radiation (290 to 320 nm), is said to be more bioactive. The latter is derived from plants and only enters the body via the diet.
With universal attainment of a serum 25 (OH)D level of ? 55 ng/ml, the researchers posit that in North America alone at least 60,000 cases of colorectal cancer could be avoided per year and another 85,000 cases of breast cancer.
Source:
Garland, Cedric F. et al. “What is the dose-response relationship between vitamin D and cancer risk?” Nutrition Reviews 65;8 (Suppl):91-95.
I am only stopping now because I have run out of time for the moment. BUT, I have hundreds more articles that I could send all pointing to the importance of sunlight to our over-all health.
We’ve been listening to drug and chemical pushers for toooo long! It’s time to stop the ignorance in trusting everyone with a “MD” after their names!
You can put all the press releases you like but for every paper you put up about the benefits of Vitamin D, you could put up twice that amount for the negative consequences of UV exposure.
The weight of the evidence on this issue is on the side of people who say UV exposure does more harm than good. I’m gonna go with them.
I don’t even know what this article is from “Research On Vitamin D Changing The Reputation Of Indoor Tanning
Jamee Clasen, September 19, 2006″ a school newspaper? They quote seniors and freshmen?
Show us something published in a peer-reviewed journal by an independent scientist.
The other interesting thing about all these references is that they all advocate exposing yourself to the Sun. Where is the research saying you should expose yourself to indoor tanning?
Additionally, you haven’t answered charges that UV exposure is a known carcinogen. Vitamin D deficiency might cause problems but where’s the evidence that you shouldn’t just take a supplement and avoid the sun (or UV exposure)?
Refute the claims made in this bit of research.
Left Brain.
You, like so many others, are being duped. Of course there are so many news releases about the dangers of sun exposure, the makeup companies and drug manufacturers have an enormous vested interest in keeping you out of the sun and in buying their products instead.
Give me your e-mail address and I will flood your system with hundreds of articles by major research facilities who’s only interests are in advocating what they find in unbiased research statics (ie. they are not paid by or rely on the money from industries who expect certain results from the research they pay for and promote).
I am sitting in my office with the lights off. I get my light through the window from the sunshine (even on a cloudy day). Many times there is not enough natural light so I turn on the lights by using the switch on the wall and voila I have light to see… a copy of the effects of visible light. In a tanning bed the copy of light is within the UV spectrum but it eliminates the most intense rays and it turns off at a given time related to one’s skin type so if you fall asleep, the exposure stops. Is it real or is it memorex… what difference does it make when you can’t tell the difference in results.
The problem is… exposure to sunlight or tanning equipment should not have been relegated to the realm of esthetics. It should have been seen as an integral part of an over-all healthy lifestyle.
North Americans, and a lot of peoples in general, are just so easily duped into believing reports from “reputable” research facilities without looking at who sponsored the research. That is how the sugar industry was able to stop saccharine from hitting the food market for so long.
Everything in moderation!
Sunshine is a carcinogen? There are way more people that die from drowning than from over exposure to sunlight, should we label water as a carcinogen???
You sir are a typical consumer! THEY got ya!!!! BAAAAAAAAAH
As to supplements? Why substitute what the body does naturally with drugs that certainly aren’t proven to be as effective.
Sun exposure reduces risk of breast cancer
By David Liu
Oct 16, 2007
TUESDAY October 16, 2007 (Foodconsumer.org) — Sun exposure, which is a major source of vitamin D, reduces risk of advanced breast cancer among women with light skin pigmentation, according to a study published in the Oct. 12 issue of American Journal of Epidemiology.
The study led by John E.M. from Northern California Cancer Center in Fremont, CA and colleagues showed that high sun exposure may reduce the risk of advanced breast cancer by 47 percent in non-Hispanic women who had light skin color.
John EM and team looked at data from 1,788 newly diagnosed cases of advanced breast cancer and 2,129 controls aged 35 to 79 from the San Francisco Bay Area of California between 1995 and 2003 to examine the effect of sun exposure on the risk of advanced breast cancer.
