U.S. Surgeon General is serious: Stop tanning

The U.S. Surgeon General went on the offensive in the fight against skin cancer by calling for an end to tanning and urging Americans to apply sun protection.

by John Tyburski

Copyright © Daily Digest News, KPR Media, LLC. All rights reserved.

First published at Daily Digest News on July 31, 2014

Skin cancer is the most commonly diagnosed type of cancer in the U.S., and the Surgeon General is no longer playing around about it. In a hard-hitting statement issued earlier in the week, acting Surgeon General Dr. Boris Lushniak called for Americans to get serious about preventing skin cancer.

An official statement by the U.S. Surgeon General declaring that ultra violet light is harmful is unprecedented.

“Until today, the surgeon general has never said, ‘UV radiation is bad for you; protect your skin,’” Lushniak told a CNN reporter. “We have to change the social norms about tanning… Tanned skin is damaged skin, and we need to shatter the myth that tanned skin is a sign of health.”

Although skin cancer is a much more preventable form of cancer, rates are on the rise as rates for other cancers decline.

“While many other cancers, such as lung cancer, are decreasing, rates of melanoma — the deadliest form of skin cancer — are increasing,” said Assistant Secretary for Health Howard K. Koh, M.D., M.P.H. “As a skin oncologist who worked in this field for many years, I have cared for both the young and old with skin cancers. Almost all of these cancers were caused by unnecessary ultraviolet radiation exposure, usually from excessive time in the sun or from the use of indoor tanning devices.”

Nearly five million Americans are treated for skin cancer annually at an estimated cost of $8.1 billion. The rate of the deadliest form of skin cancer, melanoma, increased more than 200 percent between 1973 and 2011. More than 63,000 incident cases are reported and close to 9,000 people die from melanoma each year. Cancer tends to associate well with aging. However, melanoma is one of the most common forms of cancer among teens and young adults.

The full text of the Call to Action is available online at hhs.gov.