Watching the news today, I was in disbelief seeing the woman from New Jersey who allegedly brought her 6 year old to a tanning salon. It brought home a conversation I had last week with Marina Peredo, M.D., F.A.A.D, a nationally recognized board certified dermatologist with over 20 years of experience, about the dangers of tanning.

Has tanning always been fashionable? It is thought that tanning became popular in the 1920’s, by none other than Coco Chanel. Prior to the 1920’s, tans were thought of as fairly déclassé, exclusively reserved for those who worked the land.  When Chanel stepped off a friend’s yacht in Cannes, sunburned after the hot summer of 1923, she made “made suntans the height of fashion in the 1920s, as a key component of Riviera chic,” says Justine Picardie, author of a new Chanel biography. “In doing so, she turned fashion on its head, so that bronzed skin became emblematic of glamour rather than peasantry; of a leisured life rather than outdoor labour.” By the end of the decade, the poor had left the fields for factories, and, helped along by Chanel, the trend for brown skin began.

Tanned skin became a trend partly because of Coco’s status and the longing for her lifestyle by other members of society. Her fans apparently liked the look and started to adopt darker skin tones themselves.  In addition, Parisians fell in love with Josephine Baker, a “caramel-skinned” singer in Paris. Those who liked and idolized her coveted her dark skin as well. These two French women were leading figures of the transformation tanned skin underwent, in which it became perceived as fashionable, healthy, and luxurious.

Fashionable but at what cost? Dr. Peredo, who received her medical degree from Mount Sinai School of Medicine, completed her internal medicine internship at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center and her dermatology residency at New York Hospital-Cornell University Medical College and is currently an Associate Clinical Professor of Dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York (which she was awarded teacher of the year in 2011), has spent her life’s work successfully treating patients with skin-related conditions. In addition, she founded Marina I. Peredo, M.D., P.C. Dermatology and Spatique Medical Spa in Smithtown, NY where she skillfully provides medical, surgical, cosmetic dermatology and aesthetic services to her patients, in a luxurious state-of-the-art environment. Acting as Director, she heads an accomplished team of dermatologists, a mohs surgeon, plastic surgeon and nutritionist along with registered nurses, estheticians, massage therapists and makeup artists that cater to every cosmetic need and beauty indulgence. (http://spatiquemedicalspa.com)

She filled me in on the staggering statistics…

Unfortunately, there is really no such thing as “safe tanning.” 1 in 5 people with develops skin cancer at some point in their life and 1 in 55 will be melanoma.

• Skin cancer is the most common  form of cancer in the United States. More than 3.5 million skin cancers in over two million people are diagnosed annually.
• Each year there are more new cases of skin cancer than the combined incidence of cancers of the breast, prostate, lung and colon.
• One in five Americans will develop skin cancer in the course of a lifetime.
• Between 40 and 50 percent of Americans who live to age 65 will have either skin cancer at least once.
• About 90 percent of non-melanoma skin cancers are associated with exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun.
• People who use tanning beds are 2.5  times more likely to develop skin cancer.
• There has been a dramatic  increase in skin cancer in young women, up 800% because of tanning sessions.

Skin cancer doesn’t discriminate…..it can affect all ages, all races, all religions, and all social classes. Dr. Peredo suggests getting to know your moles really well. If a mole changes in shape, size, color, gets itchy….see a doctor. For anyone with a history of skin cancer, having a familiar history will increase your risk by 12%.

Education is the key…………..Dr. Peredo believes education is the best way to combat skin cancer and sun damage. She practices what she preaches! Dr. Peredo is recognized by the media as a guest on national new shows, including The View, Good Morning America, Fox News, Telemundo and the British Broadcasting Company. Her editorial credits include such publications as New Beauty Magazine, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Seventeen, Prevention and The New York Post. She publishes in peer-reviewed journals and lectures regularly at medical symposia, both nationally and internationally. She is a key participant in the American Academy of Dermatology, American Society for Dermatologic Surgery, Skin Cancer Foundation, where she provides complimentary skin cancer screenings, Long Island Dermatology Society, Women’s Dermatologic Society and New York State Society of Dermatology. She conducts numerous clinical studies, is a national trainer, speaker and educator for prestigious dermatologic companies such as Medicis, Allergan, Abbot and DUSA and has also done pro-bono work for Beyond Our Borders.

Ask anyone what their favorite asset of summer is, and they’ll undoubtedly cite it is the warm, sunny weather. But, there is a downside to an enviable outdoors lifestyle and protect your skin at all cost. And if the skin cancer statistics aren’t enough for you, remember that your skin is your best accessory. And flawless skin is always in demand!

For more information see http://www.skincancer.org/skin-cancer-information/skin-cancer-facts