Funny you should post this…My new neighbor's daughter (HS junior) asked me what happened to my finger since it is missing a rather large piece of flesh.  This was Sunday.  I told her; not to scare her, but she did ask.  She cried.   (I really don't think it looks that bad.)

Today she came over and showed me the collection of sunscreen she and her mom went out to buy and said 'do you think I'll be okay now?'

I pray for us all to be okay everyday.  I guess a scar is worth a thousand words.

Take good care, k.

Funny you should post this…My new neighbor's daughter (HS junior) asked me what happened to my finger since it is missing a rather large piece of flesh.  This was Sunday.  I told her; not to scare her, but she did ask.  She cried.   (I really don't think it looks that bad.)

Today she came over and showed me the collection of sunscreen she and her mom went out to buy and said 'do you think I'll be okay now?'

I pray for us all to be okay everyday.  I guess a scar is worth a thousand words.

Take good care, k.

Hi Mary, I've been on vacation or would have replied to your question sooner. Here's a few suggestions for you, so pick your poison:)

To start with, forget danger, think wrinkles! I've thought for some time that we need to appeal to their vanity. And that appears to be the message some researchers are now championing. CBS Sunday Morning is running an piece today  (AUG 14) with Dr. Joel Hillhouse, a professor of community health at East Tennessee State University.

Dr. Hillhouse has received NCI funding aimed at reducing teen tanning.  (More on his research at the bottom of this post) http://www2.tricities.com/news/2011/aug/12/etsu-researcher-scheduled-to-appear-on-c-64758-vi-29690/

In addition to worrying about their looks, young minds usually appreciate science, so it might help to show them that scientists in the United Kingdom have reported that they mapped the melanoma genome, and UV radiation has been identified as the primary cause.
http://www.sanger.ac.uk/about/press/2009/091216.html

I also think it's important to differentiate between tanning beds and sunshine. Radiation emitted by tanning beds has recently been estimated by the American Academy of Pediatrics to be "10 to 15 times higher than that of the midday sun" http://health.msn.com/health-topics/skin-and-hair/pediatricians-group-backs-ban-on-tanning-booth-use-by-minors

Perhaps a careful read of industry vision statements might open eyes a little wider. Here's a Canadian one that seems to say skin cancer is manageable.  http://www.tancanada.org/

————————————————————————————————————————

Our Vision

Sun exposure, like air, water and food, is natural and necessary to human life. The JCTA's vision is that all Canadians learn to correctly embrace ultra violet and sunshine as part of a healthy lifestyle – one which acknowledges that moderate ultra-violet light exposure when experienced in a non-burning fashion is the smartest way to maximize the potential benefits of UV light while minimizing the manageable potential risks associated with either too much or too little sunlight.

———————————————————————————-—————————————

Even if the jury still is out on melanoma ( it's not Imo)  BCC and SCC have both been irrefutably linked to UV exposure. And these non melanoma skin cancers (NMSC) are not only disfiguring at times, they can and do kill. Plus, they predispose a person to a secondary cancer. No small potatoes there. And when we think about  it,  there's really nothing moderate about exposing ourselves to UV levels 10-15 times the strength of the midday sun – often wearing 'tingle' lotions to heighten the effect.

In these two publicity photos from girl group Girlicious, singer Nichole Cordova is shown with and without her tan. I'm pale, so perhaps my judgment is skewed (ya think;) but I feel she has a unique look when her skin is natural.  I know many teens want to fit in, but they also want to get noticed… so perhaps this pitch may work with some.

http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/7945/girliciouswall11280bg6.jpg

http://nymag.com/images/2/daily/fashion/08/05/05_girlicious_lg.jpg

http://www.ask.com/wiki/Nichole_Cordova

And lastly, more on Dr Hillhouse.  Good luck Mary – hope some of this helps, linda

http:// http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/189079.php  

For Young Tanners Wrinkles Are Scarier Than Skin Cancer

Main Category: Dermatology
Also Included In: Melanoma / Skin Cancer;  Women's Health / Gynecology
Article Date: 18 May 2010 – 5:00 PDT
 

What's the most effective way to convince young women to cut back on their indoor tanning, a habit that hikes their risk of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, by 75 percent? Warn them that it will cause leathery, wrinkled skin.

"They're not worried about skin cancer, but they are worried about getting wrinkled and being unattractive," said June Robinson, a professor of dermatology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and senior author of a May 17 paper in Archives of Dermatology reporting the findings. The study examined the best strategy to wean college-age women who are considered addicted or pathological tanners from tanning salons.

"The fear of looking horrible trumped everything else," Robinson said. "It was the most persuasive intervention, regardless of why they were going to tan." The research showed warning them about the effects on their appearance caused a 35 percent drop in their indoor tanning visits, which were measured at intervals up to six months after the intervention.

