TEENS: Most of you are aware that tanning in sunshine and in tanning booths is dangerous, but the desire to have a bronze look year-round seems stronger than the fear of wrinkles and possible skin cancer later on in life.
The American Academy of Dermatology has surveyed over 500 young people, ages 12 to 17. Almost 80 percent said they knew that tanning can be dangerous and that childhood sunburns increase the risk of skin cancer, yet 66 percent said they looked healthier and felt better with a tan. 60 percent also reported that they got sunburned at least once last summer.
The Academy recommended that those who choose to be in the sun use a proper sunscreen and avoid the sun in the middle of the day, plus wear a broad brimmed hat. Girls are better than boys about wearing sunscreen — 53 percent of girls used sunscreen, compared with only 36 percent of the boys.
Jeffrey Lauber, a dermatologist in Southern California, says there is no such thing as a safe suntan. Any time that the sun darkens the pigment in the skin, the skin has suffered damage.
Teens, please be aware of skin damage caused by the sun and by tanning booths. Now that summer is over and fall is approaching, don't assume the sun's rays are not still dangerous. Be smart — protect yourself year-round.
A MOST VALUABLE STORY
DR. WALLACE: I'm responding to the 19-year-old girl who had an alcohol problem, and you advised her to contact Alcoholics Anonymous. You gave her the best advice possible. Please allow me to share my story with your young readers.
By the time I was 15, I was addicted to drugs and alcohol. I thought I was just having a good time. However, through the years, the good times turned into daily misery. I had gotten to the point where my times of joy were less and less and very fleeting. Alcohol no longer brought me good times and friends.
At age 33, I found myself drinking before going to work in the morning and immediately quaffing more as soon as quitting time arrived. The only "party" I wanted to go to was the one with my bottle of booze. This went on for three years. Finally, at age 36, I was ready to end the misery I had lived in for so long. Fortunately, I called a crisis hotline and after a long discussion with a friendly, calming voice, I was advised to go to an AA meeting.
That was five months and 12 days ago. When I walked into my first AA meeting, I told the people there what I was going through. I was amazed to find there were so many people in attendance who once had the same attitudes and problems I did. I was even more amazed when I learned that these gentle, caring people now very much enjoyed living comfortably without any alcohol whatsoever.
It has been a very painful road to recovery for me, but I now have hope for a happy, joyous future free from the need for alcohol. I now have friends I can go to when I'm feeling alone and out of place. I now have a God who will do for me what I have never been able to do for myself. And best of all, I now want to live again. — Been There and Back, Gilbert, Arizona
THERE AND BACK: No one can say it better than someone who has lived through very difficult times and finally settled in a much better place. A lot of people you will likely never meet may benefit directly by reading your story. Thank you for sharing.
Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at rwallace@thegreatestgift.com. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
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