2008 Woodie Awards
Tanning not only dangerous, addictive too, researchers say
Stephanie Detillier
Issue date: 1/26/06 Section: Lagniappe
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Researchers have determined that people may continue to expose themselves to the ultraviolet rays of the sun and tanning booths because they are addicted.
After conducting a study in August based on criteria that tests alcohol and drug dependency, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston researchers contend that the addictive nature of tanning and its relaxing effects may be the reason the dangers of UV ray exposure are ignored.
According to the Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the primary environmental factor in developing skin cancer is overexposure to UV rays, which can cause damage to normal skin cells or uncontrollable division to dormant pre-cancerous cells. Malignant melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer, is expected to affect more than 59,000 people in 2005, and more people will get basal-cell carcinoma, a less severe skin cancer, than any other type of cancer.
"We see malignant melanoma as young as 21, and they usually have an extreme history of tanning," Melanie Princes, nurse at Haydel Dermatology in Houma, said. "This is a tell-tale sign that tanning is dangerous. The average age for melanoma is past 60 years old, and none of those patients have used indoor tanning beds."
Dermatologists have also identified other possible risks of tanning to include reduced immunity, sunstrokes, eye damage, dry skin and premature skin aging in addition to skin cancer.
Despite documented health-related problems, tanning has remained popular. International Smart Tan Network, a professional tanning salon association, has estimated that 30 million North Americans visit indoor tanning salons per year.
Princes said she does not know if tanning is addictive but believes people are drawn to tanning beds because of social pressures. "People who tan are usually willing to forgo warnings to achieve that tanned look they see celebrities with on television," she said.
While others have continued to argue that repetitive tanning has more to do with social pressures and cosmetic reasons, UTMB research could result in the classification of thousands as "ultraviolet light tanning dependent."
After conducting a study in August based on criteria that tests alcohol and drug dependency, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston researchers contend that the addictive nature of tanning and its relaxing effects may be the reason the dangers of UV ray exposure are ignored.
According to the Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the primary environmental factor in developing skin cancer is overexposure to UV rays, which can cause damage to normal skin cells or uncontrollable division to dormant pre-cancerous cells. Malignant melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer, is expected to affect more than 59,000 people in 2005, and more people will get basal-cell carcinoma, a less severe skin cancer, than any other type of cancer.
"We see malignant melanoma as young as 21, and they usually have an extreme history of tanning," Melanie Princes, nurse at Haydel Dermatology in Houma, said. "This is a tell-tale sign that tanning is dangerous. The average age for melanoma is past 60 years old, and none of those patients have used indoor tanning beds."
Dermatologists have also identified other possible risks of tanning to include reduced immunity, sunstrokes, eye damage, dry skin and premature skin aging in addition to skin cancer.
Despite documented health-related problems, tanning has remained popular. International Smart Tan Network, a professional tanning salon association, has estimated that 30 million North Americans visit indoor tanning salons per year.
Princes said she does not know if tanning is addictive but believes people are drawn to tanning beds because of social pressures. "People who tan are usually willing to forgo warnings to achieve that tanned look they see celebrities with on television," she said.
While others have continued to argue that repetitive tanning has more to do with social pressures and cosmetic reasons, UTMB research could result in the classification of thousands as "ultraviolet light tanning dependent."
