Recently, the tanning industry launched a media campaign promoting the idea that indoor tanning is safe. The industry claims there is "no compelling evidence that tanning causes melanoma," the deadliest form of skin cancer.

This could not be further from the truth. A major 2006 report published by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a working group of the World Health Organization, found a strong association between sunbed use and melanoma. Based on seven worldwide studies, people who use a tanning bed before age 35 increase their risk for melanoma by 75 percent. Previous research has also shown that tanning booths multiply the risk of the two most common skin cancers, squamous cell and basal cell carcinoma, 2.5 times and 1.5 times, respectively. The National Institutes of Health officially lists ultraviolet (UV) radiation from either the sun or tanning booths as a carcinogen.

Tanning damages the skin"s DNA, producing mutations that not only increase the risk of all major skin cancers but also accelerate skin aging and wrinkling. So please, NEVER use tanning beds. When you are outside, seek the shade, especially between 10AM and 4PM, use an SPF 15 or higher sunscreen, and wear protective clothing, including broad-brimmed hats and UV-blocking sunglasses.

Early detection is another key component of skin protection. Melanomas and other skin cancers found at an early stage are almost always readily curable, while those found later can be highly destructive or even fatal. So this May we are launching The Skin Cancer Foundation's Road to Healthy Skin Tour, presented by AVEENO® (a Johnson & Johnson product) and the Rite Aid corporation. The program, also supported by the Columbia Sportswear company, will provide free total-body screenings by volunteer board-certified dermatologists in many locations across the country. It could save more than a few people's lives and spare countless others major disfigurement. In previous nationwide tours since 2006, dermatologists volunteering for the Foundation have performed more than 10,000 screenings, discovering almost 2,000 suspected actinic keratoses (precancers), close to 1,000 suspected basal and squamous cell carcinomas, and nearly 100 suspected melanomas.

If you haven't had a skin exam recently, please look for our Road to Healthy Skin Tour, coming your way soon. For more information, see "The Skin Cancer Foundation Hits the Road" in this issue, or find out further details at our website, www.skincancer.org.

Perry Robbins, MD, President