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Tanning companies are challenging the medical community saying tanning does not lead to skin cancer.
The Indoor Tanning Association has begun running commercials that promote people to get out and tan, saying "Your body will thank you."
Sarah Longwell with the Indoor Tanning Association says all of the medical reports regarding a connection between tanning and skin cancer is wrong. "The dermatologists, the sunscreen and cosmetic industries," she said, "Have tried to say that somehow moderate tanning causes melanoma which is just not true."
Tell that to Emily Konesky, a melanoma survivor who once used tanning beds several times a week. "Four times a week on average. It is not natural for a 19-year-old to be diagnosed with cancer that takes 30 to 40 years to develop," she said.
In its new campaign, the ITA cites at least one medical authority who questions whether exposure to ultraviolet rays from tanning can really cause melanoma. The ads go on to say tanning is actually helpful because bodies get vitamin D from sunlight.
Radiation Oncologist Dr. Matthew Poggi treats skin cancer patients at Inova Alexandria (web|news) hospital's cancer center. He says melanoma is the most dangerous form of skin cancer, "There's proof out there that ultraviolet light causes skin cancer."
Other medical experts call the ad misleading, saying everyone gets all the vitamin D they need from food and exposure to sun just a few minutes a week.
Dr. David Leffell Yale Medical School "The ad misrepresents scientific fact."
"Ultraviolet radiation from the sun and from the artificial bulbs that are used in the tanning parlors can lead to skin cancer.">
For Emily Konesky, her scars are all the convincing she needs of the sun's dangerous side. "I wake up every single morning and think this could be the day that the cancer could come back."
The ITS's new campaign blitz will feature television spots as well as full page ads in newspapers across the country.
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