Seek shade, not a kibosh on salon industry

WHILE WE can appreciate Kelli Pedroia's enthusiasm to educate teens about the dangers of developing melanoma, her crusade against indoor tanning is misplaced ("A light went off," Living/ Arts, April 29). The wife of Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia herself admits she tanned illegally in salons when she was underage, and that "my mother and I would just fry ourselves with tanning oil and no sunscreen."

It is this kind of irresponsible behavior that we members of the tanning industry also find self-destructive. Controlled indoor tanning with moderate use has not been proven to be a cause of melanoma.

When Pedroia was getting burned at her chosen tanning parlor, she should have reported the problem and avoided any repeated burning. Responsible indoor tanning is exactly that - responsible - in spite of what the Melanoma Foundation of New England implies.

Tanning salons are heavily regulated at both federal and state levels to ensure safe UV exposure. Reputable salons are careful to follow these guidelines in order to provide a positive experience for their clients. The risk of severe sunburn is far greater on any sunny day at Fenway Park than in the controlled environment of a tanning salon.

FRANCIE HAUCK
President
Perfect Tan Inc.
Boston

I WOULD like to commend Kelli Pedroia for her work in raising awareness of melanoma. I was pleased to see that she is working with the Melanoma Foundation of New England to warn teenagers and the public of the dangers of tanning. Ironically, I read this article immediately after seeing a patient who has stage 4 melanoma, which means it has spread to distant organs, and he has a less than a 5 percent chance of surviving another five years. Yes, it is this serious.

In the article, Pedroia talks about going tanning up until last year, which by my calculation is five years after being diagnosed with stage 2 melanoma. I want to reiterate to the public that this is not safe. Melanoma is a deadly disease and can be extremely aggressive.

I hope that Pedroia's work and story will help draw attention to this devastating illness, and will encourage us to cover up in the sun. As a melanoma survivor myself, I would like to thank her for the courage to go public. I hope her work brings us closer to a cure.

RACHAEL ROWLEY McQUILLAN
Brookline

NICE ATTEMPT at warning young people about the dangers of tanning beds, but instead of showing photographs of Kelli Pedroia looking glamorous and fit in her wedding gown or lounging on her couch, why not show the three-inch scar on her leg caused by the surgery to remover her melanoma?

"Now, I get it," Pedroia says, but when asked whether her husband, Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia, wears sunscreen, her response is, "Dustin? I don't even know... I can say it to him until I'm blue in the face, but if the kid doesn't get it..."

Someone should educate this volunteer spokeswoman against melanoma that baseball players are at high risk for this deadly disease.

KAREN WALSH
Quincy