AUG. 31, 2009 — Two-thirds of indoor tanning business owners say there are dermatologists in their towns who are okay with tanning as long as the tanner takes measures to avoid sunburn, according to a SmartTan.com poll conducted in August.

“This survey supports what Smart Tan has been saying for years: That the dermatology industry’s lobbying groups are promoting a message that the doctors in the field don’t really support,” Smart Tan Vice President Joseph Levy said. “But Big Dermatology does a great job making sure that very few of its members feel comfortable opposing their absolute message about UV.” Specifically, the poll showed that 67 percent of tanning businesses say there are dermatologists in their town who say moderate UV exposure is acceptable in non-burning doses, while just 33 percent say they don’t have derms in their communities who accept a moderate message about UV.

Smart Tan surveys in the past have shown that 70 percent of tanning businesses know they have doctors who tan in their salons and 70 percent have clients referred to their salons by doctors to tan for therapeutic purposes.

“It’s clear that there are many community dermatologists who are either in favor of or are not opposed to moderate tanning,” Levy said.