Tanning - A New Addiction: Notes from a San Francisco Bay Area Dermatologist

There is no question that exposure to high levels of ultraviolet rays cause skin cancer, not to mention premature aging and pigmentation issues of the skin.  Despite this fact, however, tanning salons and outdoor sun tanning still remain popular, especially among young adults.  So what keeps people returning to those booths and baking on their beach towels when they know the indisputable risks?

Well, Mosher and Danoff-Burg propose that habitual indoor tanning may, in some cases, be best characterized as an addiction with behavioral and physiologic dependency.  Roughly one third of the college students who took screening tests (one that is commonly used to screen for alcoholism and a tanning-specific substance related disorder test) met criteria for addiction to ultraviolet tanning. This subgroup also showed a greater tendency for substance abuse and anxiety, suggesting that habitual tanning may be a predictor of other addictive behaviors, such as alcoholism and cigarette smoking.

Looking at tanning with this mindset and identifying patients who show signs of addiction toward tanning will hopefully give the medical community a new way to approach this topic with their patients and help them avoid this risky behavior before they encounter potentially life threatening conditions like melanoma.

If it is simply the “tan look” that people seek, tanning alternatives continue to improve and are a great way to get a glow without any risk.  Our staff and patients are currently loving the products by TanTowel.  The self-tanning towelettes are easy to use, with a simple swipe on action.  Streaks and discolorations are easily avoidable with the towelette.  They also have a great self-tanning soap that is used conveniently in the shower to supplement your towelettes or to achieve a more gradual glow.  The towelettes and soap along with their self-tanning lotion give the most natural looking color that I have found among sunless tanning products.  Check with our office today for more information on the Tan Towel products and to give yourself a summer glow without the harmful UV rays!

Tags: addiction, melanoma, self-tan, skin cancer, sunless tanning products, tan towel, tanning, towelettes

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 1st, 2010 at 12:44 am and is filed under Products, 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.