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NEW YORK - Like alcohol, cigarettes and drugs, getting the perfect tan can be addictive, according to new research.
Despite warnings about how harmful too much sunlight and tanning beds can be, people still yearn for the bronzed look and refuse to change their behavior even if it
increases their risk of skin cancer.
Dermatologists have suspected that some people just have to have a tan. New research by scientists in Seattle suggests they could be addicted to ultraviolet light.
"Our study set out to find out whether certain individuals, particularly those who classify themselves as frequent tanners, exhibit addictive behaviors toward tanning," said Dr Robin Hornung, of the University of Washington and the Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle.
Previous studies have shown that ultraviolet light (UV) from the sun can cause the release of endorphins, or compounds in the brain, that are associated with pleasure or feeling good.
Hornung and her colleague Solmaz Poorsattar, asked 385 men and women college students about tanning. They also included questions from a testing tool called CAGE for substance related disorder (SRD) to find out if some were hooked on tanning.
The students were asked if they felt they ought to cut down on tanning and if they felt guilty about getting a tan. The researchers also asked if tanning was the first thing they thought about in the morning.
More than 76 per cent of female students said they deliberately tried to get a tan, compared to 59 per cent for male students. More women also admitted using tanning devices.
When the researchers analyzed the answers to the CAGE questionnaire, the students who scored positively were more likely to deliberately try to get a tan.
"Our finding that 18 per cent of the students who admitted to purposely tanning their skin scored positively on the CAGE questionnaire is significant, not only because it indicates the probable existence of SRD with respect to UV light but because their percentage is comparable with findings to other addiction studies," said Hornung, who reported the findings in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.
She added that the fact that tanning may be addictive for some people should strengthen calls for stricter regulation of the indoor tanning industry.
- REUTERS