Recent studies have showed that high levels of serum vitamin D may help prevent up to 70 percent of breast cancer. Breast cancer is expected to be diagnosed in 17,500 women and kill about 50,000 in the United States in 2007, according to the National Cancer Institute.
“Sunshine is a carcinogen? There are way more people that die from drowning than from over exposure to sunlight, should we label water as a carcinogen???”
for the record, carcinogens are known to cause CANCER. Water would and could never be labeled a carcinogen for DROWNING.
‘demonizing sunlight?’
Um, I’m pretty sure they just want to make sure we don’t get cancer and possibly die.
Oh,and I am an avid indoor tanner. Reg derm checkups, I check my body all the time at home, and have not gotten cancer, and only tan indoors, wearing spf at all other times..HOWEVER, I don’t delude myself with the crap tanning salons say. I know I’m damaging my skin cells, I know I’ll prob regret it later, I know it increases my chances of skin cancer…I still do it, because I enjoy a natural tan. BE aware and be conscientious, don’t believe the bull.
Zoe International
Mori–
Clearly you refuse to listen to anything anyone else here says and you are determined to twist your “facts” and form conclusions that are unfounded.
Left Brain is right–the amount of evidence about UV’s damaging effects on skin and risk of skin cancer is many times the evidence about the importance of Vitamin D, especially Vitamin D *AS OBTAINED FROM THE SUN.* I didn’t even see anything in your articles saying that we NEED Vit. D from the sun.
So feel free to give yourself UV damage and risk developing skin cancer with your unprotected sun (and tanning salon) exposure. But please do not spread this misinformation among easily misled others!
I, for one, will get my Vitamin D through food, supplements, and the minimal sun exposure that basically all of us get on a frequent basis, and NOT have UV rays damaging my skin’s DNA and heighten my risk of skin cancer even more.
Agree to disagree, I suppose. But seriously. Don’t spread those lies to people who might believe you without checking your “facts.”
p.s. A carcinogen is defined as a substance, agent, or process that causes cancer. Why on earth would we label WATER as a carcinogen because people *drown* in water? That makes absolutely no sense at all.
Mori,
One thing about your argument that makes no sense. Why would drug companies want to keep people out of the sun? They could make a lot more money convincing people to use tanning beds and hang out in the sun and then sell them cures for skin cancer. The cost of sunscreen is much much less than the cost of chemotherapy.
Are you saying sunshine isn’t a carcinogen? I’d love to see any study that shows that.
Whoa.. I missed a heated debate!!
Mori, I did take your advice and I googled “Vitamin D”, and went to the wikipedia site, which linked me over to the National Institute of Health site on Vitamin D.
While they do state that sun exposure is a way of obtaining vitamin D, they also do say that “Ten to fifteen minutes of sun exposure at least two times per week to the face, arms, hands, or back without sunscreen is usually sufficient to provide adequate vitamin D”, which they’ve referenced to Holick MF. Vitamin D: the underappreciated D-lightful hormone that is important for skeletal and cellular health. Curr Opin Endocrinol Diabetes 2002;9:87-98.
In regards to vitamin D deficiency, they wrote that it usually occurs:
1. when usual intake is below recommended levels
2. when there is limited exposure to sunlight
3. when the kidney cannot convert vitamin D to its active hormone form
4. when someone cannot adequately absorb vitamin D from the digestive tract
Notice that only 1 reason is due to limited exposure to sunlight? Most people aside from vampires get at least 10-15 minutes of sunlight twice a week, so it’s mostly for people who are kept in a basement with no windows and doors.
And while Vitamin D toxicity is usually not caused due to excessive sunlight (the vitamin D you produce get degraded if there’s enough.. what’s that called in biochem terms.. negative feedback?).
