Tags
basal cell, burns, DNA, melanoma, Prevention, skin cancer, Skin Wellness, squamous cell, sunburn, tanning beds, tanning salon, uv
Each day we help our clients fight DNA disease through prevention. Prevention is behaving in ways that optimize our health and minimize our negative impact on our bodies and elsewhere.. Stories like this underscore why.
It was reported by various news agencies that on May 2, 2012, police arrested a well-bronzed New Jersey woman, Patricia Krentcil, 44, who they say brought her 5-year-old daughter into a tanning booth, causing the young girl to suffer burns.
Fact:
Annually in the United States there are more documented cases of skin cancer then the combined incidences of heart, breast, lung and colon cancers. So we take our job of improving our client’s DNA very seriously.
Individuals who use artificial sun lamps or tanning booths are much more likely to develop squamous and basal cell carcinomas, and are at a much higher risk for melanoma than those who do not use them. Sunburns and tans are both dangerous because they cause DNA damage to our skin – unprotected UV exposure is even more precarious.
If the mother is vindicated (she and her husband claim their 5 year old daughter was sunburned from playing outside)…as an avid tanner, she is potentially setting the wrong precedence for her young daughter and definitely putting her skin wellness at risk in the future.
Please let us know what you think.
Question posed by Eric, “I don’t understand why there is more skin cancer when people are indoors more than ever before.”
Previse Answer
Eric, such a great question – it does seem paradoxical. A few of our clients have posed similar questions. Here are several reasons why.
1. Some of the increase may be due to better detection by doctors, but the number one cause is the change in lifestyle that took place when the baby boomers were growing up.
2. Today we know that sunburns in children are a serious risk factor for skin cancer later in life. Having a deep, dark tan was considered part of normal leisure activity for baby boomers, and people were more likely to use tanning oil than sunscreen
3. Thinning ozone layer. For years the ozone layer of the Earth’s atmosphere has been depleted by air pollution. This has allowed more ultraviolet (UV) light from the sun to come through. UV light is known to cause basal cell and squamous cell skin cancers as well as melanoma.
4. Tanning beds. Studies show that young women use tanning beds more than young men. They also have a higher rate of melanoma than men between the ages of 15 and 29. Since most of these melanomas are appearing on the chest or back, many experts suspect tanning booths are part of the problem.
5. The “spring-break tan.” Researchers are learning that sudden bursts of intense sun exposure — such as during a vacation — increase the risk for melanoma. This may account for some of the increase in melanoma as well as basal and squamous cell skin cancers in people under age 40.
6. Smoking. Tobacco use is a risk factor for squamous cell skin cancer. Recent studies have also found that female smokers between the ages of 20 and 40 are also at higher risk for basal cell skin cancer.