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Defend yourself from the dark side of the sun

Everyone knows the summer sun can hurt you in ways far beyond the immediate pain of a nasty burn. No doubt, all those soaked-up rays can turn into carcinogenic killers, but debate is intensifying over possible benefits that might come from above.

To be sure, many insist even light tanning is a bad idea.

“There is no such thing as a healthy tan; there’s no such thing as a safe tan,” said Air Force Col. John LeVasseur, one of the military’s top dermatologists.

Even tanning beds, widely touted by the $5 billion-per-year tanning spa-industry as a safer alternative to traditional sun worshipping, are panned as a no-go by many experts.

“Tanning beds are a carcinogen,” said LeVasseur, who serves as the skin care consultant to the Air Force surgeon general from Wilford Hall Medical Center at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas.

Tans can be harmful because any time your skin begins to shift to darker shades, it’s actually a sign of damage. Ultraviolet light rays are a form of radiation that can start dismantling your DNA. Over time, that can lead to skin cancer.

Military hospitals treated 2,098 service members for skin cancer in 2008, according to an April 2009 report by the Armed Forces Surveillance Center. Skin cancer ranked 79th among hospitalizing ailments — right behind poisoning.

But skin cancer can take years to incubate, dermatologists say. Cancer-causing damage done in your 20s might not show up for decades.

Melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, is now the second most common form of cancer for young adults ages 15 to 29, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation.

“While skin cancer has been associated with sunburn, even moderate tanning may also produce the same effect,” according to the American Academy of Dermatologists. Any sun exposure is bad, they say. “UV radiation from the sun, tanning beds or sun lamps may cause skin cancer and can have a damaging effect on the immune system.”

A cooking controversy

Not everyone, however, agrees that any sun is bad sun.

“This is the same sun-phobic message we’ve been getting from dermatologists for more than 40 years,” said Michael Holick, a professor of medicine, physiology and biophysics at Boston University School of Medicine.

Holick, who’s written several books and conducted hundreds of peer-reviewed studies on sun exposure and vitamin D, is at the forefront of a growing number of health and medical professionals who are questioning conventional wisdom when it comes to the dark side of the sun.

Holick argues that what others call “damage” to skin from light tanning is more like sore muscles after a good workout.

“Mother Nature designed us for sun exposure,” Holick said. “You shouldn’t go out and bake, by any means, but you can get a mild tan without significantly increasing your chances of getting cancer.”

Holick notes that studies suggest those who work indoors have higher rates of skin cancer than those who work outside in the sun all day. Meanwhile, skin cancer rates are climbing faster than a Fourth of July thermometer, even as more Americans are slathering on more and more sunscreen.

All this, however, comes as levels of vitamin D have been plummeting.

‘D’ for deficient

A recent study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that more than three in four Americans are in short supply of vitamin D.

“We found a marked increase in vitamin D deficiency over the past two decades,” said lead researcher Adit Ginde, an assistant professor of surgery at the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine.

Low levels of vitamin D can lead to weak bones, heart disease, diabetes, infections, and a variety of cancers and other ugly stuff. In short: The body needs it. And where do you get it? A few foods and supplements are a good start, but it’s the sun that really cranks it out.

“Since sunlight is the body’s major source of vitamin D, increases in sunscreen, sun avoidance and overall decreased outdoor activity, while successful in reducing skin cancers, has probably reduced vitamin D levels in the population,” Ginde said.

Balanced approach

“This is a real controversy right now,” said Michael Murphy, a former Army dermatologist who now runs his own skin cancer clinic in the Indianapolis area.

“Tanning is bad for you, but there can be a healthy balance,” he said. “I don’t tell people to stay out of the sun completely; you just have to do it in small doses.”

“There’s a middle ground,” said Robert Stern, chairman of the Department of Dermatology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston and a professor at Harvard Medical School. “I think the risks of modest sun exposure are quite small, and there are potential benefits. I’m not one who says never get any sun.”

Holick agrees that balance is the key. Rather than laying out by the pool, he advocates “sensible sun exposure” — 5 to 10 minutes on the arms and legs, for most people, two to three times a week — with sunscreen protecting the face, neck and ears.

The amount of sun soaking should vary by skin type and hair and eye color, but he said a good rule of thumb is to spend 25 percent of the time it usually takes before your skin starts turning light pink.

“If you’re going to use a tanning bed, I wouldn’t stay any longer than 25 to 50 percent of your maximum exposure time and always wear eye protection and sunscreen on your face,” Holick said.

Related reading

Sun damage lessons from a life at sea

10 things you need to know about sunscreen

Tips for the tanning bed

DISCUSS: Your tips for not getting sun burnt