By Michèle De LATTRE-PIERANTONI

Tanning salons are once again in the hot seat. “Que Choisir” published an article in their June edition, which then became the subject of a televised debate, hosted by Valérie Expert, and broadcast on LCI on Thursday 29 May.

One of the guests on the panel was a dermatologist who stated that sun-beds were dangerous. He also added that walking in the street was dangerous too so it would seem that, according to him, everything is dangerous!

The show also had a representative from SNPBC (Syndicat National des Professionels du Bronzage en Cabine), an organisation for professionals involved in operating tanning salons, who attempted to defend its members. They cited Germany’s statistics! 7500 tanning salons in Germany, 85000 sun-beds, millions of UV-consumers (out of 33 million German housewives, 8.42 million expose themselves to artificial UV rays) and no more incidences of skin cancer than anywhere else… He also spoke about a surprising study conducted by Dr Michael Holick*, a well-known scientist from America (where safety is not an issue to be taken lightly), which reveals the biopositive effects of artificial sun.

* Dr Michael Holick’s study was submitted to us at the Messeköln press conference for the next Solaria (6 – 8 November 2003, in Cologne, Germany).

Your clients that use sun-beds often profess to being in “top form” and feeling “in great shape”. This is one of the positive spin-offs of exposure to artificial sunlight. Reports from investigations undertaken by universities and medical organisations, conducted in accordance with strict scientific requirements, attribute a whole series of significant, positive effects on one’s health to the spectre of ultraviolet light. The more widely we are able to disseminate this information, the more business this will create for tanning salons – and not just because of their application to tanning.


THE USE OF TANNING SALONS IN GERMANY

• 4% of female and 3% of male users visit the tanning salon more than once a week
• 31% of male and female users go to the tanning salon once a week
• 37% of male and female users visit the tanning salon once or twice a month

According to statistics rendered by a survey in Germany involving 10000 households, conducted by GFK, a survey company.


Even the Americans now recognise that sun-beds have biopositive effects on one’s health! A recent article in the New York Times ran an article entitled “Anti-tan message has gone too far.” The American paper published an article by Dr Michael Holick; this scientist became accepted as an authority when it became clear that UV rays actually have a positive effect on human beings. The New York Times asked Dr Holick, “Do you believe that dermatologists have exaggerated when telling their patients to avoid exposure to the sun?” The doctor and researcher replied, “Things have changed. I myself am a professor in dermatology and I can tell you that a fair number of my colleagues recognise that they have gone too far. I don’t think that avoiding sunlight is a healthy solution.”

RESEARCH ON VITAMIN D

Dr Michael Horlick is the director of the General Clinical Research Centre of the University of Boston as well as a research centre for vitamin D, skin and bone. His research has recently indicated that Vitamin D might have a significant role to play in the prevention of certain cancers. This vitamin is most certainly essential for the formation of calcium – a key aspect for healthy bones and in the prevention of osteoporosis. In Europe 5 million women and 800 000 men suffer from this debilitating condition.

Dr Horlick was the first researcher to prove that vitamin D has an effect on cellular division. According to his studies, a sufficient amount of vitamin D in the blood, for example, can reduce or control the accelerated division of cancerous cells in a tumour. Cardiologists have also begun to voice their opinions more publicly as they have found in favour of the curative powers of sunlight. They recognise that a deficiency in vitamin D is one of the major factors contributing to cardiac insufficiency. According to case studies, people afflicted by this condition have up to 50% less vitamin D in their blood as compared to healthy individuals. Diet only accounts for 10 – 25% of vitamin D. The human body produces the rest when exposed to the action of the UV rays of sunlight (natural or artificial).

The positive biological effects of carefully regulated exposure in a tanning salon appear to be principally due to the formation of vitamin D, its functions and its by-products. These medical benefits rely on mild doses of UV rays rather than harsh tanning rays. Dr Michael Horlick believes that, “In the future, people will use tanning devices for two reasons: some will opt for brief exposure to UV rays, simply to benefit from the biopositive advantages of sunlight, while others will visit the tanning salon purely for cosmetic reasons but will reap the benefit of its biopositive effects anyway.”


SOME FIGURES

• 71% of tanning salon users in Germany are women
• 90% of tanning salon users (male and female) in Germany are happy to conduct their tanning sessions in a cubicle


THE BENEFITS OF UV

Here are some of the findings that resulted from scientific investigations conducted into the tanning salon sector, whose aim was to offer an objective view on the raging debate of UV rays:

• Full exposure reduces blood pressure and also diminishes the risks of infarction (coronaries)
• In incidences of severe renal conditions (dialysis patients), UV rays help to remedy the vitamin D deficiency
• For sportsmen and women competing at high levels, sun-bed sessions reduce their vulnerability to infection during intense training periods
• Exposure to UV rays regulates calcium levels in the body and strengthens the density of the bones. Exposure to UV rays helps to reduce the risk of osteoporosis.
• Tanning salons are instrumental in remedying skin problems (acne, neuro-dermatitis, and psoriasis).
• Vitamin D3 formed under the influence of UV light is absorbed directly by the heart, skin and bones. In sufficient quantities, vitamin D3, the “sun hormone”, is a vital factor in the body’s defence against certain cancers, heart problems and poor circulation.
• UV light alleviates the problems associated with menopause and sanguine irrigation.
• UV rays activate the release of neuro-hormones and after only 6 sun-bed sessions over a 3-week period, trigger positive psychological changes: those who frequent tanning salons feel better!

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