Have you been seeing more and more people, especially young people, who are tanned or bronzed for weeks at a time in say, February? Even in Los Angeles, that's not natural. And it's not your imagination. Tanning beds, though they seem to come in and out of fashion, are definitely in, and those who use them regularly are beginning to exhibit a familiar kind of behavior. Devoted sun bed worshipers have admitted that tanning improves their mood and relaxes them, and that fake rays give them a sense of well being. Other frequent tanners say they've tried to cut down on their indoor tanning but couldn't, or report having missed scheduled plans with friends or family in favor of tanning. Does this sound suspiciously like an addiction?
It's looking more and more as if that's the case. Results from a new research study from the April issue of Archives of Dermatology have provided growing evidence that heavy users of tanning beds may in fact be suffering from a new form of addiction. More than 400 college students were asked questions similar to those asked of substance abusers, and the answers were, "Yes," in enough cases to qualify 31 to 39 percent of the subjects as meeting the criteria for addiction. One of the authors hypothesized that tanning was a possible, "coping mechanism for dealing with distressing emotions." The study also showed that tanning addicts seem to be more likely to drink, smoke marijuana and experience anxiety than non-tanners.
What is it about tanning that's addicting? The theory is that the ultraviolet (UV) light causes the body to release endorphins, producing a sensation much like a "runner's high." And tanners seem to know if they're getting their UV rays or not. In another study in which subjects were assigned either a UV or non-UV tanning bed on alternate days without knowing which bed produced the UV rays, when they were free to choose, participants picked the UV-emitting beds 39 out of 41 times.
But perhaps the most disturbing part of all this is that all the people in the study said that they did believe they could get skin cancer from tanning beds, but that it wouldn't stop them. One university epidemiologist knew of a patient who kept tanning even after finding out she had a melanoma. Although we equate a tan with good health, the darkened pigment is actually a reaction to damage to the skin's cellular DNA. But the dark pigment the skin produces as it tries to stave off further damage is actually a mutation, which can lead to skin cancer. A study published last week on line in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention showed that individuals that used conventional tanning devices had almost a two-fold increase in developing melanoma, while those that used high speed/high intensity (more ultraviolet-B) or high pressure (more ultraviolet-A) devices had close to a three-fold and 4.5-fold increase in melanoma, respectively. In addition, both the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the World Health Organization categorize UV as a proven human carcinogen, significant in causing nonmelanoma skin cancers like basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma.
There are three kinds of ultraviolet rays: UVA, UVB and UVC. UVA, the kind used in tanning beds, is the dominant tanning ray and more penetrating than UVB rays. It destroys skin fibers and damages elasticity. So besides the cancer risks, long-term exposure to UVA rays can also cause premature aging and wrinkles.
If the danger of skin cancer or the early onset of wrinkles and leathery skin doesn't dissuade a tanorexic from curbing the habit, there are safe solutions that should be considered:
UV- Free Alternatives. If you're not addicted to anything but a preference for looking like you've just returned from a week in the Bahamas, there's a healthy choice of sunless solutions that are miles better than the orangy, first-generation bronzers.
Airbrush tanning requires a technician who uses an airbrush powered by a compressor. This method is safe and low on streaking, but it can also get a little pricey.
Sunless tanning lotions and sprays are more cost-effective alternatives to "airbrushing," but success depends on how good you are at applying them. Lotions can make for uneven coverage, especially around the knees and elbows, Mists and sprays are easier with regard to coverage but they can be runny and cause streaking.
Warning: tanning pills do exist but there's no evidence that they work. Most of them aren't much more than vitamins and herbs, but pills that contain carotinoids (the substances that give carrots and tomatoes their color) have been banned in the U.S. for causing uneven pigmentation, possible vision damage, and potential dangerous elevations in blood calcium. Pills with tyrosine claim to be only "tanning activators." So, as they say in New Jersey, Fuget about it.
Whether from the sun or tanning lights, the risks of UV damage far outweigh any benefits. With less dangerous options like airbrush tanning and sunless lotions and sprays, having a tan doesn't have to be life threatening.