The Dangerous Reality of Suntanning

Sunburn art

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Sunburn tattoos: A dangerous new trend. Photo courtesy of http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/sunburn-art-shocking-snaps-show-5951653

A recent study from Ohio State University proved that sunscreen with an SPF of 30 can prevent cancer caused from UVB rays. When we at PAW read this, we rolled our eyes and said, “Duh.” Then we thought about it for a moment and said, “What took them so long?” Although it’s common knowledge that sunscreen protects us from cancer causing rays, it turns out that it was never proven in a formal study until now. At PAW, we are in the business of keeping your skin healthy. It’s our hope that this study might sway public opinion enough to the dangerous reality of suntanning and cause everyone to protect their skin with sunscreen.

Lung Cancer and Cigarettes

How do you prove something is really deadly to humans without harming actual humans? The medical community first watches people. If a group of people is doing something and they keep getting the same results, then it’s pretty logical to connect the action with the consequence. That called observational evidence.

A good example of observational evidence is the link between lung cancer and tobacco smoking, which wasn’t discovered until about 1920. German scientists realized that lung cancer, once a rare disease, was happening to almost everyone—everyone who smoked, that is. You can read all about it here in the History of Cigarette Research. But, when they published their thoughts, the world kept smoking.

Then other researchers started experimenting with cigarettes and found out that the carcinogens, or chemicals in cigarettes was giving mice and rats cancer. The world saw their favorite movie stars light up and kept following along, as by this time smoking was glamorous.

An iconic smoking moment

But, when alarmed scientists started aggressively proving what they already knew by the early 1950s, the world took notice. One study grew cancer tumors out of the backs of mice slathered in nicotine tar. Time Magazine put a picture on the cover. Then the world collectively began to freak out. Over the next ten years, the whole house of cards came crashing down. Smoking went from being perceived as sexy and sophisticated to being a deadly habit.

Skin Cancer and Sun Exposure

Let’s go back to sunscreen. It’s common knowledge, based on observing skin cancer victims and noting their frequent exposure to UVB and UVA rays in sunlight, that sun exposure causes skin cancer. The American Academy of Dermatology says that skin cancer is the number one cancer in the U.S and a bunch of other scary statistics you can read on their site.

farrah fawcett red
An iconic tan moment.

But, here we are again. Suntans are considered sexy. They convey an image of health and fitness, even though we know that tanning is dangerous and can cause cancer. Unlike people in the 1950s who could simply quit smoking, we can’t quit the sun. A little sun is good for us.

That’s why we are so excited about this Ohio experiment, which has conclusively shown us that sunscreen really can protect us from harmful UVB rays. Since we can’t quit the sun, we now have a proven-to-be-effective option to protect ourselves from it—with sunscreen. The more you remember to put on sunscreen before going out, the better chances you have in avoiding damage from harmful, cancer causing rays. This makes our job happily easier!

Happy summer and stay protected! We would love for all of our PAW customers to have a do-over. If you want to undo any sun damage to your skin in time for summer, please check out our May Get Summer-Ready Special! In the meantime, make our jobs easier by putting on your sunscreen. If you make one pre-summer purchase we recommend Vivier’s NEW sheer broad spectrum SPF 45 with transparent zinc oxide. No matter your skin type, now is the time to start protecting your skin, even if you haven’t in the past!

Call if you have more questions about sunscreen options 816-463-4440.

Mention this blog post and receive 10% off any Vivier sunscreen!

Sunscreen Buying Tips

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Dr. Amber Botros, D.O

Dr Amber Botros, D.O

Owner & Medical Director

Dr Amber Botros is an expert in her field, her practice is centered around evidence based medicine and patient safety & satisfaction. She strives to empower her patients to love the skin they are in. Dr Botros’ specialties are aesthetics, anti-aging medicine, medical weight loss, laser hair removal and body contouring.

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