Still Tanning Despite the Risks? Notes from a San Francisco Bay Area Dermatologist

Excessive sun exposure and tanning bed use increases the risk of getting melanoma, basal cell cancer and other non-melanoma cancers.  We have several patients who, despite having been treated for serious skin cancer, continue to tan.  Why?  Well, it turns out that they may suffer from a tanning addiction.  They suffer uncomfortable physical and mental symptoms when they try to stop.  Many repeat tanners exhibit addictive behaviors similar to those exhibited by people addicted to substances such as meth and alcohol.  In a recent study (Arch Dermatol 2010 Apr;146:412) 70% of study participants who visited tanning parlors met criteria for addiction to indoor tanning.  Study participants who met criteria for addiction also had greater anxiety and greater alcohol and marijuana use.  Tanning addiction seems to involve the same drives as other  forms of substance related  disorders.  Of course , it is important to distinguish addicted from non-addicted tanners.  It is hoped that lessons learned from treating other addictions can be translated into concrete interventions to reduce risky tanning behavior.

Tags: addiction, basal cell, melanoma, san francisco bay area dermatologist, san francisco dermatologist, skin cancer, tanning

This entry was posted on Sunday, July 18th, 2010 at 12:00 pm and is filed under Skin Health. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.