Attitude About Tans
A walk through pharmacy aisles attests to the popularity of two kinds of products: potent full-spectrum sunscreens that protect against cancer-causing sunburn and wrinkled leathery skin, and artificial tanning lotions, creams and sprays. When used correctly, these tanning products can safely provide natural-looking color (not the orange tinge of products past) without the risks of UV radiation.
Sunless tanning products are hot sellers despite the push of some fashionistas, like Simon Doonan, creative director of Barneys New York, who insists that the bronzed look “is very 80s porno star, unhealthy and kind of sleazy.” In the current issue of The Skin Cancer Foundation Journal, Mr. Doonan cites examples like Tilda Swinton, Michelle Obama and Lucy Liu to show that what is now in fashion is “healthy, natural glowing skin” — the “color you were born with.”
Still, a summer tan seems to be coveted by many Westerners, whose values spread easily to others. Despite the traditionally prized porcelain skin of Asian cultures, in a survey of 546 Asian Americans published last month in The Archives of Dermatology, Emily Gorell and colleagues at Stanford University School of Medicine found that the more westernized the respondents, the more positive their attitudes toward tanning and sunbathing, and the more negative toward the use of sun protection.
And according to a 2006 report in Pediatrics, only minimal progress has been made in persuading American teenagers to adopt sun-protective behaviors.
In two nationally representative surveys, conducted in 1998 and 2004, Vilma Cokkinides, an epidemiologist at the American Cancer Society, and colleagues found that in both years, about 70 percent of teenagers reported having been sunburned during the summer. There was a significant decrease in sunburns among younger teenagers and an overall increase (to 39 percent from 31 percent) in those who said they regularly used sunscreen. But there was little change in time spent outdoors during the peak sun hours of 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and an increase in days spent at the beach.
In the 2004 survey, only 1 in 3 teenagers reported using sunglasses, 1 in 20 said they wore wide-brimmed hats, and two-thirds agreed or strongly agreed with the statement, “I look better when I have a tan.”
