Advertisement The Gundersen Lutheran dermatologist said he tries to make people aware of the dangers of ultraviolet UV radiation from tanning beds and sun lamps.
The two types of ultraviolet radiation are ultraviolet A and ultraviolet B. UVB long has been associated with sunburn, while UVA has been recognized as a deeper penetrating radiation that causes more damage, Webster said.
Webster said tanning beds expose people to UVA rays, which cause skin cancer and premature aging. The beds block UVB rays, the burning rays. UVA rays are just as harmful as UVB rays, but you don’t see the damage right away, he said.
“There is this image that a tan is healthy, but it’s really skin damage,” Webster said.
Webster said young people often don’t pay attention to the dangers of tanning, but they need to know that 80 percent of sun damage occurs before age 18.
Webster and Dr. Michael White, a Franciscan Skemp dermatologist, said they’re concerned about a national advertising campaign by the Indoor Tanning Association that claims the association between indoor tanning and melanoma is nothing but hype.
The British journal of dermatology attributed excess tanning outdoors and indoors to increased melanoma incidence, White said. People cannot assume that tanning beds are safe, he said.
“The UVA rays in tanning beds are damaging, and there is evidence to suggest melanoma,” White said. “There is not much, or any, regulation of indoor tanning, and you don’t know how much you’re getting.”
With an increased concern over vitamin D deficiency, some experts often recommend more sun exposure. More sun exposure is not better, White said, because the total amount of sun exposure needed to get enough vitamin D is 15 minutes a day.
“If you’re not getting enough vitamin D in that time and you have a vitamin D deficiency, you should have vitamin D supplementation,” White said.
PROTECT YOURSELF FROM THE SUN
(Source: American Academy of Dermatology)
