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Yesterday the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) charged the
Indoor Tanning Association (ITA) with making false and
deceptive health and safety claims about indoor tanning.
In its
complaint, the FTC cited an advertising campaign
that the industry launched in March 2008 to portray
indoor tanning as safe and beneficial. You may recall
that this campaign also attacked dermatologists. The ITA
has agreed to a consent order that bars it from
continuing to make false and deceptive claims about the
health and safety benefits of indoor tanning and
requires it to make disclosures about the skin cancer
risks associated with ultraviolet radiation exposure.
In 2008, the Academy raised its concerns with the FTC
about the false and deceptive statements being made in
the ITA’s advertising campaign. Shortly after that, the
agency launched its investigation. Academy leadership
along with some of our respected colleagues, noted skin
cancer experts Darrell S. Rigel, MD, FAAD, and Martin A.
Weinstock, MD, PhD, FAAD, fully cooperated with the FTC
as it researched the claims.
This is a true SCRIPT Plan (Skin Cancer Reduction:
Intervention Plan for Tomorrow) victory. I would like to
congratulate all the members and staff who worked
together on this effort to protect public health and
encourage positive behavior change with respect to UV
radiation exposure.
The Academy issued a
news release to commend the FTC, which is the
federal government agency that works for consumers to
prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business
practices and to provide information to help spot, stop,
and avoid them. (Please note that the FTC, the nation’s
consumer protection agency, and the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA), both enforce laws dealing with
tanning devices. The FTC investigates false, misleading,
and deceptive advertising claims about the devices; the
FDA enforces regulations that deal with the labels on
the devices.)
As part of its complaint process, the FTC has opened a
public comment period to allow for feedback on the
consent order. The Academy encourages its members to
write to the FTC to show their support for the consent
order and appreciation for the agency’s efforts to
protect the public from these deceptive practices. The
FTC prepared an
analysis to aid public comment.
To submit a comment, members can visit the
FTC’s comment page and fill out the electronic form,
or mail their comments in paper form (including "Indoor
Tanning Association - Consent; FTC File No. 082 3159"
both in the text and on the envelope) to:
Federal Trade Commission
Office of the Secretary, Room H-135 (Annex D)
600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20580
The deadline for comments is Friday, February 26, 2010.
If you notice a violation of this consent order, please
report it to the FTC and copy the Academy at
president@aad.org.
Sincerely,
David M. Pariser MD, FAAD
President
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