Buser: Tanning shows to be a deadly addiction

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By Richelle Buser

Thursday, November 19, 2009

When thinking of addictions there’s a few obvious ones such as alcohol, drugs and sex. Mine was tanning.

I first lay in a tanning bed shortly after my 16th birthday. My mom had seen her brother die from melanoma before he graduated college and was adamantly against it. Still, from the first time those fluorescent lights buzzed, I was hooked.

I was a sun worshiper long before my affair with indoor tanning began. The swim team practices I attended daily as a child were replaced with lifeguarding as a teen. The freedom of a driver’s license simply allowed me to continue bronzing during colder months.

Being naive, I had no clue how much damage I was doing and how psychological the process of tanning actually was.

Arielle Kauver, associate professor of dermatology at New York University, said in a interview for National Geographic magazine that tanners usually associate darker skin with health and beauty. Kauver acknowledged tanning addictions are as real as gambling addictions.

A news release from the Archives of Dermatology, written by University of Texas at Galvaston dermatologist Richard Wagner and his colleagues, said obsessive tanners often chase an endorphin buzz that some scientists believe accompany exposure to ultraviolet light.

I’ve felt that feeling: the desire to lie in a bed, soak up the sun or just be tan in general. I’ve never picked up a bottle of self-tanner or looked into alternatives.There’s something about being exposed to sunlight, real or fake, that’s always been appealing to me.

I adored tanning and chose to disregard information that discouraged my habits. Before formal dances, I competed with friends to be the tannest girl in her gown. I even did a report in high school about the benefits of tanning and sun exposure including research suggesting skin cancer had more to do with genetic factors than ultraviolet radiation. In college, I bought unlimited semester-long tanning packages. I never burned. I wasn’t worried.

Then this summer a study came out I couldn’t ignore. A new analysis, using more than 20 different studies, suggests the risk of skin cancer jumps at least 75 percent when a person uses a tanning bed under the age of 30. These studies labeled tanning as carcinogenic, putting tanning beds in the same league as the cancer-causing product tobacco.

I’ve seen dozens of commercials and ad campaigns about the harms of smoking. Why is there so little attention devoted to tanning?

I haven’t tanned indoors for more than six months and wearing sunscreen is now a part of my daily routine. I thought I’d be insecure and pale as a result of my responsible decision, but the truth is I am a bit embarrassed and disgusted with my tanning past. How immature is it to seriously risk my health for vanity?

If you tan, please stop. Think about your future. A temporary glow is never going to be worth risking your life. If you’re still not convinced, consider a study from the Skin Cancer Foundation that found 64 percent of people do not find those with a tan more attractive. See? You can be beautiful and smart.

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Comments

bobsaget (anonymous) says...

maybe ku should have a support group for this because I've seen multitudes of suffering orange chicks all over campus.

November 19, 2009 at 2:55 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

SeekTheTruth (anonymous) says...

This has got to be one of the most ridiculous things I've ever laid my eyes upon. First of all-- to call tanning an addiction... It is an attraction, not an addiction. Did you suffer physical withdrawl symptoms when you didn't go... nervousness, "the shakes", sweating? Doubtful. It feels good to tan because your body was meant to receive sunlight (UVB light). Sunlight is NECESSARY for life. That is how our bodies NATURALLY produce Vitamin D... and it is hands down your BEST source for Vitamin D. Perhaps you will research the risks of Vitmain D and see what you're putting yourself at risk for by avoiding UV light all together.

Sadly, you have become a victim of media scare tactics. The increase of risk by 75%... did you know in those test studies that MOST of the candidates were skin type I individuals... meaning that they are uncapable of producing a tan/only burn? Those individuals SHOULD avoid UV light. This gives an inaccurate result on their findings. Additionally, a 75% increase of risk sounds really big and scary, but let's break it down: If your chances of winning a lottery are 1 in 100 and we increase your chances by 75%, your chances are now 1.75 in 100.

And in response to tanning beds being in the same classification group as tobacco... did you know that the classification group only means that there is risk at all-- it signifies nothing about the size of the risk. Wine is also listed in that SAME group.

I also encourage the author of this article to visit http://www.skinbiology.com/toxicsunsc... to check out what your OVERUSE of sunscreen could be doing to you. Everything in life is about moderation. Water causes drowning, yet we still drink water. OVEREXPOSURE to sunlight, yes, can be bad. Tan smart. Use sunscreen ONLY when necessary to AVOID sunburning.

November 20, 2009 at 9:21 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

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