Don Smith

FYI:

An article in the most recent USA Weekend titled "The Summer of all fears" by Joshua Piven and David Borgenicht made a statement in the section titled "How to treat severe sunburn" that makes you wonder if the authors and their medical expert? know what they are talking about.

The statement was (honest, I couldn't make something this silly up): "Probably the most common beach danger, sunburn, is also the easiest to prevent: Wear Sunscreen. "Sun exposure is cumulative over a lifetime," says Robert D. BUDMAN, M.D., Surfer magazine's Surf Doc. "Total sun time even without burning increases the risk of premature aging and skin cancer."

Premature AGING? Do you suppose Dr. Budman meant to say premature skin aging? Or do you suppose that, considering the other innacuracies in his statement, he doesn't know what he is talking about?

1. Consider his statement that "Sun exposure is cumulative over a lifetime" and you see what I mean. OF COURSE sun exposure is cumulative over a lifetime but so is breathing! Just because it is "cumulative" doesn't mean that it is harmful. However, a lack of ADEQUATE cumulative UVR exposure IS detrimental!

2. Consider his admonition to "Wear Sunscreen" notwithstanding the fact that he doesn't point out the importance of applying ENOUGH sunscreen. Numerous studies have proven that most people only apply 1/4 of the required "dose" of sunscreen and this leads to a false sense of security which, in turn, leads to MORE sunburning for those who apply sunscreen!

The above information supports my premise that the media publishes only the risks of UVR overexposure (which they refer to as "exposure to UVR") and fails miserably to cover the much more serious risks of underexposure to UVR.

If you want to let USA Weekend know your feelings about this article (as I have!), send an e-mail to: usaw@usaweekend.com or call 1-800-487-2950. [Note: Send (or call)your comments to Marcia Bullard, CEO and Editor.]

Don

PS: Listed below is my response to USA Weekend magazine.

usaw@usaweekend.com

Marcia Bullard, President, CEO & Editor:

Shame On USA Weekend Magazine!

Marcia Bullard, President, CEO & Editor:

You should be ashamed of the inaccuracies and false, deceptive, misleading and scientifically unsubstantiated statements contained in the article (in the most recent USA Weekend magazine) by Joshua Piven and David Borgenicht titled "The summer of all fears" in the section titled "How to treat severe sunburn."

1. The authors quoted Robert D. Budman, M.D. as saying "Probably the most common beach danger, sunburn, is also the easiest to prevent: Wear Sunscreen", without pointing out to your readers that the "dose" of sunscreen applied is critical. Numerous studies have shown that only 1/4 of the required dose is applied by most people and this "under application" leads to a false sense of security which, in turn, leads to MORE sunburning among those who use sunscreen. The reason for this is quite simple. If a person's natural skin color (constitutive pigmentation) and acquired "tan" (facultative pigmentation) provides them with 20 minutes protection from sunburning, they "think" that a sunscreen with a SPF (sunburn protection factor) of 4 gives them 80 minutes protection from sunburning (4 times 20 minutes = 80 minutes). However, applying only 1/4 of the required dose cuts the SPF value from 4 to 1 and, therefore, adds nothing to their "protected" time of 20 minutes.

2. Dr. Budman is also quoted as saying "Sun exposure is cumulative over a lifetime" and this is like saying that breathing is cumulative over a lifetime! Of course they are! Just because something is "cumulative" over a lifetime doesn't mean that it is harmful. In fact, the most recent peer-reviewed scientific literature clearly shows that it is UNDEREXPOSURE to UVR (ultraviolet radiation) that is most harmful (from a public health point of view) to the American public.

3. Finally, Dr. Budman is quoted as saying that "Total sun time even without burning increases the risk of premature aging and skin cancer." The only thing wrong with this statement is that (1) it is false, deceptive, misleading and scientifically unsubstantiated because there is no credible scientific evidence that "total sun time even without burning" is anything but benefical (it is OVEREXPOSURE that is damaging to the skin!), and, (2) it should have said that OVEREXPOSURE to UVR "increases the risk of premature SKIN aging" and not "premature aging" which implies that the individual will "chronicologically age" more quickly and this is, as I hope you know, is not the case.

A little research by your staff would have made it possible to inform your readers that the first line of defense against acute skin damage (a "sunburn") caused by OVEREXPOSURE to UVR is the sunburn itself. Contraintuitive as this sounds, the "redness" and "swelling" serve to protect our DNA from damage and the "pain" a few hours later serve to remind us to be more careful. Our first line of defense against both acute and chronic skin damage caused by OVEREXPOSURE to UVR is our natural skin color (constitutive pigmentation) and our second line of defense against both acute and chronic skin damage caused by OVEREXPOSURE to UVR is our acquired (facultative pigmentation) or adaptive pigmentation (better known as a "tan" by the public).

A little research by your staff would have made it possible to inform your readers that the "gold standard" by which sunscreens are evaluated for effectiveness by comparing how they compare to the photoprotection provided by normal, natural facultative pigmentation which, as mentioned above, is better known as a "tan" by the public.

A little research by your staff would have made it possible to inform your readers that the incontrovertible benefits of sensible, moderate and responsible exposure to UVR outweigh the minimal and manageable risks involved.

I am attaching a list of UVR related terminology that may help your organization "proof" future articles about UVR. If I can be of assistance in the future, please feel free to contact me (1-888-994-3828 - Toll Free) (1-520-975-0180 - Mobile).

Donald L. Smith
Executive Director / UVR Research Institute

PS To Solid:

WHEN will the "Ask Don's Army" automatic e-mail" be ready? [ This Message was edited by: Don Smith on 2002-07-07 09:36 ]

fungirlz

Our hats are off to you Don..
Please let us know what the reply is from this if any..
GO GET EM DON!!!
xoxox
C

solarmeter

On the radio news this morning, there was a spot from American Red Cross about staying out of the sun, except during the hours of 4am to 7am !!

Upon listening closer, the message was about sun IR, not UV. Said don't do anything strenuous in the heat, and wear Wimbleton white with a hat to reflect heat.

So at least the Red Cross hasn't jumped on the anti-tan bandwagon, for now...

Don Smith

Response from USA Weekend Magazine.

Listed below is the "response" I got from USA Weekend magazine. Looks like a form letter (Dear Reader) to me.

Don

Dear Reader,

Thank you for your interest in USA WEEKEND Magazine. We truly appreciate the expression of our readers thoughts and feelings. Your comments will definitely be considered in the shaping of future issues. However, due to the volume of letters we receive, we can't respond to every one. If possible, we'll use your letter in an upcoming Letters column.

Thank you for reading!
USA WEEKEND Magazine