Alcohol abuse? Of course. Drug addiction? Yes, we've all heard of that one as well. But a tanning addiction? Who knew!?
As a former employee of a 24-hour tanning salon (yes, they exist) in Southern California, I must say I've seen some crazy sights. I mean, crazy. Our store sold V.I.P. packages, which meant that customers could tan once a day, everyday, for as long as their hearts desired and their wallets allowed. I knew patrons in their forties and fifties who never missed a day of tanning, despite looking unnaturally dark (at best) or burnt to a crisp (as was far more typical). I never understood why these extreme individuals, ranging in age from 16 to 75, would show up day after day - or night after night, for that matter - to strip down and take yet another 20-minute sun nap. After all, their bodies had become so dark that they appeared to be covered in mud-brown paint. They could not possibly find this look healthy or attractive.
Recent scientific research offers an explanation. Professor Richard Wagner and a team of researchers from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston co-authored a study on beachgoers' tanning habits.
Using criteria adapted from those used to screen for alcoholism and drug dependency, they've determined that repetitive tanning behavior may be the product of a kind of addiction.
Wagner and [his partner] Warthan asked 145 Galveston beachgoers a series of questions such as, "Do you try to cut down on the time you spend in the sun, but find yourself still suntanning?" and, "Do you think you need to spend more and more time in the sun to maintain your perfect tan?"
26 percent of those interviewed were classified as "ultraviolet light (UVL) tanning dependent." The DSM-IV criteria indicated an even greater proportion of beachgoers with UVL tanning dependence -- 53 percent.
Further studies of tanning addiction have linked the repetitive behavior to brain chemistry. It is a common belief among reserachers (though conflicting results have led to more tests) that the body releases mood-elevating endorphins upon contact with ultraviolet rays.
According to a health article published back in 2004:
Researchers at North Carolina's Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center took 14 regular tanners to two different types of tanning beds. Unbeknownst to the test subjects, one bed produced ultraviolet radiation similar to that in the sun's rays, while the other did not. In 95 per cent of the cases, when given the choice, the test subjects said they preferred the time spent soaking rays in the UV-delivering unit. Its light, they said, made them feel more relaxed and less tense.
The rush of endorphins may be the key as to why tanners - despite repeated warnings from dermatologists about the sky-rocketing rate of skin cancer - return to their ultraviolet safe-havens.
So where do researchers go from here? The Wake Forest University team, among others, plans to conduct further studies which will specifically monitor the release of endorhins to prove, once and for all, whether a relationship exists between UV rays and an enjoyable, post-tanning euphoria. Until then, hold back your judgments on those who sacrifice their time, money, and body to the tanning salon. After all, it's not really their fault, is it?
