WGBH Radio; The Callie Crossley Show

I'm Cally Crossley This is the Calla Crossley Show. It can poison us and nourish us. Blister burn in brown. We're talking about the sun. Tomorrow is the summer solstice a day where those of us in the northern hemisphere are exposed to the longest daylight. And with the solstice comes the first day of summer. The unofficial season to be under the sun. Whether you're poolside or seaside taking cover in a tanning bed or dozing off in the natural like this hour from vitamin D to forms of cancer. We're going beyond skin deep to look at the benefits and hazards of sun exposure. We'll also look at the evolution anthropology of our largest breathing sweating organ our natural shield skin. From there is local made good we need Boston based soul singer and rapper Shay Rose whose talent has landed her in the spotlight. Up next from catching race to Shea Rose and her catchy tunes. First the news. From NPR News in Washington I'm Lakshmi saying a huge court

victory today for Wal-Mart the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that a sex discrimination lawsuit against the retail giant cannot proceed as a class action. The suit could have involved as many as 1.6 million women. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is pledging to consider political reforms as he fights to protect his own authority. In a 70 minute televised speech today Assad said reforms might include scaling back his Baath Party's dominance as heard through an interpreter on Al-Jazeera. Assad also acknowledged lives lost on both sides of an uprising against his regime that began months ago. It was a huge loss to that family and loved ones the world was also a loss to the country and a thought to me personally. It was a grave loss despite today's speech thousands of anti-government activists against staged protests. Well Assad says he will push for national dialogue he didn't say whether forces will end their crackdown. On the three

month old uprising violence in Iraq today is blamed in the deaths of at least four people. NPR's known reports foreign diplomats were targeted are outside bomb targeted the French embassy convoy south of Baghdad causing damage to cars and getting local security men to protect in the convoy and Iraqi security forces were also attacked by roadside bombs and car bombs today. Political and public pressure is mounting on top IQ leaders to put aside personal disputes and focus more on stabilizing security in the country. The rising violence in Iraq comes a few months prior to a full U.S. forces withdraw from Iraq at the end of 2011. NPR News Baghdad. The International Atomic Energy Agency is calling for a worldwide review of safety measures at nuclear power plants. The BBC's Bethany Bell reports participants at an IAEA meeting in Vienna are discussing a new report on Japan's nuclear disaster that follow that country's earthquake and tsunami

disaster at Fukushima has sparked widespread public concern about safety. Germany's decided to shut down all its reactors by 2022. And Italy has voted against plans to revive nuclear power. Now the UN's nuclear agency is hosting a meeting to discuss ways to strengthen the Wild's need to safety frameworks. But it's likely to be a long process. At the moment then no mandatory international new safety regulations and the standards and guidelines set by the IAEA. That's the BBC's Bethany Bell reporting. At last check on Wall Street the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 70 points or more than half a percent to twelve thousand seventy four in trading of 3 billion shares in the Nasdaq was up 17 a 26 33. This is NPR News. A murder trial begins today for the man accused of killing three Pittsburgh police officers in 2009. Prosecutors say they will try to use comments Richard Poplawski made online in which he

allegedly said. He'd make the history books by going on a killing rampage that would include police if convicted of first degree murder. The defendant could get the death penalty. A tropical storm betrays the second named storm of the Pacific hurricane season is advancing on Mexico's Pacific coast. Areas from what the Nayo and parts northward are already getting rain. The National Hurricane Center in Miami says the storm has top sustained winds near 65 miles per hour. It is expected to grow into a hurricane later today. The British Library is allowing Google to digitize and upload to the Internet a quarter of a million books pamphlets and periodicals. Larry Miller reports from London the project represents just a fraction of the library's collection dating back to ancient times. The search engine Google is paying to scan and digitize 40 million pages dating from 17:00 through 1870. That includes the period of the American French and industrial revolutions. They'll be items documenting the end of slavery

and the invention of the combustion engine driven submarine once digitized they'll be available through Google Books and the library's website all publications will be out of copyright. The British Library holds over 150 million items only the Library of Congress has more books. Last year the British Library announced plans to digitize millions of newspapers dating back three and a half centuries. For NPR News I'm Larry Miller in London. And I'm Lakshmi saying NPR News Washington. Support for NPR comes from the NE E Casey Foundation promoting a life long family connections for our children and youth on the web at ECF dot org. That afternoon I'm Kalee Crossley. This is the Kelly Crossley Show with tomorrow being the first day of summer and the FDA releasing its new sunscreen rolls. We're talking

about sun tanning this hour from the pros and cons of being exposed to the sun rays to the evolution of human skin and the cultural values we place on it. Advance for me look competent competent. Gives you the protection you need only out of the water. So not as a couple trying to protect everybody from moderately taken from people like me. To Next an invitation to sensitive new arrivals Coppertone just about the most protection you can have with your clothes off. Now that's an ad I'm sure many of us have heard or some similar to that and we're only talking about those ads what they've promised and what the FDA says they can no longer promise our must promise. So the great I'll be clear about what in fact sunscreen does prevent. I'm joined by Dr. Robin Travers today a dermatologist at the skin care physicians clinic in Boston and Dr. Michael Holick a professor of medicine physiology and Biophysics at the Boston University School of Medicine and Dr. Nina Blonsky head of the Department of Anthropology

