Skin Cancer Public Service Advertisements (PSAs)
Member Talking Points
PSA Campaign Overview

The Academy is committed to leading the charge to reduce mortality from and
the incidence of skin cancer in the next 10 to 30 years.

The Academy’s new skin cancer public service advertisement (PSA)
campaign debuted on June 28, 2010. The campaign has been in
development for more than a year and is a follow up to the Academy’s
previous two campaigns which also addressed the link between tanning and
skin cancer.

In the TV and print advertisements, family members of a young woman who
lost her life to melanoma plead with people not to tan.

The radio advertisement is a contemporary folk song that encourages people
not to tan and instead embrace their natural look.
Indoor Tanning Facts

On an average day in the United States, more than 1 million people tan in
tanning salons.1

Of the customers, nearly 70 percent are girls and women, primarily 16 to 29
years old.2

The United States Department of Health and Human Services and the World
Health Organization’s International Agency of Research on Cancer panel
have declared ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun and artificial sources,
such as tanning beds and sun lamps, as a known carcinogen (cancer-causing
substance).3

Indoor tanning equipment, which includes all artificial light sources, including
beds, lamps, bulbs, booths, etc., emits UVA and UVB radiation. The amount
of the radiation produced during indoor tanning is similar to the sun and in
some cases may be stronger.4,5

Studies have found a 75 percent increase in the risk of melanoma in those
who had been exposed to UV radiation from indoor tanning.6,7
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
Studies have demonstrated that exposure to UV radiation during indoor
tanning damages the DNA in the skin cells. Also excessive exposure to UV
radiation during indoor tanning can lead to skin aging, immune suppression,
and eye damage, including cataracts and ocular melanoma. 1,8-11

Indoor tanning beds/lamps should be avoided and should not be used to
obtain vitamin D because UV radiation from indoor tanning is a risk factor for
skin cancer. Vitamin D can be obtained by eating a healthy diet and by taking
oral supplements.
Legislation

In the United States, more than 30 states restrict indoor tanning use by
minors (prohibit use or require parental consent), despite the call from the
World Health Organization (WHO) to prohibit minors from indoor tanning
because of the danger of skin cancer.
Vitamin D and UV Exposure

The American Academy of Dermatology is deeply concerned that reports
linking the health benefits of vitamin D to unprotected ultraviolet (UV)
exposure mislead the public about the very real dangers of UV exposure, a
leading cause of skin cancer.

While the benefits of vitamin D are well known, it also is well known that
overexposure to UV radiation can cause skin cancer.12

The American Academy of Dermatology recommends that anyone concerned
about getting enough vitamin D should discuss the options for obtaining
sufficient vitamin D from foods and/or vitamin supplements with his or her
doctor.13 Dietary sources (e.g., fortified foods and beverages and vitamin
supplements) are available year-round. Good sources include fortified milk,
cheeses and yogurt, fortified cereal, and oily fish like salmon and tuna.14
Research shows that vitamin D supplements are well-tolerated, safe and
effective when taken as directed by a physician.
Skin Cancer Facts

More than two million people were treated for basal cell and squamous cell
skin cancers in 2006.12
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
It is estimated that there will be about 68,130 new cases of melanoma in
2010.12

One American dies of melanoma almost every hour (every 61 minutes). In
2010, it was estimated that 8,700 deaths will be attributed to melanoma –
5,670 men and 3,030 women.12

Melanoma is the most common form of cancer for young adults 25-29 years
old and the second most common form of cancer for adolescents and young
adults 15-29 years old.15

Melanoma is increasing faster in females 15-29 years old than males in the
same age group. In females 15-29 years old, the torso is the most common
location for developing melanoma, which might be due to high-risk tanning
behaviors.15

The World Health Organization estimates that as many as 65,161 people a
year worldwide die from too much sun, mostly from malignant skin cancer.16

In 2004, the total direct cost associated with the treatment for non-melanoma
skin cancer was $1.5 billion.17

More than 75 percent of skin cancer deaths are from melanoma.12

1 in 5 Americans will develop some form of skin cancer during their lifetime. 18
To learn more or view the PSAs, please visit www.aad.org/psa.
1Whitmore
SE, Morison, WL, Potten CS, Chadwick C. Tanning salon exposure and molecular alterations. J
Am Acad Dermatol 2001;44:775-80.
2Swerdlow
AJ, Weinstock MA. Do tanning lamps cause melanoma? An epidemiologic assessment. J Am
Acad Dermatol 1998;38:89-98.
3
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, National Toxicology Program.
Report on carcinogens, 11th ed: Exposure to sunlamps or sunbeds.
4Hornung
RL, Magee KH, Lee WJ, Hansen LA, Hsieh YC. Tanning facility use: are we exceeding the Food
and Drug Administration limits? J AM Acad Dermatol. 2003 Oct;49(4):655-61.
5Miller,
SA, Hamilton, SL, Wester, UG, Cyr, WH. An analysis of UVA emissions from sunlamps and the
potential importance for melanoma. Photochem Photobiol. 68(1998), 63-70.
6Lazovich,
D, et al. “Indoor Tanning and Risk of Melanoma: A Case-Control Study in a Highly Exposed
Population.” Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2010 June;19(6):1557-1568.
7The
International Agency for Research on Cancer Working Group on artificial ultraviolet (UV) light and skin
cancer “The association of use of sunbeds with cutaneous malignant melanoma and other skin cancers: A
systematic review.” International Journal of Cancer: 2007 March 1;120:1116–1122.
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Skin Cancer PSA Campaign
Member Talking Points
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8Piepkorn
M. Melanoma genetics: an update with focus on the CDKN2A(p16)/ARF tumor suppressors. J Am
Acad Dermatol. 2000 May;42(5 Pt 1):705-22; quiz 723-6.
9Vajdic
CM, Kricker A, Giblin M, McKenzie J, Aitken JF, Giles GG, Armstrong BK. Artificial ultraviolet
radiation and ocular melanoma in Australia. Int J Cancer. 2004 Dec 10;112(5):896-900.
10Walters
BL, Kelly TM. Commercial tanning facilities:a new source of eye injury. Am J Emerg Med
1987;120:767-77.
11Clingen
PH, Berneburg M, Petit-Frere C, Woollons A, Lowe JE, Arlett CF, Green MH. Contrasting effects
of an ultraviolet B and an ultraviolet A tanning lamp on interleukin-6, tumour necrosis factor-alpha and
intercellular adhesion molecule-1 expression. Br J Dermatol. 2001 Jul;145(1):54-62.
12
American Cancer Society’s 2010 Facts & Figures.
13American
Academy of Dermatology Position Statement on vitamin D:
http://www.aad.org/forms/policies/Uploads/PS/PS-Vitamin%20D%2011-16-09.pdf. Last accessed 2010 Jun 21.
14
Wolpowitz D, Gilchrest, BA. The vitamin D questions: how much do you need and how should you get it?
Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. 2006 Feb 54(2):301-317.
15Cancer
16World
Epidemiology in Older Adolescents & Young Adults. SEER AYA Monograph Pages 53-57. 2007.
Health Organization, Solar ultraviolet radiation: Global burden of disease from solar ultraviolet
radiation. Environmental Burden of Disease Series, N.13. 2006.
17The
Society for Investigative Dermatology and the American Academy of Dermatology Association, The
Burden of Skin Diseases 2004. Copyright 2006.
18Robinson
JK. Sun Exposure, Sun Protection, and Vitamin D. JAMA 2005; 294: 1541-43.