In what is still an unbelievable example of burying one’s head in the sand, Big Dermatology’s top leader — preaching Sun Scare dogma — once predicted that society would move underground.

It’s true: In a national press conference sponsored by the American Academy of Dermatology in 1996 then-AAD President Dr. Wilma Bergfeld told the media that people would one day live underground to avoid any and all sunshine.

“I can remember as a youth when I was growing up I had gone to movies to see that the population was living underground because of severe solar energy and the lack of protection. In some vision as I grow older I see us moving to more shelters and perhaps underground living because of these hazards.” — Dr. Wilma Bergfeld, then-president of the American Academy of Dermatology, told the national media assembled at the AAD’s 1996 annual media day in November 1996.

That statement is highlighted in the “Get Real” section of Smart Tan’s consumer information web site, www.TanningTruth.com.

“It’s an oldie, but it’s still the misguided mantra of the AAD today,” Smart Tan Vice President Joseph Levy said. “AAD still believes people do not need sunshine at all to make vitamin D and that people should turn to dietary supplements instead of Mother Nature.”

While underground living may be fine for the most extreme anti-sun lobbyists, the science in the decade since Bergfeld made this statement has only strengthened the case that human beings live naturally in sunlight and that we need regular sun exposure to be healthy. Anti-sun lobbyists like Bergfeld, unfortunately, have confused the good cause of fighting against sunburn and overexposure with a misguided attempt to get people out of the sun completely.

For more information, visit www.TanningTruth.com and urge your community to visit the site as well.