Posted: 04/04/07

The dark side of tanning
New study suggests indoor tanning may be addictive

Kaitlin Couillard | contributing writer
kcouillard@smcvt.edu

Electric Beach on Williston Rd. offers sells several tanning lotions and oils. Hornung says there might be an addictive element to tanning. (Kaitlin Couillard, photo)

Picture this—spring break. Destination: Miami, Fla. The hotel is reserved, the flight is booked and a sexy new bathing suit is charged to your credit card. For some, another question emerges: what do you do about your pasty white skin?

You hop in your car and drive to the nearest tanning salon—nothing a few short sessions of Ultra Violet rays can’t solve, right?

A recent study begs to differ. It argues that after visiting a tanning booth, you may be walking away with a new addiction.

Can you be a tanoholic?

University of Washington associated professor and chief of dermatology at Seattle Children's Hospital, Dr. Robin Hornung, performed a study in Seattle to examine the possible addictiveness of tanning. According to www.Sciencedaily.com, Hornung “used a standardized testing tool to gauge the presence of a substance-related disorder (SRD) as a means to determine whether some college students could be hooked on tanning.”

The study was performed on a total of 385 male and female college students and made use of the “cut down, annoyed, guilty, eye-opener (CAGE) questioning tool often used to identify SRD associated with alcohol.

The survey concluded that 18 percent of students who purposely tanned scored positive on the CAGE questionnaire, the Web site says. Also, the survey results say “the students in the study who reported a family history of skin cancer were significantly more likely to engage in tanning than those students without a known family history of skin cancer.”

The possibility of addiction is commonly compared to a “runner’s high” because UV light causes an endorphin release similar to that of exercising.

UV rays and skin cancer

As a clinical professor of dermatology at the University of California School of Medicine, Michael J. Franzblau says he understands the importance of such a study. Franzblau is the author of the 1989 AB 2139 (Filante), the basic law regulating tanning facilities in the state of California. In 1994 he was an alternate delegate to the AMA and carried the resolution 217-l-94 to the House of Delegates, where it passed. The resolution declared that AMA’s official policy is that tanning should be used solely for medical purposes and not cosmetics.

A standing tanning bed awaits those who wish to get some color. (Kaitlin Couillard, photo)

Franzblau says that a large portion of tanning salon owners fail to follow the regulations. Such regulations include signs listing photosensitivity drugs, an individual’s tanning time records and protective eye coverings. Eye protection is important because UV light can cause cataracts and retinal burning, he says. He also says that tanning causes premature aging and increases the risk of skin cancer.

“The analogy is that people who smoke cigarettes don’t get lung cancer two-to- three-years later, but 23 years later” Franzblau says.

According to Franzblau, there are several types of skin cancer: squamous cell carcinoma, basal cell carcinoma and melanoma. Squamous cell carcinoma is the second most common form of skin cancer after basal cell. These types of cells compose a large portion of the epidermis, while basal cells line the deepest layer of the epidermis. These two types of cancer are non-melanoma skin cancer.

Melanoma is the most serious form of skin cancer and is caused by a malignant tumor that originates in the melanocytes. The main cause of melanoma is sunburns. According to http://skincancer.org/artificial/index.php, approximately 59,940 melanomas will be diagnosed this year, and nearly 8,110 of these will result in death.

Franzblau says that because of this risk, the $5 billion dollar-a-year tanning industry should be strictly regulated. There are no current requirements for anyone operating a tanning salon to have a license. He says that this is negative because there is no way to know the amount and location of tanning salons, making it even more difficult to ensure regulation is reinforced.

Tanning booths predominately emit UVA, rays of a long wavelength that can go through the skin and penetrate the tissue, and some UVB, rays that burn, but do not penetrate the skin. According to Franzblau, UVA light should only be used for medical purposes such as acne and psoriasis. Two to four percent of everyone in the United States has psoriasis, he says.

Franzblau says he would like to see a tanning booth restriction placed on all those under the age of 18.

“I’d like young people between 15 and 21 to know what the risky behavior can do to them in 30 or 40 years,” he says.

