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Are we dying for a tan?

Are we dying for a tan?
Author: Adel Free-Medford
1 Commentries
Discussion Paper
Are we dying for a tan?


Introduction
Tourism experiences are predominantly about the pursuit of pleasure for the tourist, however there are considerable risks involved with tourism and travel (Peattie et al, 2005). Risks in tourism have been brought into focus in the last decade with media coverage showing acts of terrorism (Sharm el Sheikh) and health and safety failings (Costa Concordia sinking), these acts are put upon the tourists by acts of others. However, one of the most long term risks of tourism is the risk of sun burn which can lead to skin cancer. This is a difficult issue to tackle in the tourism industry as it is widely recognised exposure to sunlight is likely to result in skin cancer (Cancer Research 2012), yet the 'sunshine holiday' is the main component of the tourism industry. The question is raised does the tourist perceive the risk to be less if they place the risk upon themselves.

Risk Perception
People are much more aware of the short term risks such as being burned by a cigarette than the long term risks of contracting lung cancer. To understand the selectivity of risk perception it becomes necessary to examine other areas of risk which include elements of personal control. What people perceive to be an everyday risk often are the risks which have short term consequences.

The Media: Friend or Foe?
Peattie et al (2005) demonstrates using the titanic as an example that health and safety concerns are only addressed when they are of a large scale and classed newsworthy, they tend to be of a reactive nature and although they do lead to efforts to reduce further risks to tourists such as, terrorism, the potential consequences are associated with remote possibilities. Cartwright (2000) notes that health is major factor in tourist satisfaction, and with sun protection being widely recognised as a health hazard (Cartwright, 2000: Peattie et al, 2005) why is it not being widely documented in the media? Understandably the media are taking the view that skin cancer is not something connected to a particular destination or contradicted at the particular time.

Personal Control
Optimism is a generalised positive expectation for the future. As a generalisation it can be gathered that tanning is a personal choice, it is your body and you control the risks you place upon yourself. Being optimistic and having a positive attitude towards sun tanning will in fact present an illusion to the individual that the future will not hold skin cancer in store for them. Optimism bias is where the individual reduces the anxiety they would feel if they accepted personal vulnerability, adding substance to the argument that people who sunbathe have their head in the sand, with this notion it won't happen to me. There becomes a point then, that personal control plays an important factor in a person's individual perception of risk, the more optimism a person holds the lesser they perceive the risk to be, coupled with the fact skin cancer is developed decades after the sun tan has faded, it becomes easy to see why young people disregard the sun tan as an everyday risk.

Is the greatest danger under the sun?
The risk of melanoma can almost double with one incident of severe sunburn in childhood (Peattie et al, 2005). The sunshine holiday is part of the mainstream tourism industry with the mass market promoting sun exposure as the central point to the holiday. The time lag between the exposure and the development seems to be the general issue that is resulting in a lack of immediate consequences that link to many other health and safety risks. The tan is seen a crucial consumption of the tourism product that is sold, so is it the responsibility of the industry to discourage their main selling point? It is argued that sun safety issues lack the level of publicity afforded to the low probability risks.

Conclusion
Skin cancer is a highly preventable disease; simple behavioural changes to avoid catching the sun could potentially reduce up to 90% of case (Cancer Research, 2012). It becomes about the idea of the risk you are willing to place on yourself. This paper has challenged the notion of the fashionable tan, however evidence still supports that this is the main drive for achieving the 'deathly suntan'. The head in the sand attitude is something that is not going to change, it has been argued that increased education will change individuals attitudes (Peattie et al, 2005) but this paper is arguing not- as even with the clear messages and educational campaigns the positive attitude of its not going to happen to me is encouraging people to head to the beach and into the tanning booth without a second thought for the tan that's worth dying for.

Will you still be wearing the fashionable tan this summer?



Cartwright, R. (2000). Reducing the health risks associated with travel, Tourism economics,6 (2), 159-167

Cancer Research UK. (2012). Skin cancer risks. [Accessed 21.04.13] http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/cancer-info/cancerstats/types/skin/riskfactors/

Peattie, S., Clarke, P., Peattie, K. (2005) Risk and responsibility in tourism: Promoting sun safety. Tourism Management, 26, 399-408

I will be wearing a fashionable tan this summer
Author: Rebecca Hemmings
The main reason for choosing to commentate on this summary is due is to my knowledge and personal belief of tanning as a whole. The summary article diverted my attention as it is different to the other articles under the particular strand, as they are mainly focused on terrorism. My own summary paper was based upon social media; therefore another reason of choosing to comment on this summary article was because this is highlighted as well.

First and foremost the author does have some valid points of harmful effects of getting a tan and it is an interesting subject to touch upon. However, the author does seem to go off the subject by mentioning the Titanic as an example of health and safety risks, and does not really focus of effects of sun tanning in much depth at all and what skin cancer is.

The author states say that sun protection and skin cancer is not being widely documented in the media. Unfortunately this statement is incorrect and there is a massive awareness of skin damage from any kind of UV (ultra violet radiation), but is correct in mentioning that skin cancer is not something to be linked with a particular destination.

