Is it possible sun exposure could actually have benefits? Experts at an American Academy of Dermatology conference addressed the issue, with the kickoff of Melanoma/Skin Cancer Detection & Prevention month. The academy has gone on the offensive, with a powerful and morbid public service announcement campaign. One 30 second ad shows, from a seagull’s view a downward look at a beach and the ocean. From afar, it looks like there are many people enjoying their time in the sun.

But as the viewer gets closer and closer to the ground, one can see the people are not lying on their beach blankets. Instead, what one sees is an image of dead bodies covered by their beach blankets.
The reason for this graphic campaign. The AAD recognizes that melanoma is the only cancer on the rise, and wants to push harder to teach people about the dangers of sun exposure. According to the AAD, there are about one million new cases of skin cancer every year, and around 100,000 of them are melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. While many people believe there is something called a “safe tan”, and even a “healthy tan”, dermatologists are warning this could be a dangerous way to think. Dr. Bonie Elewski, the president of the American Academy of Dermatology, says, “A tan is the first part of sun damage. And five burns or more doubles the risk of melanoma. There’s a lot of peer pressure among young people to get them to think that a tan is good. We have to stop this thinking.”
The Academy wants to debunk the misconceptions that sun exposure can be of benefit--for example, that it’s necessary for protecting the skeletal system from osteoporosis. The link here is Vitamin D. Of course milk is fortified with Vitamin D, because it’s essential in the absorption of bone building calcium from the gut. But Vitamin D is also produced naturally by the skin, when exposed to sunlight. Dermatologist Darrell Rigel says, “Ultraviolet light per se really doesn’t do very much for you.” A better way to get Vitamin D, he says, is through your diet--by drinking milk, or even some brands of orange juice.
There has also been a suggestion in some clinical research to suggest that sun exposure--because of its Vitamin D benefits--can protect against internal cancers, including breast and colon cancer. “There’s no good data that exposing yourself to the sun protects you from other cancers. There is good data to show that exposing yourself to too much sun increases your risk of getting skin cancer,” says Dr. Rigel. “The bottom line is, there’s no such thing as a safe tan.”
For more information on skin cancer, click here:
http://www.healthnewsconnect.com/page0023.html

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