The skeptics

Jodi Green, owner of Electric Beach on Williston Rd. says she has been a tanner for 10 years and has owned the salon for one. Green says that tanning is neither addictive nor dangerous. She says that she has never felt addicted to tanning and has never seen a customer who is addicted.

“The sun is a good thing,” Green says. “You just need to do that in moderation, whether it be indoor or out. Indoors is just more controlled.”

When customers enter the Electric Beach, they must fill out a form stating their skin condition: oily, normal or dry. They are asked how long it has been since they have been exposed to UV rays; their natural hair color and if they freckle, Green says. They must also list the medications they are currently taking in case of a photosensitive reaction.

According to Franzblau, such a reaction occurs when different drugs or medical conditions react with UV light, causing the skin to burn, become inflamed or breakout in rash. Among these medications are antidepressants, antihistamines, diuretics and contraceptives. Tanners are also required to wear protective eyewear in her salon, Green says.

Green stresses moderation, saying that she believes UV rays, whether artificially or from the sun are not dangerous.

“Whether it be for vanity or whatnot, tanning is not bad,” Green says. She states that many of her customers come in for medical reason such as acne, psoriasis and winter depression, and that they are being recommended by their doctors.

As for issues involving cancer, Green says that “I know people who have never gone tanning and rarely go out in the sun, and they have skin cancer.”

The stance of Green and tanning industry can be found on www.tanningtruth.com as well as www.theita.com, she says.

While Franzblau argues that the increase in sunless tanners is an acknowledgment of the dangers of tanning, Green says this is false. She says people choose that path because they know they can get an instantaneous glow. Electric Beach’s most popular machine is the seven minute unit because it is quick and convenient, Green says.

Alyssa Fitzpatrick, a junior at St. Michael’s prefers tanning beds over methods of sunless tanning.

“I kind of feel like if you’re going to spread chemicals all over your body, you might as well go tanning,” she says.

Fitzpatrick went to Florida this spring break and says she went tanning to achieve a base tan.

“When I was in Florida I knew I wouldn’t get burned,” she says.

Tanners must list the medications they are currently taking in case of a photosensitive reaction, Green says. (Kaitlin Couillard, photo)

Similar to Green, Fitzpatrick stresses moderation, saying she does not believe there is a need for stricter regulations and that salons should not be banned altogether. She says she does not see herself becoming addicted and it should be up to each individual to choose to go or abstain from tanning. She says that even if she had a family history of skin cancer, it would probably not effect her decision to go tanning.

Julie Morris, a first-year student at St. Michael’s agrees with Fitzpatrick. Morris says she goes tanning about three times a week.

“It doesn’t really worry me because they [tanning salons] wouldn’t really let you (tan) if it hurt you,” Morris says.

She also says she does not believe a person has as big of a risk of getting skin cancer from artificial rays as from the sun.

Morris has tried sunless tanners, but says they leave her spotty. She says she notices that some girls who tan too often appear orange.

“I think if I ever got to the point of being orange, I would be pissed that no one told me,” Morris says.

The orange color is due to artificial tanners, Green says. She also stresses that these products do not provide any protection from the sun because they are not creating a base tan, but dying the skin.

Sophomore Kate Russell says she does not believe that tanning is safe. She says she started tanning when she was 16 or 17 and stopped after going 20 or 25 times.

“It makes sense to get a base tan because you don’t want to burn, but I’d rather be safer and wear something with SPF and tan outside,” she says.

When tanning, Russell says she used a bronzing lotion that did not contain Sun Protection Factor (SPF). Green says that her salon offers a variety of tanning lotions with SPF.

Russell says that she does not really understand what SPF refers to.

“I don’t really know what that means,” she says. “It’s just like a number on a bottle. I know obviously that 30 is better than 15, but I don’t really know what that means.”

Tanning booths should not be banned though, Russell says.

“There are all sorts of other unhealthy things out there. You can’t really ban something and think it will make it all better. It’ll make it more appealing."

Green insists that in moderation, tanning is healthy and without it, a person would be at risk of vitamin D deficiency.

Franzblau, however, argues that dietary intake of vitamin D is usually enough to avoid the deficiency.

“UV light artificially produced in a tanning salon does not protect, but does the opposite," he says. "It’s a serious misstatement.”