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"Indoor tanning before the age of 35 has been associated with asignificant increase in the risk of melanoma. Yet on an average day, morethan one million Americans tan in tanning salons," said Arielle N.B. Kauvar,MD, FAAD, dermatologist and chair of the Academy's Council on Communications."Research shows 70 percent of indoor tanners are female, primarily 16 to 29years old -- the age group that's particularly at risk for developing skincancer. We especially hope women who are using or considering using tanningsalons will think twice about partaking in this risky behavior."
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Research also shows the dangerous results of indoor tanning. Melanoma isincreasing faster in females 15-29 years old than males in the same age group.And in females 15-29, the torso is the most common location for developingmelanoma, which may be due to high-risk tanning behaviors.
"Since one American dies of melanoma about every hour, it's imperativethat young people avoid deliberately seeking a tan," said C. William Hanke,MD, MPH, FAAD, president of the Academy. "The Academy is committed towardreaching young women with this potentially life-saving message."
The Academy's 2008-2009 skin cancer PSA campaign features print,television and radio advertisements with the theme, "Indoor Tanning is Out."The print ads feature Meghan and Brittany urging their peers to learn thefacts about indoor tanning. The ads also direct readers to the Academy's Website for more information about the survivors' stories.
The PSA portraits were taken by a photographer who has a deep connectionto the cause. Susan Drinker, of Glenwood Springs, Colo., is a skin cancersurvivor who documents other cancer survivors with her portrait photography.For the past five years, these emotional portraits have been displayed invarious locations in her native Colorado.
The television and radio advertisements continue the theme, "IndoorTanning is Out." The television advertisements features a variety of youngwomen telling their peers that indoor tanning is not as safe as they thought.The radio PSA is a contemporary folk song about the dangers of indoor tanningwritten by a 14-year-old girl and performed by a professional recordingartist.
Brittany said when she was young she never heard much about skin cancer."This campaign would have opened my eyes to reality," she said. "People arenow catching on that even young people are at risk for skin cancer."
Young Women and Indoor Tanning
Research supports the need for public education on the health risks ofindoor tanning. Studies have shown that exposure to ultraviolet (UV) lightcan be addictive because of the production of endorphins which can initiatedependency. A study published in the March 2007 issue of the Journal of theAmerican Academy of Dermatology (JAAD) indicates that indoor tanning deviceusers are more likely to show signs of such addiction. This study found that18 percent of undergraduate students who admitted to purposely seeking a tandemonstrated evidence of a substance-related disorder with respect to UVlight, which is comparable with findings of other addiction studies conductedwith college students, including those for alcohol and tobacco. This study
