Study: Frequent Tanners Show Signs of Addiction

04/20/2010

Exposure to ultraviolet light may increase individuals' likelihood of developing skin cancer, which can lead to significantly higher health insurance premiums.

Despite knowing this, many young people continue to return to the tanning bed, according to a recent report by the Los Angeles Times. The article referred to research by Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center research fellow Catherine Mosher showing that college students who tan excessively may actually be addicted to the behavior.

39 percent of the respondents who tan frequently tested positive for one of the study's criteria for addiction, according to the report, while 30 percent tested positive for the other. The majority of the addicted individuals found that they were unable to quit despite their efforts. They were also more likely to use other addictive substances like tobacco, marijuana and other stimulants.

"There might be a similar mechanism underlying substance-use behavior and tanning behavior. Both may be ways of coping with emotions," Mosher told the Times. "There may be similar processes in the brain involved that need to be uncovered."

Starting July 1, patrons of indoor tanning salons will be forced to pay a 10 percent tax under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

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