Derms: keep fighting the good fight

The coverage by Dermatology Times of efforts to control the undisciplined use of indoor tanning facilities is excellent.My hat is off to the dermatologists in the various states who have been fighting the good battle

My efforts in regulating indoor tanning facilities began in 1988 when AB 2139 (Filante) was signed into law. I played a small role in this success by authoring the language of the bill.

In December 1994, as the alternate delegate to the American Medical Association (AMA) from the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery, I carried AMA Resolution 217-I-94 to the floor of the House of Delegates where it passed and is the official position of the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery, the American Academy of Dermatology and the Society for Investigative Dermatology.

The scientific and epidemiological evidence is overwhelming that UVA as used in tanning facilities may initiate and promote the growth of skin cancers and melanoma.

Michael J. Franzblau, M.D.

Clinical Professor of Dermatology

University of California

School of Medicine