ist magazine February 2023

Industry Watchdog

Cogito Ergo, Sum! By Joe Schuster

G ood old philosopher Rene Descartes proudly de clared, “I think, therefore I am” and establishes solid ground for one’s own existence. This is great because every now and then, I have my doubts. While I’m on the subject of doubts, behold another prognostication claiming that indoor tanning is tied to an increase of primary melanoma skin cancers. Last month’s study was the impetus for an article in last month’s online Medical Dialogues: medicaldialogues.in/dermatol ogy/news/indoor-tanning-tied-to increased-risk-of-multiple-primary melanomas-study-says-104866 NOTE: The topic of melanoma and skin cancer is not avoided, but covered directly in our Sun is Life® Salon Operator Training & Certifica tion course. The following factors may raise a person's risk of devel oping melanoma

• Has many moles or unusual moles • Has a family history of melanoma • Has a weakened immune system • Received excessive

sunbed once a month from January to October for a total of ten lifetime indoor sessions? I revert back to Latin and shout “Reductio ad absurdum,” which is one of the basic tenets of sales that I learned many moons ago. “Reduce to the ridiculous” – characterizing an opposing argument in such a way that it seems to be ridiculous. I certainly trust that I led you to the same conclusion that I reached. It reminds me that if something gets repeated sufficiently and repeatedly, it will become the truth. This clearly is the case with those entrenched in pointing the finger at indoor tanning as the culprit when it comes to skin cancer. Hey, too much of anything (well, okay – most things) can be bad for us. For most things we do in life, moderation is key. Our Sun is Life Certification also covers the principle of tanning in moderation, whether it’s indoors or in natural sunlight. I close with a final proclamation in Latin: “Vita sana vivere!” (Live a healthy life!) n

ultraviolet (UV) light exposure … there is an increased risk of developing melanoma. However, armed with their study, this group tries to correlate ten (that’s right, just ten) indoor tanning sessions with increased melanoma risk. I perused the study and found that there is nothing stated regarding just exactly what “ten” they’re talking about. Could it be the ten three-minute expo sures received over a period of ten years in a tanning system equipped with lamps that have been used past the manufacturer’s estimated useful life? Well, we’ll never know because of course, that’s not stated. Did the study include the subjects’ estimated lifetime exposure to natural sunlight? I could not find it. Consider someone who grew up and played in the warm waters of Miami Beach and then spent several years lifeguarding to pay for college at the University of Miami and then used a

Clearly, if one: • Is fair-skinned

• Has a history of sunburn • Lives closer to the equator or at a higher elevation

Team IST searches for erroneous, suspect or negative reporting by the media that adversely impacts the tanning industry. Reports such as these have plagued tanning businesses for decades. Although the media sources will seldom admit a falsehood and print a retraction, IST offers these well-crafted responses to the negative reports that can be shared with your customers and potential customers, alike.

Maryna / Shutterstock.com

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February 2023 istmagazine.com

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