Last week I read an article that asked what vitamins do doctors take. Everyone interviewed consumed Vitamin D. That’s a strong message. It is important to note that it must be Vitamin D3.

I’ll be going next week to visit with a melanoma surgeon who will most likely be removing more tissue that was surrounding the melanoma. At the very least, I am lucky that it was on my arm. I could be going to have a hunk of my face removed. If I’m really luck, as I pray I am, I’ll be told that the cancer was local and superficial and did not spread internally.

As far as vitamin D goes, we EASILY and safely get it from fortified foods and supplementation. It IS a very important nutrient, but to say that benefit of tanning outweighs the risks is just ignorant. Over exposure also causes vitamin D to breakdown and damages your immune system, so any benefit would be canceled out.

I know there are people here and everywhere who will continue to disagree and that’s fine. Just be sure to learn the FACTS and make a fully informed decision regarding the risks, not just listen to the people who are waiting to take your money for your monthly tanning package. Another myth is that the UVA rays don’t damage your skin, because they don’t burn. They penetrate the skin deeper than the burning UVB ray, so just because you’re not red on the outside, doesn’t mean the damage isn’t being done.

I spent years avoiding the sun and felt like crap. I’ve just started laying out in the sun (moderately. I’m on the fence about tanning beds, and the sun is free and natural) in the past 5 weeks.

I’ve noticed a big improvement in just the way I feel in general, especially my mood. I’m a lot calmer and relaxed. That benefit alone is worth laying out in the sun IMO.

The link between melanoma and the sun is very shaky at best IMO (from all the reading I’ve been doing lately.) And that’s the dangerous one.

Meanwhile they’re finding vitamin D is protective for many far more serious cancers than the two types of skin cancer which MAY be due to overexposure from the sun.

As for the aging thing…so what? We’re all going to age. And I’d rather have some wrinkles and feel good than have completely smooth skin and be pale.

Besides, exercise, diet and genetics may play a larger role in skin aging than the sun does, as long as you aren’t getting burnt. Definitely getting lots of antioxidants its good for you. It works as a natural internal sunscreen for your skin, without blocking the UV rays needed to make Vitamin D.

The other side of this, the side that is saying the cosmetic industry and sunscreen industry is conspiring against us to sell more products, there could be some truth to that. But if it weren’t for the Sun, it would be something else.

Why is that we have to be so misinformed by the establishment? And why is it that people take research at face value and belive whatever they want.

I don’t care what you say, there is tons of reputable research that notes indoor tanning is bad for you. Are they paid off who knows.

All I know is that I have tanned, I like to be tan, but I know indoor tanning is very harmful. When I used to use the tanning bed frequently, my skin became very dry and nasty, and I noticed more wrinkles, I also did not smell vey attractive. I hve friends who have tanned for years, two of them have skin cancer now (and they avoided natural sun). They look very old- beyond their years, winklely, and just plain nasty…

Since the advent of tanning beds, skin cancer rates have ncreased dramatically since the says when tanning beds were not present… Plus it is just so fake and unnatural. Most things that are fake and unnatural usually are not that helpful…

So who are we to belive?
I am going believe myself. Which says, hey this indoor tanning thing is not natural….. and is probably not good for you.

Tanning is not for every one, good salons work very hard to stop overexposure, and that is where damage occurs. A certain percentage of the population is going to develop some form of cancer. We as salon owners are promoting safe regulated exposure. I just started tanning when I built my salon, prior to that I was the proto type pasty white guy, I wore spf50 and big hats, I now can go out fishing or swiming and not burn. It took me months to develop a tan, but now I tan 1-2 times per week, and LOVE IT.

“For decades, the American Academy of Dermatology has advised the public to practice proper sun protection to prevent skin cancer … ”
- The ITA campaign doesn’t contradict this. Professional indoor tanning salons support this statement, indoors and out.

““While the health benefits of vitamin D are well known, it also is well known that exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation can cause skin cancer,” stated dermatologist C. William Hanke, MD, FAAD, president of the American Academy of Dermatology.”
- It is? I’ve gotten a lot of UV exposure during my 38 years of life, and I don’t have skin cancer. I know/knew plenty of people that got tons more sun and UV than I have, and they didn’t/don’t have skin cancer either. My oldest step-daughter developed skin cancer when she was 19, under her left breast (I don’t know how much UV exposure she got there). Skin cancer runs in her father’s family – of English-Irish descent.

“Current estimates are that one in five Americans will develop skin cancer during their lifetime. It also is estimated that 116,500 people in the United States will be diagnosed with melanoma (the most serious form of skin cancer) this year. In addition, 8,420 people are expected to die from melanoma this year.”
- If UV exposure in general actually causes skin cancer, why aren’t these estimates much higher? Certainly a greater portion of the U.S. poulation will get UV exposure than what these “estimates” predict, right? If the sun causes skin cancer, does this mean that the 4 people who don’t end up getting it work indoors, only come out at night, or clothe themselves from head to toe when they go out? I think not.

““There is substantial evidence that excessive exposure to any form of UV radiation increases the risk of developing melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer…”
- Cite the study(s). “All things in moderation” goes the saying. You can die from drinking too much water in too short a time. You can touch a red hot burner and get a little blister that will heal; leave your hand on it for 5 minutes or so and serious damage will be done. Two cigarettes or cigar a day and your lungs will be fine; go outside every day in the countries smoggiest cities and breathe the air and you’ll develop respiratory problems. I can go on forever with this; the point is that our bodies are not only equipped to deal with UV exposure, but rely on it.

“The amount of vitamin D an individual needs is an active area of research.”
- Of course it is an active area of research. Vitamin D deficiency in the U.S. and Canada wasn’t a problem until The Establishment’s campaign of fear took root in the populace and EVERYBODY, not just those prone to skin cancer, began avoiding UV exposure over the last 10-20 years.

I know that there are people like the lady above who will not even bother to listen to or research opposing points on this issue, and that’s ok. But it is unethical for The Establishment to continue to harm the general public with their onesided, false and misleading statements like the ones I have cited here. That is the goal of the ITA’s campaign, to bring the truth to light.

I just look at people I know who have tanned for any legnth of time and I can say it is bad for you.