By Joseph Levy, American Suntanning Association

In the past decade the evidence supporting regular, non-burning UV exposure as opposed to sun-abstinence or over-blown sun-avoidance has continued to come into focus – especially now that government data shows clearly that most sunburns occur in situations when people aren’t even trying to tan.

This is something I wrote about many years ago – that organized dermatology’s ant-sun position on this issue was a “bubble” that eventually would call into question its credibility in earnest efforts to work toward real-world sun-care solutions.

And there certainly are leaders in dermatology who have pointed this out. Dr. Sam Shuster, a British Professor of Dermatology, made this case in the book Panic Nation? Unpicking the myths we’re told about food and health.

“We still have a lot to learn about what may be the silent benefits of sun exposure. We do not know the significance and purpose of the profound changes in immune mechanisms, the extraordinary improvement in mood and the alleged decreased risk in bowel and prostatic cancer experienced after sun exposure. We may do more harm avoiding these advantages than anything we might gain from the uncertain benefits of sun avoidance,” Shuster writes.

Click here to read the entire article in the latest issue of Smart Tan Magazine.