to tan or not to tan....

ok, so the mm will confess that she spent ample time in her youth getting a tan.......i still value a tan, though my desire for one is periodic at best.......and now that a tan can be bought in a bottle......i can divert my energy toward the greater good rather than on golden skin....despite the lack of uv rays, i still get the feeling of relief and release when the bottled stuff works out well...i can understand the addiction thing..........the following article is from ....

By Roni Rabin
Tribune Newspapers: Newsday
Published August 16, 2005

Sun worshipers often joke that they're junkies when it comes to catching rays, but a new study suggests there may really be something addictive about tanning.

The study's Texas-based researchers asked 145 randomly selected beachgoers at Galveston Island to answer questions adapted from two surveys typically used to screen for alcohol and substance dependence.

The surveys included such questions as, "Do you try to cut down on the time you spend in the sun, but find yourself still suntanning?" and "Have you ever missed any scheduled activity because you decided to go to the beach or tan?"

Depending on which of the two survey tools was used, between 26 percent and 53 percent of the beachgoers met the criteria for a substance-related disorder, albeit with regard to ultraviolet light and tanning, the authors found.

"Most of the people on the beach know that sunlight causes skin cancer--just like smokers know smoking causes lung disease and lung cancer. But they just can't stop," said senior author Dr. Richard Wagner, professor of dermatology at University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.

Those who had a sun habit said they craved the sun, sometimes thinking of suntanning first thing in the morning.

"It's taking over their life," Wagner said. "It's not that normal to be thinking about it first thing in the morning, or to be falling asleep at night thinking `I can't wait to wake up and get a tan.'"

One of the surveys was used to screen for abuse or dependence, and the other was the American Psychiatric Association's criteria for substance-related disorders. Both had been modified for ultraviolet light tanning rather than drugs or alcohol.

One explanation for sunbathing's addictive properties may be found in earlier reports that sun exposure can generate endogenous endorphins, or "feel-good" substances, in the skin, Wagner said. He said studies on this have been contradictory, but suggested individuals may vary in their responsiveness or even production of endorphins.

Dr. Leslie Christenson, author of a recent study that found a dramatic increase of non-melanoma skin cancer among people younger than 40, said she found the paper on substance-disorders intriguing, but that more work would need to be done. "Previous studies have shown the kind of stress relief people get from this kind of sun exposure," she said.

But she added that one of the most powerful motivations behind tanning is the widespread notion that a tan is "a sign of health and beauty. That is such a powerful thing," she said.

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Tanning surveys

Survey 1 examples

Two or more "yes"answers were considered evidence of dependence:

1. Do you try to cut down on the time you spend in the sun, but find yourself still tanning?

2. Do you ever get annoyed when people tell you not to tan?

3. Do you ever feel guilty that you are in the sun too much?

4. When you wake up in the morning, do you want to tan?

Survey 2 examples

Three or more "yes" answers were considered evidence of a disorder:

1. Do you think you need to spend more and more time in the sun to maintain your perfect tan?

2. Do you continue tanning so your tan will not fade?

3. When you go to the beach, do you usually spend more time in the sun than you had planned?

4. Do you try other non-sun-related activities, but find you really still like spending time in the sun best of all?

5. Have you ever missed any scheduled activity because you decided to go to the beach or tan?

--Newsday