I’ll take it into consideration, but I probably won’t ever use a tanning bed again. I do get enough sun during the summer in MI & being biracial I do tan easier, so I don’t use sunscreen every day of my life.

Sometimes I also take vitamin D drops. I don’t think I’m in any danger of not getting enough vitamin D.

I do think more people should be much more aware of the problems that can be associated with using tanning beds. It’s usually that we don’t know the problems or risks rather than the other way around. I’d argue that more people take more risks with sun tanning and tanning beds than not getting enough sun…. unless they live in Alaska or something most people aren’t hiding from sun.

It seems most people in America are sun worshippers.

but anyway, thanks for your alternate perspective.

First of all, the report you quote says that tanning increases your odds of getting melanoma by 75%, not 300%. That sounds pretty scary but to put that in perspective, according to Dr. Lisa Schwartz, author of “Know Your Chances” it raises your risk of melanoma from 0.2% to 0.3%.
http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20100304/NEWS/3040341/Law-curbs-teen-tanning

And even that figure is manipulated. The study that’s quoted cherrypicked the most damaging studies while leaving out ones like a CT study showing a lower rate of melanoma among women who tanned. Four studies have been conducted in the U.S. and none have found an association between indoor tanning and melanoma. By the way, virtually all of the knocks on indoor tanning are not that it is worse than natural sunlight, just that it is as bad as natural sunlight. The report that linked indoor tanning with “mustard gas” just put it into the same category as sunlight, red wine and salted fish, by the way. So if you’re going to close tanning salons, close the beaches too – oh and all of Florida, the “Sunshine State”.

But to evaluate the risks of too much UV you have to look at the risks of too little UV which are likely 100 times as high. Humans are meant to get sunlight. We typically get 90% of our Vitamin D (as well as other benefits) from exposure to sunlight. Because of our modern lifestyle – lots of time indoors, lots of clothing – we don’t get as much as we need. The really bad advice dermatologists have been giving for 30 years has made the problem even worse where now 77% of Americans (according to the Center for Disease Control) have insufficient Vitamin D.

The risks of low Vitamin D are HUMONGOUS compared to the risks of skin cancer. While 10,000 people die from skin cancer each year, well over a million (more than 100 times as many) die from horrible diseases whose risk is significantly increased by low Vitamin D. These include heart disease (the # killer – more than 500,000 each year), stroke, breast, colon, prostate, pancreatic and about 16 other cancers, diabetes, MS, osteoporosis, influenza, asthma and on and on. For example, people with low Vitamin D are four times as likely to die from breast, prostate and colon cancer – each of which kills far more than skin cancer. Another study found that people over 50 with low Vit D were 77% more likely to die during any given year than those with sufficient Vit D. Just this week Danish researchers issued a landmark report showing that Vit D is critical to activating and powering your entire immune system. Without it, you cannot effectively fight off any serious infection.

So who has sufficient Vitamin D? Indoor tanners. Studies show the majority have sufficient Vit D and average 90% higher levels than non-tanners.

It’s time to stop this anti-sun/anti-tanning campaign. Sure, tanning involves some risk – what doesn’t. But avoiding UV seems to have much higher risks. I can’t blame you for holding the opinion you do after this long and wrong campaign by dermatologists to convince you that sunshine (and man-made sunshine) is going to kill you when it’s the only reason there is any life on planet Earth.

Thanks for the chance to respond at such length. Oh, and whether indoor or outdoor GET SOME SUN but use your head… don’t burn, protect your eyes, exercise moderation.

Sorry to hear about what happened to you, I didn’t know about that!

Judy