Call it the "GTL effect." Coined by Michael Sorrentino, a.k.a. "The Situation" on MTV’s popular show Jersey Shore, "GTL" stands for "Gym, Tan, Laundry," or, what Sorrentino does daily in an effort to score with women.
While getting and maintaining a deep, dark tan, via tanning beds or laying out in the sun, isn’t exactly a new phenomena, it’s one that remains popular, especially among teenage girls, thanks in part to celebrities like Sorrentino.
This, despite the fact that UV radiation from tanning beds is thought to be as cancer-causing as plutonium and cigarettes.
Numerous public health campaigns encourage people to protect themselves from the risk of developing skin cancer, but people of all ages continue to overexpose themselves to harmful ultraviolet radiation (UVR) from the sun or artificial tanning devices.
Rates of skin cancer – including melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer – continue to rise, even in young people.
This troubling information could be what has prompted the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), along with the World Health Organization, the American Medical Association, and the American Academy of Dermatology, to support legislation prohibiting children under the age of 18 from using tanning beds or other artificial tanning devices.
The AAP points to results from a national survey, revealing 24 percent of non-Hispanic white teenagers between the ages of 13 and 19 have used a tanning facility at least once.
The intensity of UVR radiation produced by some tanning units can be 10 to 15 times higher than the midday sun.
A new AAP policy statement and corresponding technical report, “Ultraviolet Radiation: a Hazard to Children and Adolescents,” published Monday in the March 2011 print issue of Pediatrics, offer guidance to parents and pediatricians on skin cancer prevention and safe sun exposure practices.
Lifelong sun protection is recommended starting at an early age. Education about UVR exposure is important for all children, especially those at high risk for developing skin cancer: children with light skin and eyes, who freckle or sunburn easily, or have a family history of melanoma.
Pediatricians should advise children, parents and teens about the dangers of UVR exposure. Recommendations include wearing proper clothing and hats, timing outdoor activities to minimize peak midday sun (10 am-4 pm) when possible, applying sunscreen, and wearing sunglasses.
Infants younger than 6 months should be kept out of direct sunlight and protected with clothing and hats.
In February, the American Academy of Dermatology released findings that at least 3.7 million people were diagnosed with skin cancer in 2008, if not more, and urged dermatologists to continue to warn patients about the dangers of UVR exposure.