at Penn State University. She's author of skin a natural history. Welcome to you all. It's a pleasure to be hi. You can join the conversation at 8 7 7 3 0 1 0 8 0 9 7 8 8 7 7 3 0 1 8 0 9 7. If you need advice on what sunscreen to buy or if you want to offer your own cautionary tale about what sun exposure has done to you or if you want to defend the seasonal suntan wear it 8 7 7 3 0 1 89 70 8 7 7 3 0 1 89 70 and you can send us a tweet or write to our Facebook page. Doctor name it your Blonsky for so long. You say in your book skin history and natural history humans just want to decorate their skin so is sun tanning just the most common kind of decoration. Well sun tanning is a form of decoration. But really it's only been considered decoration in the last few decades for most of human history people with lightly pigmented skin wanted to stay out of the

sun and have light colored skin dark skin was considered a sign of toil in the fields and hard labor. It wasn't associated with glamour and good health and a healthy glow. And so it's only been in the last 50 or really 80 years that a tan has become synonymous with with the good life and healthy living and sort of high status. You know I'm reminded Dr. Blonsky I used to read Little House On The Prairie those series of Laura Ingalls Wilder books and in the book Mom would always say to the kids don't stay out in the sun or else you'll be brown like little Indians. So that follows what you were saying. Absolutely. In most cultures especially people who farmed outside it was important to stay covered up so that the tan wouldn't betray their true profession. Now what changed is because I want you to set the you know cultural context for what changed this and why we are here where we are now having to think very seriously about

sun exposure and its link to cancer. Well one of the things one of the big things that changed this was in the 1920s and early 30s when images of women with tans started to be shown in fashion magazines. Now one of the most famous people to be so depicted was Coco Chanel the very famous fashion designer. And when she appeared with some kind of tan as well as looking very good and you know on a sailboat and clearly in the lap of luxury and being respected than a tan went from being something that would be on a farmer's neck to something that would be on a runway on a catwalk on glamorous women and glamorous men who had time to two luxury eight in the sun and enjoy themselves in the sun. So it became a status symbol. And the fact that these images were propagated in magazines that were widely circulated made it well at least for the time.

Viral OK that's my guest Dr. energy Blonsky she's head of the Department of Anthropology at Penn State University She's author of skin a natural history where at 8 7 7 3 0 1 8 9 7 8 7 7 3 0 1 8 0 9 7 and we're talking about some 10 in both the history and the cultural importance of it as Dr. Blonsky has just discussed and now we're going to talk about some of the health concerns that have been documented to be linked to cancer over exposure. Dr. Travers Dr. Robin Travers a dermatologist at the skin care physicians clinic in Boston. What percentage of your patients are U.S. because they really have had too much sun exposure and they're now at risk for. Dangerous skin cancers I would say that about 50 percent of my adult patient population. I am seeing because they either have a history of skin cancer or at increased risk of skin cancer because of their sun tanning habits throughout their life. So I spend a good part of my day screening people and treating people for pre skin cancers and cancers

that they've already developed. Now what we've just heard from Dr. Blonsky is that you know this is fashion for a long time and even most recently still considered fashion even if people know there there are dangers. So people come to see you. Are they surprised were they not paying attention. Where are folks now. You know I think there is a really big disconnect between intellectually understanding what the risks of sun exposure are and I think you see this most clearly among teenage populations who you know think they know it all but it's never going to happen to them. Right. So they think they can get out and enjoy the sun and do all of those kinds of behaviors that make them feel good but they're not going to be the ones that are going to develop skin cancer down the road. And many people really are shocked when they come in for their skin cancer screening to find out that they have either precancerous lesions evidence of significant sun damage or in fact a frank skin cancer. With regard to that the FDA just announced that they're next year implementing some

new rules with regard to sunscreen in the hopes of maybe getting the attention of people who are not paying attention to make it quite clear that there is a link to cancer and to make the sunscreen manufacturers be very clear about what exactly they're offering in terms of protection and some frankly aren't offering very much. So they've laid out these new regulations which we can articulate in just a second. But I want to know first do you think this is going to work and then I'll be very detailed about what the what the FDA has said. Well that's a great question. I mean I think what the FDA has done is regulate and force cosmetics industry to to put on their labels what we as dermatologists have been recommending all along and suggesting all along you know that there really is an importance in using a broad spectrum sunscreen that you really do need to reapply more frequently that there really is no such thing as a waterproof or sweat proof sunscreen. So these were things that have been known all along and we had hoped that people would hear our voices telling people that.

