Just like the physical rush experienced by endurance athletes, sunbathers often feel a "buzz" after a long day at the beach. But scientists say this natural high can be fatally addictive.
"We treat a lot of patients who have tans and get skin cancer. We tell them to cut back [on their tanning], but they just can't seem to stop," said Richard Wagner, a dermatologist at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.
Wagner and his colleagues wanted to know why some people continue to sunbathe despite the well-known harmful effects of ultraviolet rays. Are these people addicted to suntans like other people are to alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs?
To find out, the researchers went to a Galveston beach and asked 145 randomly selected sunbathers to answer two surveys about their tanning habits. The surveys were modified versions of evaluations used to screen for alcohol and drug dependency.
Sample questions from the surveys asked participants if they often spend more time in the sun than they planned, feel guilty for staying in the sun too long, or skip other social activities in favor of a trip to the beach or tanning salon.
The two surveys yielded separate results: One showed 26 percent of the sunbathers would qualify for having a substance-related disorder. The other showed 53 percent of the beachgoers could be called tanning addicts.
The team's results were published online in the journal Archives of Dermatology earlier this week.
Wagner cautioned that the survey results don't apply to a broad population. After all, the survey was conducted where tanning addicts congregate—the beach. "It's like if you walked into a bar, you'd likely find more alcoholics," he said.
UV Buzz
Arielle Kauvar, an associate professor of dermatology at the New York University School of Medicine, said it makes sense "that you could classify people as being addicted to tanning, much the same way somebody can be addicted to gambling."
Kauvar, who is also a spokesperson for the New York-based Skin Cancer Foundation, said the University of Texas study helps explain why some people continue to sunbathe despite warnings about cancer.
According to Kauvar, the greatest driving force behind sunbathing is the widespread notion that a tan is a sign of health and beauty. Some scientists also suspect there might be physiological reasons for obsessive tanning, she said.
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