Joel Hillhouse, lead author of the paper and a professor of community health at East Tennessee State University, noted that some women in the study eventually stopped tanning. "It was a progressive kind of thing," he said. "At first the women said they tried sunless tanning as an alternative, but over time they gave up tanning altogether."

Between 25 to 40 percent of older adolescent girls visit tanning salons, according to the study's authors. They and other scientists link the rapidly rising rates of melanoma and other skin cancers in young women to tanning beds. A new 10 percent federal excise tax on indoor tanning will go into effect July 1 in an effort to discourage indoor tanning.

The National Cancer Institute found that melanoma rates among Caucasian women aged 15 to 39 rose 50 percent between 1980 and 2004. The World Health Organization recently reclassified indoor tanning beds to its highest cancer risk category.

The study included 435 college women, ages 18 to 22, who visited tanning salons. Within this population, researchers focused on women who visited salons up to four times a week – more than what is needed to maintain a tan – and who tanned for psychological reasons, not just for a special event.

These tanners included one group who strongly disliked the natural color of their skin, which was related to a psychological condition called body dysmorphia. "They thought their skin was disgusting when it was pale," Hillhouse said.

The other group, who said tanning made them feel happier and more relaxed, showed symptoms of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) on a diagnostic psychological test. "They were self medicating their own depression," Robinson said, noting that lying in a tanning bed produces internal opioids.

The women received a 25-page booklet, authored by Hillhouse, that discussed the effect of tanning on appearance and explained how ultraviolet rays destroy collagen in the skin. The booklet also offered many alternatives to meet the women's needs for tanning, such as taking an exercise class for socializing and relaxation or getting a spray-on tan or self-tanning cream application at a spa. After reading the booklet, the women reported their attitudes and behaviors twice a week in diaries.

The study results surprised researchers. "The hypothesis was because this was an appearance intervention, it would have less of an effect on the people tanning for mood problems," Hillhouse said. "We found the opposite. The intervention worked just as well for people with seasonal affective disorder as for people who didn't like their skin color. That means it's a really good intervention for everyone."

His advice to parents and physicians: "Don't focus on skin cancer. The message that will get young women's attention is indoor tanning's long-term effect on their appearance. That will wake them up and get them to think about this."

Robinson stressed it was also important to offer women alternatives to tanning salons. "You have to balance the positive and the negative forces that motivate someone to change," she said. "First you have the fear that they will look horrible, then you offer a positive – an alternative to meet their needs."

The research was supported in part by a grant from the American Cancer Society.

Robinson is the editor of Archives of Dermatology. She was not involved in the editorial evaluation or decision to accept the article for publication.

Source:
Marla Paul
Northwestern University

Hi Mary, I've been on vacation or would have replied to your question sooner. Here's a few suggestions for you, so pick your poison:)

To start with, forget danger, think wrinkles! I've thought for some time that we need to appeal to their vanity. And that appears to be the message some researchers are now championing. CBS Sunday Morning is running an piece today  (AUG 14) with Dr. Joel Hillhouse, a professor of community health at East Tennessee State University.

Dr. Hillhouse has received NCI funding aimed at reducing teen tanning.  (More on his research at the bottom of this post) http://www2.tricities.com/news/2011/aug/12/etsu-researcher-scheduled-to-appear-on-c-64758-vi-29690/

In addition to worrying about their looks, young minds usually appreciate science, so it might help to show them that scientists in the United Kingdom have reported that they mapped the melanoma genome, and UV radiation has been identified as the primary cause.
http://www.sanger.ac.uk/about/press/2009/091216.html

I also think it's important to differentiate between tanning beds and sunshine. Radiation emitted by tanning beds has recently been estimated by the American Academy of Pediatrics to be "10 to 15 times higher than that of the midday sun" http://health.msn.com/health-topics/skin-and-hair/pediatricians-group-backs-ban-on-tanning-booth-use-by-minors

Perhaps a careful read of industry vision statements might open eyes a little wider. Here's a Canadian one that seems to say skin cancer is manageable.  http://www.tancanada.org/

————————————————————————————————————————

Our Vision

Sun exposure, like air, water and food, is natural and necessary to human life. The JCTA's vision is that all Canadians learn to correctly embrace ultra violet and sunshine as part of a healthy lifestyle – one which acknowledges that moderate ultra-violet light exposure when experienced in a non-burning fashion is the smartest way to maximize the potential benefits of UV light while minimizing the manageable potential risks associated with either too much or too little sunlight.