But a stronger voice is obviously going to be coming from the FDA and when people really see it on the label their bottle labels. OK. Dr. Michael Holick you're a professor of medicine at the physio and physiology and Biophysics at the Boston University School of Medicine. Now you are in favor of sun exposure but you say healthy sun exposure so can you explain that. Sure. In my recent book The vitamin E solution basically provided that process to maintain adequate vitamin D. And one of them is in fact sensible sun exposure. I mean it's interesting that in Australia which I guess would be considered capital in cancer capital of the world they now recognize that more than 40 percent of us billions of vitamin D deficient because of the message. So I think that as I point out in the vitamin The solution is that moderation is what we should be recommending. So typically I've been recommending maybe about five maybe ten

minutes of exposure of arms and legs. Summer and fall if you're like in Boston. Well the but but but. And would you be in favor of sunscreens as well and what do you think about the new FDA regulations which clarify really how these sunscreens work. Yeah. I urge sunscreen you know I think that you never want to get a sunburn you need to protect you from the damaging effect and I think that the recommendations made by the FDA you know are a major step forward in helping the public better understand the importance of sunscreen. And as you've already heard that they aren't waterproof and that you need to put them on more often. All right we have a caller Angela from Lincoln Massachusetts go ahead please. I had a question for the dermatologist. I read an article recently that standard white cotton t shirt only provides about an SPF factor of four. Do you think it's a good idea but if you have even if you're going to

be completely covered under your thank you yes I do I think you know especially if you're wearing a light weave T-shirt. That's a light color. I think the sun protective value of that kind of clothing is quite minimal. Surprisingly there are a variety of textiles and clothing that that are made to sun proof so that if you are anticipating spending a long time out out of doors in the sun you can purchase clothing that will offer a much higher value which is the number that's designated to show what a textile can protect you against the sun. There are also some products that you can purchase that if you wash your current clothing with it it will confer an SPF 30 in the clothing you already own so you don't even have to go out and purchase new clothing. So there are ways of bringing up the value of your current clothes without necessarily having to feel like you have to put a sunscreen on under every item of clothing you own. Thanks very much for the call Angela. Thanks.

You and I our number is 8 7 7 3 0 1 8 9 7 8 8 7 7 3 0 1 8 9 7 8. You can also send us a tweet or write to our Facebook page. So I want to get back to Dr. Holick sensible sun exposure and have people really hear that and understand what he's saying and find out. Dr. Travers if you agree with that 10 15 minutes he's saying you know of sun exposure which will increase vitamin D. And the reason that one needs to increase vitamin D Dr. Holick is because well it certainly helps you maintain your bone health throughout life and has been strong evidence linking it to many chronic illnesses from auto immune diseases like multiple sclerosis rheumatoid arthritis. Many of the cancer breast cancer as well. Having reduced risk or in fact all right now Dr. Travis Dr. Robin Travers who's at Skincare Physicians clinic in

Boston. I don't think anybody disagrees a vitamin D is definitely something we want to have absolute but you know how do you balance that. How do you make certain that people don't go beyond the 10 or 15 minutes or do you agree that 10 or 15 minutes of sun exposure is OK. You know I think Dr. holic message about 10 or 15 minutes of sensible sun exposure is not so far off from what we as dermatologists might suggest would be just fine the problem is that many people don't adhere to that 10 or 15 minutes they go out to their backyard expecting to spend 10 or 15 minutes out there and then you know two hours later oops I forgot to apply my sunscreen and I've got a sunburn. You know the other issue is that here in the northeast there is so little be available in the winter months that you could go out stark naked for two hours and not generate any usable usable vitamin D. So for much of the year I think that we in this area should be supplementing our vitamin D anyway using supplements or dietary sources and

so my feeling is why not continue that throughout the rest of the year and protect your skin from the sun using sunscreens and get outside and enjoy the sun and the out-of-doors wisely. All right more to come in this discussion about sunscreen sun tan skin exposure of vitamin D on the other side of the break. And we are talking about sun exposure this hour and what it does to your skin from sun beds to natural light to jump in on this conversation call us at 8 7 7 3 0 1 8 9 7 8 8 7 7 3 0 1 89 70. Tomorrow's the first day of summer will you be poolside rubbing on the baby oil are you listening to us and you'll be seeking shade under a tree or a large brimmed hat. 8 7 7 3 0 1 8 9 7 8 8 7 7 3 0 1 89 70. We've got the experts here call back. Come back. We'll be back after this break stay with us. Support for WGBH comes from you.

And from design associates architects in Cambridge and Nantucket. Listening to what you want and keeping an eye on the bottom line you can see what their customers are saying at design associates dot com. That's designed by thin associates dot com. And from Antiques Roadshow on WGBH too with a double dose of episodes all summer long. It's a sure fire cure for the Monday blues. Enjoy back to back episodes of antiques road show tonight at 8 and 9 on WGBH too. On the next FRESH AIR Jim Shepherd tells us why his newest book is a collection of short stories. I think I'm attracted in the short story forms the notion that I will make less money and reach fewer people. Shepherd's books. You think that's bad. Is filled with tales that blend fact and fiction like the one about the real life creator of Godzilla. Join us for the next FRESH AIR.

