The C.A.M. Report
Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Fair, Balanced, and to the Point
  • About this web log

    This blog ran from 2006 to 2016 and was intended as an objective and dispassionate source of information on the latest CAM research. Since my background is in pharmacy and allopathic medicine, I view all CAM as advancing through the development pipeline to eventually become integrated into mainstream medical practice. Some will succeed while others fail. But all are treated fairly here.

  • About the author

    John Russo, Jr., PharmD, is president of The MedCom Resource, Inc. Previously, he was senior vice president of medical communications at www.Vicus.com, a complementary and alternative medicine website.

  • Common sense considerations

    The material on this weblog is for informational purposes. It is not medical advice or counsel. Be smart, consult your health professional before using CAM.

  • Recent Posts

  • Recent Comments

    Sunless tanning products: Beliefs and practice

    Researchers at Emory University School of Medicine, in Atlanta, Georgia, studied the effects of sunless tanning products on tanning behaviors.

    First, the details.

    • 415 women reported their use of sunless tanning products and UV radiation tanning methods.

    And, the results.

    • 48% of participants had used sunless tanning products, 71% had tanned in the sun, 26% had used tanning beds at least once in the past year.
    • Most participants (93%) believed that tanned skin is more attractive than untanned skin.
    • 79% reported feeling better about themselves when tan.
    • Many sunless tanning product users reported decreased frequency of tanning in the sun (37%) or in tanning beds (38%) because of product use.
    • Frequent users were more likely to have decreased their UV radiation exposure.
    • Lighter complexion, frequent use of UV radiation tanning methods, feeling better about oneself when tan, and having a history of skin cancer were each associated with using sunless tanning products.

    The bottom line?

    The authors concluded, “In some women, sunless tanning product use is associated with decreased UV radiation tanning frequency, especially in women who use them repeatedly.”

    The desire for tanned skin remains strong despite growing awareness of the dangers of UV radiation exposure.

    The authors believe that improving the appearance of sunless tanning product tans may lead to wider acceptance and further decreases in UV radiation tanning practices.

    More on the risks of tanning beds is here.

    12/26/11 20:53 JR

    Leave a Comment

    You must be logged in to post a comment.