I. Introduction a. Audience hook: The most up to date scientific evidence shows there is no such thing as a safe or healthy tan, whether under the sun or in a tanning bed (Health Canada, 2012). b. Thesis: Research suggests that excessive tanning is not healthy because it greatly increases the chance of skin cancer and can cause premature aging also known as “photo-aging”. c. Preview of Main points: i. Excessive tanning, whether it is in the sun or in a tanning bed greatly increases the chances of developing skin cancer. ii. Skin ages rapidly when exposed to the dangerous UV rays of the sun or tanning bed. II.
Excessive tanning increases the risk of developing skin cancer. a. Skin cancer is the most common of all cancers (Rogers, HW, Weinstock, MA, Harris, AR, 2010). There are two main types of skin cancer melanoma and non-melanoma. i. Melanoma cancer affects the layer of skin that protects your body from the harmful rays of the sun. It is the most serious type of skin cancer and will account for more than 76,600 cases of invasive skin cancer in 2013 (American Cancer Society, 2013). ii. Non-melanomas or basal and squamous skin cancers (those that effect the top layer of skin) are more common but not as serious as melanoma.
More than 3. 5 million cases of basal and squamous cell skin cancer are diagnosed in this country each year (American Cancer society, 2013). b. Skin which is the body’s main organ becomes damaged when exposed to UV radiation for an extended amount of time unprotected. i. Just one indoor tanning session increases users chances of developing melanoma by 20 percent, and each additional session during the same year boosts the risk almost another two percent (Zhang M, Qureshi AA, Geller AC, Frazier L, Hunter DJ, Han J,2012). ii. One in five Americans will develop skin cancer in the course of a lifetime (Robinson, 2005).
III. UV radiation causes wrinkling and premature aging of the skin known as photo-aging. a. Photo-aging occurs when the skin becomes damaged due to overexposure to the harmful UV rays of the sun and from artificial sources such as tanning beds. b. Scientific studies have shown that repeated ultraviolet (UV) exposure breaks down collagen and impairs the synthesis of new collagen. (AgingSkinNet, 2010) This causes the skin to lose it elasticity so it does not bounce back after and becomes wrinkled and saggy. c. Many of the same changes in the skin that occur as we get older are greatly accelerated by sun exposure.
(Mario Badescu Skin Care, 2012) Some examples of photo-aging include wrinkles, rough and leathery skin, freckles, and age spots. Show visual aid (The New England Journal of Medicine,2012) IV. Conclusion a. Restatement of thesis: Excessive tanning not only ages the skin prematurely but greatly increases the chances developing skin cancer. b. Summary of main points: i. The chance of developing skin cancer increases with every exposure to UV radiation. ii. Premature aging occurs when skin is exposed to UV rays. c. Closing comments: i. The dangers of tanning leading to skin cancer need to be made aware to the public. ii.
Organizations are raising awareness about the consequences of excessive tanning. B. Visual Aid 1. This picture demonstrates how the skin becomes damaged from over exposure to the sun’s UV rays. This man is only 69 years old as you can tell by looking at the right side of his face but the left side looks almost 20 years older. His name is William McElligott and he drove truck for over 25 years exposing the left side of his face to the sun on a daily basis for long periods of time. (ABC15,2012) The New England Journal of Medicine did an article on his story and described how McElligott now suffers from photo-aging.
The article presents all the medical terminology used to describe what occurred during the gradual change in McElligott’s skin due to the sun exposure but can be described in easier terms. The left side of his face was exposed to the sun every day for over 25 years causing the skins collagen to break down and lose its ability to bounce back after becoming wrinkled and saggy. There is a higher chance of developing skin cancer with the amount of UV rays his skin was exposed too. (The New England Journal of Medicine,2012) C. Visual Aid Script.
This picture goes to show just how much over exposure to UV radiation can damage a person’s skin. This man drove truck for over 25 years exposing just the left part of his face to the sun on a daily basis and now suffers from photo-aging on that one side. D. Audience Questions 1. Question: Can skin cancer be prevented? Answer: You may not be able to completely prevent skin cancer but there are ways to reduce your chances of developing it. Avoid using tanning beds and sun lamps that damage your skin. Staying out of the direct sun between the hours of 10 AM and 4 PM or staying in the shade if outside at this time helps too.
Teach kids the Slip! Slop! Slap! ® and Wrap! Rules. Slip on a shirt, Slop on sunscreen, slap on a hat and wrap on sunglasses. (American Cancer Society, 2013) Not only will these rules reduce the chances of skin cancer but your chances of photo-aging will go down as well. 2. Question:
Are there certain parts of the body more prone to photo-aging than others? Answer: Yes there are parts of the body that are more prone to develop photo-aging than others. For instance, your stomach or feet may not see the sun as much as your face does resulting in little to no aging on these areas.
The face is exposed to the sun quite a bit and that is where the first signs of photo-aging usually occur. Wrinkles appear around the eyes, fine lines bloom around the lips, and age spots surface on the hands. (Skin Cancer Foundation, 2013) 3. Question: What can be done to raise awareness about the dangers of excessive tanning?
Answer: There are many things that can be done to raise awareness of the dangers of excessive tanning. You can start by spreading the work yourself, and if people do not believe what you are saying tell them to do research about the studies that have been done on sun exposure causing skin cancer and photo-aging.
There are organizations like the American Cancer Society that have websites you can visit and call centers with information for the public. (American Cancer Society, 2013).
References ABC15 Taking Action (2012). Amazing photo shows effects of sun exposure on truck driver’s face. Retrieved from http://www. abc15. com/dpp/news/national/amazing-photo-shows-effects-of-sun-exposure-on-truck-drivers-face. Aging Skin Net (2010). Causes of Aging Skin. Retrieved from http://www. skincarephysicians. com/agingskinnet/basicfacts. html American.