Sure… the sun makes everyone happy!! I love living in LA because I get to see mister happy sun 360 days out of the year! but um.. being under the sun or sitting in an office with big pretty windows and lots of sun totally does not equal to tanning. Don’t tanning beds deliver a higher dose of UV than the sun? Also, I think the whole warning thing comes into play because people spend more time than necessary in tanning beds in order to get that beautiful tan faster. Tanning salons don’t care if a person spends 5 or 10 or 30 minutes longer then they should in a tanning bed, since they’re paying for that time!
So.. yes, the sun is great! but skin cancer does suck, so put on sunscreen, even if you aren’t Caucasian (my yellow booty puts on SPF 30 everyday and my ancestors are from the tropics! or so I think)!!
And um.. you can e-mail the brains from that link on top where it says “Ask a question”. Or you can join the forum and use the whisper function to converse directly and privately with the brains!!
Sunlight exposure may halve advanced breast cancer risk
Washington, Oct 19: A study has found that increased exposure to sunlight, which helps increase levels of vitamin D in the body, may halve the risk of advanced breast cancer.
Esther John, Ph.D., Northern California Cancer Centre, and co-researchers Gary Schwartz, Ph.D., Comprehensive Cancer Centre at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and Sue Ingles, Ph.D., University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine found that women with high sun exposure had half the risk of developing advanced breast cancer compared to women with low sun exposure.
In a study reported online this week in the American Journal of Epidemiology, the researchers found that women with high sun exposure had half the risk of developing advanced breast cancer, which is cancer that has spread beyond the breast, compared to women with low sun exposure. These findings were observed only for women with naturally light skin color. The study defined high sun exposure as having dark skin on the forehead, an area that is usually exposed to sunlight.
“We believe that sunlight helps to reduce women’s risk of breast cancer because the body manufactures the active form of vitamin D from exposure to sunlight,” said Esther John, Ph.D., lead researcher on the study from the Northern California Cancer Center. “It is possible that these effects were observed only among light- skinned women because sun exposure produces less vitamin D among women with naturally darker pigmentation.”
These new findings about breast cancer risk and sun exposure based on skin color measurements are consistent with previous research by John and colleagues that had shown that women who reported frequent sun exposure had a lower risk of developing breast cancer than women with infrequent sun exposure.
The researchers compared 1,788 breast cancer patients in the San Francisco Bay area with a matched control group of 2,129 women who did not have breast cancer. They included non-Hispanic white, Hispanic and African-American women, thus women with a wide range of natural skin color and a wide range of capacity to produce vitamin D in the body. Skin color is an important factor that determines how much vitamin D is produced in the body after sun exposure. Dark-skinned individuals produce up to 10 times less vitamin D than light-skinned individuals for the same amount of time spent in the sun. People with darker skin are also more likely to be vitamin D deficient than people with lighter skin.
The study is reported online in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
OHHHHHHH my mistake. No matter what I evidence here I lose because sunlight is the natural way and this site and it’s sponsors promote products!
Do you people believe that pills will replace natural food? Do you believe that pills are better than natural foods? Do you not see what happens to those who OVERexpose themselves to natural foods… obesity and death.
I know… let’s ban all natural foods!!!
For the record we don’t promote natural products or any other products. We accept money from advertisers but it’s up to you whether you buy products from them or not.
No, the Beauty Brains don’t believe pills will replace natural food.
Not sure I understand your point about continued posting of sunlight in moderate amounts being good for you. No one disagrees with you. It’s tanning beds that are bad. They are unnecessary. Where is your proof that tanning beds are good?
Please note that tanning beds are NOT illegal.
Yes, you get funding from the make-up product industry so you do not want to “p” them off in any way shape or form.
You don’t always get a chance to see your favourite musical groups in concert so you listen to them on disc format… sounds just like them, right????!!
Sunlight in moderation is, as you agree, not in debate. The same sunlight spectrum that tans you and causes the production of natural Vitamin D in the body is emitted by tanning beds.
To those who say that tanning beds use a higher amount of the sunlight, temper that with the fact that unlike the sun where you spend hours under, the beds require only minutes… day or night; rain or shine; holiday or workday!