When "sun protection" and "skin cancer" is searched on Google there are 273,000 results and the top two that come up are the NHS website and Cancer Research UK. To add to this, there are numerous adverts about sun protection and sun cream and after sun care advertised on the television, an example of this is Nivea which is a skin care brand. What if people don't have a television you may ask - well yes, but there is plenty of awareness in magazines, on the internet, newspapers, billboards and radio advertisements - all forms of social media. There is even awareness in pharmacies and in retail stores that sell skin products such as Boots and Superdug as well as in Travel agents and at airports.

The author then goes on to say that tanning is a personal choice and the control of risks a person puts themselves through is their choice, which again is correct. However they then go on to say that if a person is optimistic and have a positive attitude towards sun bathing, and this will then cause a false impression that the future will not hold skin cancer in store for them. This comment is clearly an opinion of the author and has no reference of academic theory or evidence of research to back this statement up with.

According to the author, the tourism industry with mass market promotes sun exposure as the central point to the holiday - again this is an opinion of the author and is a bold statement which has no evidence to back it. The author then continues to say that the tan is basically seen as a crucial consumption of the tourism product, and there is a lack of publicity of the issues regarding skin cancer - again this could not be more wrong. When I typed in "why do people go on sunny holidays" there were many articles highlighted from people within England for example: "Winter sun holiday ideas to lift the gloom - If you'd prefer to chill on the beach rather than freeze in the rain in typical Britain, these winter hot spots should warm up your holiday plans." (The Guardian, November 2012). Not everybody goes on holiday for a sun tan, it is a lovely benefit yes - but say for example with the cold weather in Britain people want to go on sunny holiday for the warmth and different environment. To add to this, let's face it people are more happy when the sun is out, but you would not see someone in a bikini on a skiing holiday skiing and trying to get a tan would you?

The author concludes with saying that skin cancer can be prevented by simple changes to avoid catching the sun unprotected and this is referenced by Cancer Research and is of course correct. However this does not really follow through the points that were confidently made about people going on holiday to just get a tan with no reference of back up and no important information about what skin cancer is and what UV ultra violet rays can do.

To conclude, I personally use sun tanning beds twice a week and I am fully aware of the risks of UV ultraviolet radiation. The NHS (2013) state: "Sunburn is dangerous at any age, but it's especially harmful in children and young people," says Katy Scammell of Cancer Research UK's SunSmart campaign. "Sunburn in childhood can greatly increase your risk of developing skin cancer later in life." The NHS (2013) then go on to say: "Using sunbeds before the age of 35 increases your risk of skin cancer by up to 75%," says Scammell. "Sunbeds also accelerate the skin's natural ageing process." The NHS website has all the information and advice and proven facts about tanning and the exposure to sunlight and UV rays. Taking this into consideration, I personally go on sunbeds for my skin to be prepared for when I go on holiday as this helps my skin from burning from having previous exposure to UV rays. Obviously, this is my choice and I am fully aware of the risks - however I do take it upon myself to have a healthy lifestyle where I look after my body and look after my skin after UV exposure and I have regular check-ups at my doctors to examine my skin with any new moles or freckles I may be concerned about which I feel is sensible.

I feel that the author should of researched about the subject of tanning a lot more in depth and should of backed up statements with theory to support their point. The author should also mention that skin cancer can also be caused by a lack of vitamin D - this was brought to light from an article in the BBC news in 2011: Sara Hiom, information manager at Cancer Research UK, said: "It may be that vitamin D can help reduce the risk of certain cancers." The BBC also mention that Professor Garland stated that while avoiding the sun completely may reduce the risks of skin cancer, it could increase the chances of developing other cancers.

I fully appreciate the effort and structure of this summary article, but I feel that cancer as a whole could of been explored even just briefly, as it is not just UV exposure that can cause cancer. The article is a very interesting topic and the author has good and structured point of the points made. However, I will be wearing a 'fashionable' tan this summer as I feel summer is about getting a summer glow and enjoying the sunshine in a protected healthy way.

References:

News.bbc.co.uk (2011) BBC NEWS | Health | Sun 'protects against cancer'. [online] Available at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3226184.stm [Accessed: 15 May 2013].

Nhs.uk (n.d.) Protect skin and eyes in the sun - Live Well - NHS Choices. [online] Available at: http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/skin/Pages/Sunsafe.aspx [Accessed: 15 May 2013].

Nivea.co.uk (2010) Sun Care - NIVEA. [online] Available at: http://www.nivea.co.uk/products/Sun-Care [Accessed: 15 May 2013].

Sunsmart.org.uk (2004) Sun protection effectiveness : Cancer Research UK. [online] Available at: http://www.sunsmart.org.uk/skin-cancer-facts/howdoweknow/sunprotection/ [Accessed: 15 May 2013].

womenshealthmag.com (n.d.) The Summer of Sun Protection. [online] Available at: http://www.womenshealthmag.com/beauty/spf [Accessed: 15 May 2013].