In an article published on his website (mercola.com 1/10) Why Did the FDA Implement Tanning Tax?, Natural health advocate Dr. Joseph Mercola referred to the U.S. Senate tanning tax proposal as " short sighted and counterproductive".

Dermatologists were able to remove the so-called Botax from the Senate's health-care overhaul bill and replace it with a 10 percent tax on tanning services. Dr. Mercola calls this new tanning tax unquestionably short sighted and counterproductive. Not only did dermatologists get the government not to tax Botox, they are instead going to tax HEALTHY tanning beds that are a vital source of vitamin D during the winter months. It's hard to imagine that these blatantly biased groups continue to have such influence over government agencies.

For starters, the tax on Botox was expected to generate an estimated $5.8 billion. If doctors and dermatologists were truly looking to tax a procedure that could cause harm, this would have been it, as Botox can cause respiratory failure and death. Instead, the American Academy of Dermatology Association suggested removing the Botox tax and replacing it with a 10 percent tax on tanning services.

This tanning tax is only expected to generate about a quarter of a billion dollars over 10 years, a figure that is likely a gross overestimate. Industry groups representing tanning salons say the proposal has overestimated tanning revenues by 40-50 percent. This new tax, according to Mercola, will likely not bring in the windfall its proponents are hoping for. But the real travesty here is that this tanning tax is further propagating the myth that a healthy tan is a cancer risk, when in reality tanning during the winter months can help you prevent cancer, along with numerous other diseases.

A Tan is Natural Protection For Your Skin

Tanning is your body's natural protection against sunburn; it's what your body was created to do. Some physicians falsely refer to tanning as "skin damage," but calling a tan "damage" isn't telling the whole story. In an apt analogy used by the Indoor Tanning Association (ITA), calling a tan "damaged skin" is much like saying that exercise "damages muscles." When you exercise, you are actually tearing tiny muscle fibers in your body. At first glance, when examined at the micro-level, this tearing could be called "damage." But this tissue breakdown is your body's natural way of building stronger muscle tissue. Similarly, tanning is your skin's natural way of protecting you from the dangers of sunburn and further exposure. So, be it from the sun or from a safe indoor tanning device, avoiding sunburn is crucial. It is the burning of your skin and chronic excessive exposures -- not the limited, sensible exposure to ultraviolet light or sunlight -- that increases your risk for skin cancer.

A Healthy Tan Will Actually Reduce Your Risk of Deadly Skin Cancer

Dermatologists and government agencies are quick to hold on to their mantra that sun exposure increases your risk of skin cancer. But melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer, is actually more common in people who work indoors than in those who work outdoors. Further, melanoma most commonly appears on parts of your body that do not receive regular exposure to sunlight -- and rarely occurs on your face. Why would this be?

To understand, you first need to know the difference between the two primary types of UV rays from sunlight, the vitamin-D-producing UVB rays and the skin-damaging UVA light. Both UVA and UVB can cause tanning and burning, although UVB does so far more rapidly. UVA, however, penetrates your skin more deeply than UVB, and may be a much more important factor in photoaging, wrinkles and skin cancers. A recent study found that indoor workers may have increased rates of melanoma because they're exposed to sunlight through windows, and only UVA light, unlike UVB, can pass through window glass. At the same time, these indoor workers are missing out on exposure to the beneficial UVB rays, and have lower levels of vitamin D. As you probably know by now, vitamin D is formed in your skin from exposure to sunlight. The sun, in turn, does increase genetic damage in your skin and can cause skin cancer, but nature has designed a clever system to help prevent this risk.

Dr. John Cannell, one of the leading authorities on vitamin D and founder and executive director of the Vitamin D Council, explains that when vitamin D is produced in your skin, it goes directly to the genes in your skin where it helps prevent the types of abnormalities that ultraviolet light causes. To date, no well-designed studies support the connection between melanoma and UV exposure from tanning beds, while research continues to pour in that lack of sun exposure will virtually be guaranteed to increase your cancer risk.

A Lack of Vitamin D is a Major Risk Factor for Cancer

The production of the activated form of vitamin D is one of the most effective ways your body controls abnormal cell growth. Several researchers, most notably Dr. William Grant, have published peer-reviewed articles demonstrating that in America, for example, increased sun exposure would result in 185,000 fewer annual cases of internal cancer and 30,000 fewer deaths from cancer of the breast, ovaries, colon, prostate, bladder, uterus, esophagus, rectum and stomach. By comparison, about 7,500 people die each year from skin cancer.

Many people today are essentially modern-day cavemen, spending the majority of the daylight hours indoors and away from healthy, vitamin-D-producing sunshine. Still others live in climates that are too cold for sun exposure for a many months out of the year. The solution then, for many, to receive this health-promoting and vital vitamin D is to use a tanning bed.

You Can Safely Tan Indoors

High-quality indoor tanning devices are safe, states Mercola, if you precisely follow the manufacturer's guidelines for exposure, posted on the label, as required by the FDA. The FDA strictly controls the indoor tanning industry by setting standards for proper use of equipment. All tanning equipment manufacturers must use the same set of guidelines so that UV exposure levels are standardized. The FDA uses a unit called "one erythemal dose" as a means of calibration for the indoor tanning industry, in essence, one tanning session. One erythemal dose equates to the amount of time it takes for a tanning device to produce erythema (slight pinkening of your skin), and this erythema indicates you have achieved a safe dose of UV, which translates to an optimal dose of vitamin D. One erythemal dose differs for each person based on skin type and strength of lamps, just as a safe "dose" of sunshine differs for people based on their skin type, geographic location, and time of day.

The FDA also makes recommendations about how often you should receive a dose, stating you should wait 24-48 hours between doses. The reason for this is that it takes at least 24 hours for the erythema to go away. The FDA's exposure schedule can be described as "controlled sunshine", making it a very safe way to receive the benefits of the sun while indoors.

 

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Disclaimer

Tanning & Natural Health News is a publication of Tan Plus /Essentials Of Life, Barclay Square, 350 Route 108, Somersworth, NH. This publication is designed for educational purposes only and is not intended to be presented as medical advice. Product statements made have not been evaluated by the Food & Drug Administration.