Everyone enjoys soaking up a little sunshine during summer, but even when the temperatures are warm outside studies show people still flock to indoor tanning beds. According to a recent survey, conducted by the American Academy of Dermatology, more people are tanning. An estimated 30 million Americans lay under the lights to bronze their skin. Now a new study shows frequent tanners may be addicted.
Who is leading the trend?
Of the 30 million Americans that tan, 70 percent are Caucasian girls and women between the ages of 16 and 49. More than 25 percent of teen girls have used salons three or more times in their lives.
“After I go tanning I look and feel better about myself,” Mia Ramm said. The high school senior swings by a tanning salon on her way home from school at least three times a week. “I know people say it’s harmful, but I still keep coming back.”
Trisha Peterson says the same thing. “Yes, I know it could hurt me but I really like how I feel when I leave the tanning bed,” she said. “I’m relaxed, happy and I just feel better about myself.”
Can tanning alter brain function?
Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center believe tanning can alter your brain function.
“People who frequently use tanning beds may be spurred by an addictive neurological reward-and-reinforcement trigger,” Dr. Bryon Adinoff, professor of psychiatry and senior author of the study. “Using tanning beds has rewarding effects in the brain so people may feel compelled to persist in the behavior even though it’s bad for them.”
What are the consequences?
Tanning can cause melanoma, a dangerous form of skin cancer. About 120,000 new cases of melanoma are diagnosed in the U.S. each year, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation. People younger than 30 who use a tanning bed 10 times a year have eight times the risk of developing malignant melanoma.