This afternoon it to an eighty nine point seven. Can you put a value on public broadcasting. Mom Alyssa love it began the day that we had George's diagnosis. I've gone on line and some walls upon a phrase that said Arthur introduces a new character with Asperger's Syndrome. My job just dropped watch Alyssa's full story online at support WGBH dot org. Everybody sees the world he has seen that is wrong in my life. Coming up at 3 o'clock on eighty nine point seven. WGBH. Good afternoon I'm Kalee Crossley This is the Calla Crossley Show. If you're just tuning in we're talking about sunbathing from the nourishing benefits of vitamin D to the unfortunate

skin damage and skin cancer that we can get with over exposure to the sun. I'm joined by Dr. Robin Travers a dermatologist at the skin care physicians clinic in Boston. Dr. Michael Holick a professor of medicine physiology and Biophysics at the Boston University School of Medicine and Dr. Nina Blonsky head of the Department of Anthropology at Penn State University. She's author of skin a natural history. You can join us at 8 7 7 3 0 1 89 70. That's 8 7 7 3 0 1 89 70. And I want to just all of us just to take a listen to a 1990 ad for a Hawaiian Tropic tanning lotion. I was probably natural born to tropical fruit. I'm going to complete some of your life. The reason why you threw laundry.

Now that is your Blonsky I wanted us all to hear that because obviously this was this is a few years ago and it's encouraging people to slather on this stuff and get darker and darker. I'm interested from your take as a cultural anthropologist as you go around the world how is dark skin appreciated I mean I think it's fascinating that people without dark skin and try to get these tans. But but yet dark skin is usually that which most people have bias about. Exactly what what is so peculiar about modern people today is that people with light skin want to get dark for the most part and people with dark skin want to get light. And what we see in many countries in the United States South Africa throughout the Caribbean many other parts of the world is that people with naturally darkly pigmented skin are actually trying to lighten their skin using

either commercially available over-the-counter products or illegal products that are very dangerous. So this this thing about you know white is for laundry. Well I mean in in many many parts of the world being lighter affords real social privilege to people improves their prospects for marriage improves their prospects for employment. And so often they will seek out skin lightening as a way of trying to improve their social status. And in many ways it's a it's a sign of desperation and wanting to look at like a person with higher status. So this business of like your commercial showed up of people wanting to be dark is very much sort of a middle class Euro American privileged advertisement geared at a very narrow market. And that leads us right to our caller Christine from what. Go ahead please you're on the callee Crossley

Show. Yeah I wanted to find out from that kind of a comment just got to ask you if it will meet your excrete Doctor Travers. Yeah I think it can be a problem for a very deeply pigmented individuals to over use sunscreen and there have been situations where young people with very dark pigment have over use sunscreens and there have been cases of clinically defined rickets in association with this so you know I think it is really important to gauge the degree of pigment in your skin in the protection that that affords and discuss with your doctor the degree of sunscreen that you really need. So too much sunscreen can actually be a problem. Yeah if you have constituent of pigment in your skin that's already giving you so much protection that then when you add sunscreen on top of it you block the UVB that's required to produce vitamin D. Well that's going to lead us right to another obvious question which is Can dark skin people get. Skin cancer.

Yes they can Bob Marley died of skin cancer I mean he died of melanoma. It was a form of melanoma that arose on his foot so it was less likely to be associated with a true sun exposure. But in fact I have seen patients in my practice with darker skin who have developed skin cancers. Well I can say that as a formally arrogant 20 something traveling with a group of friends who were not black and I sat out in the sun with very little sunscreen saying hey I don't worry about that. I got a huge sunburn something I have never had before and that really brought me around. That's my cautionary tale for black people. Yes put on some sunscreen. Yeah it makes a difference. All right Debra from Providence Go ahead please you're on the callee Crossley Show. Yes well I have a question about basal cell carcinoma. I've had to do all these. And I have had both surgically removed outpatient and I have a couple of different still that have these are going to last. But I have been told by two different doctors that it doesn't really

affect you and it doesn't have to be removed. But they insisted on doing it anyway. Do you have any idea why. Well you know I think that there is a complacency that develops because you know in the grand scheme of things if you had to choose any form of a cancer basal cell skin cancer would be the kind you would choose because these are incredibly slow growing. These are not skin cancers which you know are going to metastasize probably for many years but the fact is if you do leave them for many years they do have the potential to metastasize and they do have the potential to you know cause destruction of bones and tissue and blood vessels and lead to infections so they are really important to treat. So there is a real danger of you know becoming complacent and thinking oh this isn't a real skin cancer. It is it should be treated as such. Now I want all of my guests all of you to weigh in on the artificial sun tanning. Dr. Holick that has become it seems to

