Medical experts have long pondered why it is that people, aware of the risks that tanning carries, continue to tan themselves anyway. Regular exposure to the ultraviolet rays of the sun or a tanning booth increases their risk of developing skin cancer but this knowledge doesn't seem to have much effect on their behavior, and the incidence of skin cancer continues to rise.
But now, an intriguing study conducted by researchers at the University of Texas could explain why people continue to sunbathe and patronize tanning salons despite being aware that the practice is dangerous. Using similar analytical tools as those used to screen for alcoholism and drug dependency, they believe that repetitive tanning behavior may be the product of a kind of addiction.
Richard Wagner, senior author of the study, said that dermatologists often talk about people who seem "addicted to the sun" - people who know it's not good for them to be bronzed all the time, but don't seem to be able to stop tanning. Wagner and co-author Molly Warthan asked 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 sun-tanning?" and, "Do you think you need to spend more and more time in the sun to maintain your perfect tan?" The interviews were divided into two parts, with four initial yes-or-no queries derived from those used in a standard four-question survey used to identify alcohol abuse or dependence. "It's interesting that by slightly modifying tools used to identify substance-related disorders, we can actually see an objective similarity between regular tanning and those disorders," said Wagner.
The study, published in the Archives of Dermatology, used two sets of criteria to establish dependency. In the best case scenario, the researchers found that 26 percent of those interviewed were classified as "ultraviolet light (UVL) tanning dependent." Over 50 percent could be classified as dependent in the worst case analysis. Wagner hypothesized that the findings could explain why educational interventions haven't been more successful.
"There has been mixed evidence from other studies suggesting that tanning increases endorphin production, which could be addictive," Wagner concluded.