Unlike the sun, IF you have chosen a well run salon, the specialist behind the counter will make sure that you do not get a burn due to OVEREXPOSURE.
Mori: You think we get funding from the make up industry so we don’t want to “p” them off?
Are you kidding me??? Have you read ANY of our other posts? Half the time we’re telling you that these products DON’T WORK!! If we relied on sucking up to the make up manufacturers for money, they would have shut us down a long time ago!
I can honestly tell you that using indoor tanning beds for over 10 years did cause more aged skin but I experienced soft and glowing skin too. I have not used a tanning bed for over 8 months and my skin looks worse then it ever has – back to the beds for me. Should they be illegal? Absolutely not – for many reasons…
First off, you are a number. Not a person. To think otherwise means you need to step away from the PC debates.
Second, as numbers there is a certain amount of “problems” that any industry is willing to accept as losses.
You cannot please and help all people at all times.
NOW, tanning as a regulated industry (in the US at least) is regarded as one of the LEAST problematic of all FDA regulated industry.
If you want to talk about dangers in terms of numbers, NO ONE has died from tanning. NO ONE. Over tanning is a different story and has NOTHING to do with tanning in a controlled environment.
NOW, 60% of the North America is considered overweight. Do you ban eating or do you EDUCATE?
NOW, let’s go back to tanning. Tanning will clear up acne better than ANYTHING a MD can prescribe. NO DOUBT.
If you don’t believe this take a look at what the SIDE EFFECTS of what these “MDs” are saying to take INSTEAD of tanning.
SUICIDE, KIDNEY FAILURE, DEPRESSION, INSANITY, DEATH
Is that what you’d consider a “safe alternative” to getting a skin lump?
Melanoma from sun exposure is so low that in a population of 300M+ you’d EXPECT to see it even more so just based on simple statistics.
Also, when you look at where all the skin cancer is, it’s toward the POLES not the EQUATOR where the sun is most concentrated.
I honestly don’t care what peoples’ “opinions” are cause I know the truth.
WE STARTED BLACK. AS WE MIGRATED NORTH AND SOUTH, OUR SKIN LIGHTENED TO ADJUST FOR THE LACK OF SUNLIGHT.
That’s the facts folks. You can believe whatever you want cause once again, you are a STATISTIC and most people statistically are out of their minds and willing to believe whatever the TV tells them.
That’s too bad.
uhm just too clear up Mori’s argument that god and evolution would not have put us under the sun naked if it was bad for us….
did you know that when oxygen first appeared it was leathel to nearly all the creatures already inhabiting earth??!! as it is now, oxygen is essential too life..BUT ONLY IN SMALL AMOUNTS
same goes for sunlight. tanning beds + natural tanning does tend too OVER expose you too UV rays…
although in saying this i will admit i am a bit of a hypocrite. I do love to tan… but i tan outdoors.. supposedly worse.. but it is me that will have tah live with the consequences
oh btw i cant back up my arguments with ‘SCIENTIFIC STUDIES ‘ cause im only 14 nd i have no idea were to find these facts again… i just remember reading them in more than one place
oh nd great websit
Hi Everybody!
I’m from Hungary. I have an aunt, 71. She had been taking drugs for 10 years because she had some problems with her bones because of lack of Vitamin D. She hates sun. Last summer she was taken a holiday by her younger sisters. Her sisters love sun, and if she wanted to be together with them and not alone all the day, she had to be on the sun, on the beach, in the pool, etc. When this holiday went over, my aunt was beautiful brown. And what was her special bonus? Her doctors said last September, she didn’t need drugs anymore, just a little sun every year. And another fact from my family: my granny died (89)because she fractured her leg – she had the same problem connection with lack of vitamin D and she took drugs because of it for many years.
We learned the sun is very important. But we can see the other side too. And we have a sentence here in Hungary. The best way is the golden middle way. If you eat more than you should you will damage your heart, if you drink more than you should you will damage your body too, and if you spend more time on the sun you will have a big headache – and damage your skin.