me increasingly popular even while we're in the discussion about quote unquote sensible sun exposure and understanding that any kind of sun exposure of the long term can lead to cancer. So where is where are you on sun tanning artificial sun tanning beds. I don't advocate tanning but those that wish to do should do it responsibly. And so I can only recommend the possibility of using the sun tanning bed for people that can't store vitamin D supplements or diet but just patients with inflammatory bowel disease. And when I do I recommend that they go in for about 50 percent of the recommended the tanning and we're actually on your face both been exposed to the most damage. We did a study in Tanner's in Boston because I was curious to see what the impact would be at least on the vitamin D status and we were surprised to find that Tanner's in Boston used the ending that once we had robust

levels of vitamin D and compared to their counterparts that didn't. And in Boston that essentially hundred percent of young adults are vitamin D deficient. I also agree that yes you should be taking a vitamin D supplement and in the vitamin The solution I recommend that. And we were the ones that actually demonstrated in wintertime you can't make any vitamin D if you live above Atlanta Georgia so it's not just in the northeast but it's really the entire United States. So I think that you know getting adequate. But I'm in the supplement and I recommend to you that you know the children along with getting home from your own and then bring them around. That's my guest Dr. Michael Holick who's a professor of medicine at Boston University School of Medicine. Now Doctor Travers the Fed last year announced that they were going to institute national regulations around sun tanning beds as artificial sun tan in

30 states already have it in place and in fact Massachusetts is one if in Massachusetts anybody under 18 needs parental consent on file a parent has to sign the form at the shop. Anyone under 14 has to have a parent each time they tan and the parent must sign the form at the shop. What do you think about artificial sun tanning. Well I think anyone who comes in my practice and asks how much artificial sun tanning is safe I tell them no one is safe. I don't think there's any safe amount of artificial tanning that you can seek out. I think it's shocking how much tanning salons actually ignore the regulations that are out there almost none of them actually seek parental. Permission I think there's a generation of teenagers out there going to tanning booths who I'm going to see unfortunately in my office with sun induced melanomas Dr Blonsky I want you to listen to this next piece of sound because from a pop culture standpoint in

America recently among teens one of the most popular reality TV shows really touts artificial sun tanning and Jersey Shore. Every character on that show is sun tanning and artificially if not out in the sun. So here is Snooki one of the stars of the reality TV show Jersey Shore discussing her tanning regimen in Miami obviously the Suns more like. What's the word gradient. Maybe it is that the right word. Yeah I don't know. Anyway it gives you like a better tan. Definitely better than Jersey and I also as you say can be and I also dispute and I say myself because I like my own space here so I do like Chuckles I like the sun and the tanning beds and staging. Dr Blonsky really Snooki is on record for saying she's really out in the sun or in those tanning beds. I just want to know what is the impact of a cultural phenomenon like this on and on people's attitudes toward artificial sun tanning.

Well it has a tremendous impact especially among young and impressionable people. These shows where you know where people are shown you know sort of having fun and having happy lives and doing these you know fairly incautious things really spreads more or less a bad message. I mean. I laugh at Jersey Shore but I also cry inside because I see a very very mixed health messages being promulgated this this mixture of sort of bed and bottle tans has become very very popular throughout the country as sort of a safe solution to tanning. And it's not I agree with Dr. Travers on this that many many people who frequent indoor tanning facilities use the tanning beds incautiously in the tanning facility operators are not good at advising on this. And it's very very easy for people especially young people to to get too much ultraviolet exposure in these sun beds. They may

augment that with some spray on tan but the damage has still been done. I think we need to think about the importance of not being tan of just going with our own glow as as the Skin Cancer Foundation has put it basically just enjoying our skin in what ever hue it is but making sure that we're getting enough vitamin D. Dr. Travers I just want to know if you'd. Add to this comment in whether or not you have teens that you're seeing now who have been over tanning it. Artificial Sunday and they're in are in bad shape. Well first I'll just say bravo to Dr. Blonsky because that's exactly the message I give to my patients to enjoy that the color that they're in unfortunately is just not a message that's getting through to the teenage population they always want to be darker they've always got a prom to go to they've always got an event to go to that they want to look better for they perceive looking better as looking tan.

And so spray tans are not doing it for them that you know I try to coach them through this writing process as much as I can and unfortunately I'm I'm failing with getting that message through to them. OK. All right we have a caller Judy from Plymouth. Go ahead please you're on the Calla Crossley Show. Yeah hi i'm a couple days ago I thought I think the on the Internet is that you know I use products with oxybenzone in vitamin A and the sunblock and all we think of. Do you have any comments on that. Any of you have. Yes go ahead Dr. Drew. Yeah that relates to some information that the Environmental Working Group has put out over the past several years talking about what they feel are some dangerous ingredients in these sunscreens. I will say it's really important to have watched groups like that looking over the products that are being put out there. But I do not feel strongly after having read the primary research that has put out that

environmental working group. OK. That these ingredients are harmful when they are used in the manner in which they are currently incorporated in some screens that are on your shelves. I think these are safe products they've been used for many many years. They have a strong track record behind them. And I wholeheartedly endorse many of them. Thank you for the call. OK. Oh do you have a question go ahead I'm sorry. They just think vitamin A. They do smell in all markets but you don't think you don't feel that way and I shouldn't really going to think it doesn't really matter which one are you. Yeah there's studies that they are talking about relate to animal models that have been looked at read to noise retinal Polman Tate in particular which is a vitamin a derivative that when painted on the skin of these animals actually sped the process of carcinogenesis in clinical trials that in the trials that we're looking at other carcinogens. So how that relates to human beings.

