Cosmetic dermatology — which has gone from ‘Any sun exposure damages the skin’ 15 years ago to ‘UV radiation is as dangerous as plutonium’ in 2011 — may have lost its credibility with consumers who are seeing through the hyperbole of the profession’s profit-driven mischaracterization of one of life’s essential elements: sunshine.

That’s what a SmartTan.com poll conducted in May suggests. According to the poll, 5 out of 6 tanning business owners think people are staring to tune out cosmetic dermatology altogether, thanks to ridiculous overstatements about sun. In the poll, 84 percent thought derms have let their industry’s statements go too far and that people are no longer listening. Only 16 percent thought people are still listening to the hyperbole.

“We’ve been saying for years that cosmetic dermatology continues to ‘creep’ their message even further — blinded by the tens of millions of dollars they receive from chemical sunscreen companies who profit from making people think every light photon damages the body,” Smart Tan Vice President Joseph Levy said. “And the cosmetic derm industry – driving people to its doors with scare tactics — didn’t see a financial reason to suddenly get a conscience either. It’s a perfect recipe for the corner they’ve painted themselves into.”

Smart Tan continues to promote a balanced, science-driven message of sunburn prevention for all rather than sun avoidance. Chemical sunscreen should only be used when sunburn is a possibility, but never as a daily-use rain-or-shine product.