Have a nice day!!!
For those of you that have bought into the concept of spray-on tans…. go to the FDA web site and see that they will not approve of “spray” tan because the DHA used is approved for TOPICAL (outside the body) usage ONLY! DHA may be very harmful taken internally and not one spray tan salon I have ever been to even informs us of the FDA warning of potential danger. And not a single salon was equipped to give the necessary protection (total mouth, eye, ear and ummm, “orifice” areas). I have only gone to one that even knew about the necessary protection (but they didn’t offer it!).
Most people on “beauty blogs” have already bought into the consumerism of beauty. The beauty industry spends far more on advertising than they do on product, the advertising is their main concern, it is what you are REALLY paying for. There are great natural products on the market and if you were a real person you wouldn’t let some industry that makes its fortune enticing you into buying their mostly useless, and often harmful goop.
Plenty of exercise in the open air under sunlight (not toooo much) and PROPER nutrition, will make you healthy and beautiful inside and out.
And when you can’t get the benefits of sunlight, which most of us can’t get, and certainly not all the time) there is always the corner tanning salon.
Tan for the health of it!
“If you think sunlight is bad… just try living without it!!!!” mori goldlist.
mori, are you out of your mind?!?! If you do not know for certain, which you most CERTAINLY don’t, this is NOT a ‘consumerism beauty blog.’ They don’t even advertise the products they review!!! Furthermore, their reviews are in the INGREDIENTS in ANY product, ‘natural’ or not. The beauty brains have NEVER hawked ANY product, or endorse anything so your claims are INVALID.
I don’t believe anyone here has said we need to stay indoors in the dark forever! We know SOME sun is good for us. SOME.
That doesn’t mean those who tan everyday and the salons that let them are OK. If that’s your point, that we NEED the sun for health reasons, then shouldn’t the tanning industry be HEAVILY regulated? And a persons vitamin D needs etc be determined, therefore only allowing them the necessary time in a sun capsule? But no, because no one would be able to get their dark tan that way!
HEALTHY AMOUNTS OF SUN DO NOT MEAN YOU MUST DEVELOP A TAN. “TAN FOR THE HEALTH OF IT” seems like an oxymoron. “Get X minutes of sun a day FOR HEALTH” makes sense, though.
Mori, you are a complete and total idiot. NEVER in my life have I heard that the tanning bed is helpful in helping people get better levels of Vitamin D. If you need vitamin d so bad GO TAKE SOME VITAMINS. I know 5 people who have skin cancer. One tanned for about 8 years. Three of them for about 3 years. And the other one only tanned for about a year. It doesn’t take much time in the fake and bake to cause cancer. But do what you want and say what you feel. I could really care less what you think…and plus I have a really low tolerance for morons.
Whether someone wants to tan or not should be a personal choice, and not something the government gets to choose. If someone decides to take the risk to tan, whether you believe it’s a good decision or not, they should be able to. If you don’t belive in it, then you don’t have to tan. There are certain battles that just aren’t worth fighting.
Mary, you don’t know me well enough to call me an idiot. But that’s okay, it must be that time of the month for you!
Vitamin D as a supplement? First thing any nutritionist will tell you is that supplements are so unregulated that we are not certain what we are getting or how much of it. Next, did you know that most food additives and supplements of Vitamin D are Vitamin D2, a very, very inferior substitution for the Vitamin D3 that humans require. As well, there is a danger of toxicity with ingesting too much Vitamin D supplements that will leech the Calcium from our bodies? On the other hand, there is no possibility of too much Vitamin D derived from sunlight… the natural way!
A comment of 10-15 minutes of sunlight on the hand, face and big toe as adequate is ridiculous. Sunlight at the equator or sunlight in Scotland… there is a huge difference. Ten-fifteen minutes? For black skinned people or for the Irish? Tanning time is a very personal individual thing and should be taught, not through experimentation.