You know we really haven't seen any evidence of that and I think it's really important to realize that many vitamin A derivatives have been shown useful in preventing and treating skin cancers in humans. There is some evidence that no one which is a vitamin A derivative helps prevent the progression of pre-spin cancers actinic keratosis into a cell carcinomas. OK lobbyist. That big big cancer small cancer or well they're important. Skin cancer is a swim a cell carcinoma. You know it can be potentially lethal if left untreated. There are a prescreen cancers called actinic keratosis and among the many different varied treatments available for these you can use Retin-A deriv. Retin-A or try to know and which is a vitamin A derivative which can slow the progression of these into Frank skin cancers. OK so it doesn't really matter which one I use I can use either. Basically you know there are a zinc bassist and I want to see Ben's own base.

I think a broad spectrum sunscreen that has oxybenzone is very safe. Thank you very much for the call of duty. Thank you. I appreciate it. Welcome back to the FDA new regulations which are in place next year and they are requiring now broad spectrum coverage. I'm making a distinction between UVA and UVB rays UVA causes wrinkles ladies and he definitely causes a burn but both are linked to cancer just to be clear doc had absolutely nothing with R.. And the and the new regulations as Dr. Holick has pointed out make clear that we have to say how long you need to be out there and that you must reapply because you know I've been a sucker for the water proof myself I thought that was for real that's not for real life. It is not for rail when you get out of the pool or the ocean you've got to reapply your sunscreen no matter what that label says. What is it Dr. Holick that you want to make certain that people take away from this

conversation about not only about vitamin D but it just about you know how much sun and and how we can be healthy and appreciate the sun but not put ourselves at risk. I mean for example I don't have a tanning and I don't. And but when I go out into the garden or I'm playing and it's like you know I always make sure that I'm texting my baby but not always by my arm and like because really you get at least some of your vitamin D. But I always urge children they should be taking a vitamin supplement. I agree that that is really important. There's essentially no vitamin D in your diet and that's why a vitamin D deficiency is such a major health issue world wide. I mean probably more than 50 percent of children in the United States are vitamin D deficient or in fish and it's been shown that obese children 50 million teens at risk of a much higher risk for having high blood sugar

I think hypertension and also having diabetes. So the bottom line is that you definitely need to be increasing your vitamin D intake is a limitation of some sensible sun exposure is not unreasonable and that getting a little bit from your diet will certainly add to your overall vitamin D stores. All right Doctor manager Blonsky head of the Department of Anthropology at Penn State University. Can we get to the point where we can just appreciate the glow as you say. Or is tanning you know what is going to be dealing with this into the future. Yes I think we can but it has to involve a tremendous amounts of willingness to change on the parts of the big pharmaceutical and cosmetics companies who who promote tanning agents and skin sunscreens and everything in between and artificial tanning. I think there has to be real

corporate interest and will in wanting to promote this message globally. If we want to really effect a change in attitudes and even if that occurs it's going to take a while because these attitudes ebb slowly right now as as Dr. Travers said many many people are you know influenced to look brown to go out to a special occasion. Oh you look healthy you've got that healthy glow you look great. It takes a long time for that message to be defused in society. So I think it will begin with a responsible attitude on the part of physicians they're already responsible but even even more responsible responsible attitude on the part of parents. And and and also a willingness on the part of big corporations to basically say this is a bad thing. This promotion of tanning. It's important to

have some some safe sun exposure as Dr. Holick has outlined. And we can strive for that. But trying to look tan in order to look good and to look healthy and to be of higher status is really a bunch of baloney. To use an old expression. All right Dr. Travers Dr. Robin Travers you have the last word was Tomorrow's the first day of summer what I want to say to those people so they don't show up in your office and get outside and enjoy it it's been a long winter here in the Boston area and we're all really tired of it. I don't tell anyone that they need to hibernate indoors but get outside and enjoy it wisely. OK thank you all to my guests. We've been talking about the benefits and hazards of sun exposure I've been joined by Dr. Robin Travers a dermatologist at the skin care physicians clinic in Boston. You just heard from her Dr. Michael Holick a professor of medicine physiology and Biophysics at the Boston University School of Medicine and Dr. Nina jou Blonsky head of the Department of Anthropology at Penn State University. She's the

author of skin a natural history. Thank you all. Thank you. Thank you. Thanks. Up next it's our regular Monday feature local made good. Time. Support for WGBH comes from you. And from the Joan in James Vernon Cancer Center at Newton Wellesley hospital. Striving to provide patients with expert Cancer Care innovative services and treatment options. Information at NWA h dot org slash cancer. And from New England Subaru featuring the 2011 all wheel drive Subaru Outback.