———————————————————————————-—————————————

Even if the jury still is out on melanoma ( it's not Imo)  BCC and SCC have both been irrefutably linked to UV exposure. And these non melanoma skin cancers (NMSC) are not only disfiguring at times, they can and do kill. Plus, they predispose a person to a secondary cancer. No small potatoes there. And when we think about  it,  there's really nothing moderate about exposing ourselves to UV levels 10-15 times the strength of the midday sun – often wearing 'tingle' lotions to heighten the effect.

In these two publicity photos from girl group Girlicious, singer Nichole Cordova is shown with and without her tan. I'm pale, so perhaps my judgment is skewed (ya think;) but I feel she has a unique look when her skin is natural.  I know many teens want to fit in, but they also want to get noticed… so perhaps this pitch may work with some.

http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/7945/girliciouswall11280bg6.jpg

http://nymag.com/images/2/daily/fashion/08/05/05_girlicious_lg.jpg

http://www.ask.com/wiki/Nichole_Cordova

And lastly, more on Dr Hillhouse.  Good luck Mary – hope some of this helps, linda

http:// http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/189079.php  

For Young Tanners Wrinkles Are Scarier Than Skin Cancer

Main Category: Dermatology
Also Included In: Melanoma / Skin Cancer;  Women's Health / Gynecology
Article Date: 18 May 2010 – 5:00 PDT
 

What's the most effective way to convince young women to cut back on their indoor tanning, a habit that hikes their risk of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, by 75 percent? Warn them that it will cause leathery, wrinkled skin.

"They're not worried about skin cancer, but they are worried about getting wrinkled and being unattractive," said June Robinson, a professor of dermatology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and senior author of a May 17 paper in Archives of Dermatology reporting the findings. The study examined the best strategy to wean college-age women who are considered addicted or pathological tanners from tanning salons.

"The fear of looking horrible trumped everything else," Robinson said. "It was the most persuasive intervention, regardless of why they were going to tan." The research showed warning them about the effects on their appearance caused a 35 percent drop in their indoor tanning visits, which were measured at intervals up to six months after the intervention.

Joel Hillhouse, lead author of the paper and a professor of community health at East Tennessee State University, noted that some women in the study eventually stopped tanning. "It was a progressive kind of thing," he said. "At first the women said they tried sunless tanning as an alternative, but over time they gave up tanning altogether."

Between 25 to 40 percent of older adolescent girls visit tanning salons, according to the study's authors. They and other scientists link the rapidly rising rates of melanoma and other skin cancers in young women to tanning beds. A new 10 percent federal excise tax on indoor tanning will go into effect July 1 in an effort to discourage indoor tanning.

The National Cancer Institute found that melanoma rates among Caucasian women aged 15 to 39 rose 50 percent between 1980 and 2004. The World Health Organization recently reclassified indoor tanning beds to its highest cancer risk category.

The study included 435 college women, ages 18 to 22, who visited tanning salons. Within this population, researchers focused on women who visited salons up to four times a week – more than what is needed to maintain a tan – and who tanned for psychological reasons, not just for a special event.

These tanners included one group who strongly disliked the natural color of their skin, which was related to a psychological condition called body dysmorphia. "They thought their skin was disgusting when it was pale," Hillhouse said.

The other group, who said tanning made them feel happier and more relaxed, showed symptoms of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) on a diagnostic psychological test. "They were self medicating their own depression," Robinson said, noting that lying in a tanning bed produces internal opioids.

The women received a 25-page booklet, authored by Hillhouse, that discussed the effect of tanning on appearance and explained how ultraviolet rays destroy collagen in the skin. The booklet also offered many alternatives to meet the women's needs for tanning, such as taking an exercise class for socializing and relaxation or getting a spray-on tan or self-tanning cream application at a spa. After reading the booklet, the women reported their attitudes and behaviors twice a week in diaries.

The study results surprised researchers. "The hypothesis was because this was an appearance intervention, it would have less of an effect on the people tanning for mood problems," Hillhouse said. "We found the opposite. The intervention worked just as well for people with seasonal affective disorder as for people who didn't like their skin color. That means it's a really good intervention for everyone."

His advice to parents and physicians: "Don't focus on skin cancer. The message that will get young women's attention is indoor tanning's long-term effect on their appearance. That will wake them up and get them to think about this."

Robinson stressed it was also important to offer women alternatives to tanning salons. "You have to balance the positive and the negative forces that motivate someone to change," she said. "First you have the fear that they will look horrible, then you offer a positive – an alternative to meet their needs."

The research was supported in part by a grant from the American Cancer Society.

Robinson is the editor of Archives of Dermatology. She was not involved in the editorial evaluation or decision to accept the article for publication.

Source:
Marla Paul
Northwestern University