Educate the population instead of treating them like they are incapable of learning and choosing on their own. IF lifeguards could control the length of time each individual could lay on the beach before being sent home, I would strongly support outside tanning as the best. But they don’t so I recommend indoor tanning with the caveat on finding one who’s staff is thoroughly knowledgable about the concepts of OVERexposure.
No matter what the pros and cons of tanning beds are they are an unnecessary health risk just like smoking! They are there only because of the rampant narcissism which pervades our society today which makes women and some men feel they must be anorexically thin and tan to be considered attractive in todays society. I also knew a girl who tanned regularly but did not appear “baked” like many people who “overexpose” themselves constantly to UV rays yet she developed skin cancer at the age of 19 and it killed her. People can bake themselves in the sun since no law can stop that anyway but to have an industry based upon the unhealthy exposure of people to harmful UV radiation for the sake of appearance at the cost of health and/or life is not something I can support. I think they should shut down all the tanning salons and make them illegal! If someone wants to buy a tanning bed and bake themselves into skin cancer, premature aging oblivion then so be it but I for one should not be expected to pay the healthcare costs of such person when they get skin cancer! Peace Be With You!
Just some more info if you really want to continue to believe that tanning beds are totally harmless and only “overexposure” is harmful then you need to read some of the latest studies concerning the increasing evidence which seems to indicate they are not harmless! Here is a link which discusses one of the more recent studies:
http://www.local10.com/health/1221815/detail.html
Peace Be With You
Eva, come on now. Tanning and cigarettes??? Do some reading! And let’s not get into trading websites that the other should read, exposure to UV light for health purposes has been known since ancient times and has maintained a direct and unbroken line of medical belief and will continue to do so.
Pill and make-up manufacturers want the world to believe that natural (or lamp)UV rays are so much more harmful than their drugs or their face and body paints.
Even one meaningless death is too many but compared to the number of deaths due all possibly fatal illnesses, the number of deaths due to overexposure to UV light is miniscule.
Obesity is the cause of so many more deaths but I don’t hear anyone trying to ban restaurants, even to “under 16 year olds”.
It is constant excessive amounts of food that MAY cause death by obesity. It is excessive amounts of UV light that MAY (and a much bigger MAY that obesity!) cause a relative few deaths in extreme cases.
But Eva… “Think sunlight is bad? Try living without it!!!”
All things in MODERATION.
Honestly, sunscreen with an SPF of 6 or higher is enough to block the sun’s rays and Vitamin D absorbtion. This gives rise to the question of whether or not sunscreen causes more harm than good. Yes, a day at the beach requires some sunscreen for most people. However, using sunscreen every day when your exposure to outdoors is minimum is ridiculous, unless you are albino or something. It is time we start putting a stop to the holes that the ozone layer is getting due to pollutants. That is what has helped to kick of the sunscreen/block rage. Truthfully, sunscreen/block does not prevent aging, unlike the many over-the-top marketing ads for sunscreens/blocks claim to help prevent. All sunscreen (a chemical) and block (physical) do is help prevent sunburn. The rays can still reach the collegean or whatever causing loss of elasticity. And even though it is proven that frequent past sunburning correlates to basil cell carcinoma, the fact remains that more viriliant cancer such as melenoma, are genetic. And aging is mainly genetic as well, but lets not get into that one. Basically, if you have an immediate family history (parents, siblings) of any type of skin cancer, chances are you better watch your back when it comes to tanning. Like the first girls experience in this thread, she explained that even though she had a family history of a skin cancer, she proceeded to tan for 8 years anyway, and starting at age 13. As far as I know, in Illinois you need parental permission to tan if you are under 16 years of age. Point being, all states need to regulate the age, just like smoking, I suggest that tanning under the age of 18 requires parental consent. And hopefully, tanning beds will continue to improve and become more like the sun rays. Because most of us should know that the sun offers many more rays than the tanning bed, and therefore offers a deeper tan. That explains why some people burn red-tan after they go out all day unprotected, because they