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automatic renewal and thanks to automatic renewal your gift makes up some of the most reliable income for the station. That means better news coverage with fewer fundraisers. You can learn more about sustaining membership at WGBH dot org. And again thank you. I learned how difficult it is to tell your parent what to do. That's a reversal of roles. Join us for our series Facing off hires the caregivers challenge this week during MORNING EDITION here on eighty nine point seven. Good afternoon I'm Kelly Crossley This is the Cali Crossley Show. It's time for our regular Monday feature local made good where we celebrate people bring honor to New England. Joining me today is soul singer rocker and rapper Shay rose. She's a Boston native and recent Berklee College of Music graduate and she's making a big impression on the music industry she rose welcome. Hello thank you for having me. I'm just so excited for you because you were chosen from 600 hopeful.

Are you one of five people but none other than Queen Latifa. Yes an amazing honor. How exciting was that. It was incredible I mean it's a dream come true definitely something that I would have never imagined so myself in five women were flown to Miami to meet the queen herself. And we had a make over by a cover girl and we did a wonderful photo shoot and then it appeared in Essence and Ebony and People magazine all last summer. And then they flew us out again to the BT Awards which Queen Latifa hosted last year. And we had a chance to get on stage and announce a performance which was trey songz I believe it was so it was incredible. I'm still pinching myself. Well Queen Latifa said that she wanted to find the next generation of rappers. She was one of the first female rappers of some note. She's gone on to many other things as we know. But you know she said she looked around she didn't see a lot of folks and she wanted to encourage that and so she selected you to be one of five and I want to take a listen to what

you said on the little piece of tape that they recorded about this so here is Shay Rose discussing what it was like to work with Queen Latifa on her cover girl unity reunited project. She's one of five female performers in the country chosen to remake Queen Latifa has hit single unity. What I'm expressing for my music and everything that I've experienced in life heartbreak love happiness. And mostly it's my way to connect with people. I misfired by people every day write everything you know. You. Come. And. We only know one thing that was cute. Each one of you had rewrote a line of you and i t y and saying it as part of the campaign. Yes and actually that was unexpected when we arrived in Miami. They surprised us with that information so we thought we were going to go there and do the photo shoot and then you know we had to learn the song. As it was written and then they

said Well Queen Latifa wants you to write your own you know lyrics and we all looked at each other. So incredible. But you know what if it's right into how you describe yourself I saw a video of you on the boldfaced earth and you describe yourself as soulful rocker and rapper musician for social change activists. Yes. So I know those lyrics follow right behind this is and by the way we you know everybody should know that you have already making a name for yourself before this happen. You know yeah I've been working and I just graduated from Berkeley so you know Berkeley is a great place to give you the tools if you do want to go into the music business which can be difficult and actually being a student at Berkeley you know one of the the best things that happened to me was getting involved with a program called The Movement which is out of campus engagement. And I go out and I volunteer I talk to young people about music I encourage other students faculty and staff to go out and talk to young people about music so we go to the Roxbury

Boys and Girls Club Dorchester Boys and Girls Club the one on Blue Hill. And so through that experience I've learned that it's great to go in and you know get your materials anything that you need to become an accomplished singer or guitar player or whatever it is that you want to do you. But it's even more important to go and give back to the young people in the community and that's what Queen Latifa essentially did for us she really helped us you know make our mark on a national level. So. Well let's listen to some of your music some of the stuff that you've been doing to get Queen Latifa as it were. This is from the track rock and rose. Thing. My dad and I just awestruck as our strength that he gave us on the baseline kick you with rock monkey with no permit. Stop and taste a little at a melon magic like to own at the Cracker Barrel make you buy shit I got a new fix I want to twisting kiss just broke up with a wild thing limiting on strings the demented truth all I like the little heels of

Fives it would just be bought out in deep mourning and the better. Bought some different paths. Now you're at the edge of the action to the world's world everybody knows the loneliness of bones no matter what you call it but you can call me shake for the record. That's my guest singer Shea Rose and her track rock n roll's that tell us a little bit about you. One thing that folks should know is that you grew up in Magic Pan you're moved to Braintree and that really start to shape your musicality as it were and your where you where your focus is amusing. Absolutely I mean I think having influences of both you know living in the suburbs where you know at the time was Guns N Roses and Bon Jovi and then of course being in the city where you're hearing Queen Latifa I Run DMC and so that's why I describe my smy sound as the rocker rapper I like to kind of play on those influences with a little bit of spice and you know a Bette Davis because I love the funk so. Now you know a black woman Rocker is not something that people still can't get their heads around