think their “tanning bed” tan will protect them, when the “tanning bed” tan is more superficial and possibly offers as much protection as a fair skinned person. I think the best way to go about tanning, if you like tanning beds, is to not get too much exposure. The tanning bed, unlike the sun is much more concentrated in UVA (sometimes nicknamed “aging”) rays than UVB (“burning”) rays, and it is the UVB that provokes a tan, whereas UVA is a much deeper reaching ray and takes more of to provoke melinin. Most medical people claim UVA may correalate with cancer such as melenoma. However most medical people also claim that skin cancer may be provoked by past frequent burning, which deals more with the UVB rays. It is almost a contradiction. Then most medical people outright bash the sun, telling us to slather on the sunscreen and wear hats all the time. This is preposterous, the suns rays give us Vitamin D, aide in mood, and help prevent certain types of other cancers, and clears up skin disorders. When you think about it the sun is very good for you. Many people in the US lack Vitamin D, and milk is one of the main ways to get it, but you’d have to drink 1000 gallons just to get 20 mins. of Vit.D. worth from the sun. Now medical people tell us to get 20 mins. each day of unprotected sun exposure. Well, what about those of us that live in the Midwest? Tanning beds are the second best choice. And be careful not to overexpose yourself. It is hard to regulate tanning beds, because they are always changing, (almost comparable to cosmetics, which is probably why the FDA threw its hands up in the air on that one, and doesn’t regulate cosmetics), from general experience, spending 20 minutes in a Super (type) bed is comparable to 4 hours spent in the sun, as far as how much UVA you are getting. So think about that before you decide how many minutes to go. Theraputic tanning effects may only require 5 minutes a session. Some may want to go longer to get a quicker tan, but later on, reduce your time and sessions. Also ease yourself into tanning outdoors in the summer. If you go to a tanning bed as well during the summer, you may want to use a Sun protection on your face when outdoors to limit the possiblilty of burning. Or go outside unprotected for a short time, each day to build up that SPF 5 or 10 natural protection. Like I said, a tanning bed tan is more of a superficial tan and will not offer the same protection as an outdoor sun deep tan. It is a fact that supplements do not absorb well and are not as good as the real thing, by far. Also taking cod liver oil, or some sort of fish oil is another way to get vitamin d, however fish oil supplements may not have as much or any vitamin d and the cod liver oil may have mercury in it.
if you are going to a tanning salon, you need to research the effects associated with tanning. Because if you dont, then obviously these things that may or may not happen, are going to come as a surprise to you. The tanning salons have things posted in their lobby and then the rooms. Just remember, cancer is destined to happen, and these days, you’re going to get cancer from just about everything, so why not die beautiful and dark. But most importantly, always have eye protection.
Um, cancer is not destined to happen to everyone. IN most cases, it is a fact that genetics play a big role in the cancer factor. However, there are many environmental, diet, and other health factors that play a role. Sunbathing is probably safer than a tanning bed, but for those of us who don’t have the weather optimal for sunbathing, have the second best choice of using a tanning bed (within reason)to get many of the same effects as one would from the sun. When I moved to the Midwest from California (born and raised until freshman year of highschool) ppl. commented that they must be happy from too much sunshine.
Well? One thing I noticed is the volatile weather out here and how it is the breadbasket and most ppl have those extra pounds big time. Another thing UV rays do is help to regulate appetite, honest. And I suppose out west, the weather plays a part in how much ppl. go outside, hence getting exercise and sunshine.
Too bad the whole nation can’t have California weather (sans pollution). In an alternate universe there would be no holes in the ozone, little to no pollution, no acid rain, and 75 degree weather year around.
I’m so glad people are talking about this! It is so important for our health! Sun safety is obviously not a vanity thing anymore…
A lot of people don’t really understand what a tan actually means to our body
(http://myfacialfacts.com/index.php/2008/05/09/how-does-a-tan-contribute-to-sun-damage/)
Education is very important. Although we’ve come a long way since the 80′s when
people were first becoming aware of the effects of the sun, we still need more education!
The Derma Divas
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