even though I recall that Tina Turner was pushing against that she that's how she described herself. Sure. Sure and I mean there are others as known to Hendricks. I think Joan Armatrading who kind of stepped a little bit outside of the box. Bette Davis included who kind of you know worked with people from Sly the Family Stones band. I mean it's not brand new I just think folks have a hard time grabbing onto it but I mean it's it's really black music. You know rock n roll comes from the blues it comes from Ray Charles and you know all of these people so I think you know people just need to be a little more open minded. OK. Well I want to listen to another of your songs and this is performed live. This is your song. You can't call me anymore. I love. You. You. Look at. Them as my guest singer astray rose and our live performance of You can't call me any more. Go for where were

you when I needed that asthma and. Give a shout out to my younger brother Daniel who actually wrote the lyrics. That I love and I think it's right up there with Beyonce's Tyronne you know to the meadow and that is that. Oh that says it all. I love that song. So many of your songs are in download rotation I'm told it at Berkeley where people in the dorms where people are just listening more and more because they're very excited about what you're doing. Yeah and I've been getting a great amount of support from the Boston community similar to what Queen Latifa did I'm performing tomorrow actually at an event called the major ladies of Boston. And again it's just you know women coming together and supporting each other and really you know helping to get each other's music out to the community not just my music but the next woman who's coming up or even the next you know young guy who's coming up in Boston so I'm just grateful for the support I'm grateful to be on your show and you know I take it one day at a time. You know are we going to listen to one more song this piece is call free love this is from the Track Rock N Rose.

Thank you. Thank. You. And you know what you can play those instruments too. While singing I love it. Thank you so much thank you yeah learn to pick up guitar on the way in Berkeley definitely you know helps me hone in on the piano I wasn't a piano player before starting Berklee so I have a you know kind of a good insight into how to get around on piano a little bit more. Now the Internet helped to propel you and to let folks know about you. What do you think about the Internet's influence and helping people really discover new genres of music and to find folks like yourself.

I mean it's incredible YouTube is an incredible vehicle Facebook of course Twitter a Berkeley group that I went to school with actually just blew up through a YouTube performance by the name of Carmen that's the name of the growing. And they brought them to the Ellen show and then I saw them at the gym in 94 playing five concerts so I mean it's great I think where I'm trying to figure out where to go is after you have that Internet exposure how do you actually monetize that because that's the thing that I kind of like well OK I have a million hits on YouTube but how do I start to make money through that so that's kind of the the place from trying to bridge the gap but I think it's incredible and you know use it if you have YouTube if you have Twitter your accounts Facebook I think that's the best way for upcoming artists to get out. And what about CDs and CDs of course I mean you know I released my E.P. last year digital baby the Rock n Rosie piece so some of the songs that you're playing are from the rock n Rosie P. I don't know what I means it's was you know I get it. I know this will seem like a short amount like five or six songs right. It's not as not as many tracks as an album Got you. So I released that last year and I did it

digitally just to save money because everyone's on the Internet and downloading but I think a great way to sell your CDs you know at your shows so if you have live shows CDs T-shirts any type of merchandise live shows a great place to sell those things. Now you talked about some of your musical influences. What about place influences pan and Braintree I know what shaped your musicality but do you think you will hear some of those and lyrics something about being from this area. Absolutely yeah absolutely. And also the places that I've traveled around the world through Berkeley have had a chance to go to Athens Greece and Italy and recently Cuba. So all of that definitely plays into my lyrical content but also just the way that I see the world and understanding that. Although we have different cultures and languages that you know music is a universal language and is one of the best ways that I've learned to connect with people even when I don't understand where they're coming from socially or culturally. And it's about activism for you too it's not just about I mean social activism it's not just you know having a

good time that's part of it but you want to. You got something to say. Yeah absolutely and I've worked in the past two years again at Berkeley with a program called The Movement. And again going into the Boston community and influencing everyone seniors young people folks who maybe wanted to pick up an instrument and now they are 40 and they're like Man I really want to play guitar and I'm here to say you can do it any you know do it now. Time's your favorite song so far. I know people don't like to answer that but I mean you know I mean one of them one of my own favorite songs yeah. Oh man that's really hard. I think rock n roll is. OK that was the first time that I rap so I started rapping about a year and a half ago and it's just a different platform is a different expression you know I always listen to Lauryn Hill and Nas in I love rap music but someone gave me a track and they're like you should rap but I'm like Okay I'll give this a try. Oh. And it helped me to get into the you know the obvious that we like to let you go.

Yes that's one of my favorites. OK very good I love it and I think you should make an out of you can't call me anymore I will say that I kind of got about that song and so you played it now that's the one I'm tellin you that's got legs hey I really love you. I've been speaking with cell singer rocker and rapper and musical activist Shay rose and I'm delighted to have you here as our local made good. Thank you so much for the support. You can catch you tomorrow night Rush be performing at the major ladies of Boston CD release party. That's from 7:00 to 9:00 at the bar church in the Fenway you can keep on top of the Kelly Crossley Show at WGBH dot org slash Calla Crossley follow us on Twitter or become a fan of the Calla Crossley Show on Facebook. Today Show was engineered by Allen Mathis produced by Chelsea murders. Well Rose lip and Abbey Ruzicka we're a production of WGBH radio Boston NPR station for news and culture.