Most of us know that excess sun exposure, or use of tanning beds or sunlamps, is associated with an increased risk of getting melanoma, which can be deadly, and of getting nonmelanoma skin cancers, which can lead to disfigurement. And yet, many of us continue to seek out that sun or go to tanning salons regularly, even while watching our friends slather on sunblock  and hide from the sun like vampires. This is similar to those of us who drink too much alcohol, smoke cigarettes, or use recreational drugs regularly even though we know that those behaviors can be unhealthy at best, and deadly at worst. 

The question is WHY? Why do we continue to engage in behaviors that can eventually harm us? We know now that alcohol and drug abuse are considered to be medical diseases known as substance-related disorders, or more commonly as addiction.  These disorders by definition involve bodily drives and psychologic underpinnings that are quite difficult to control.

A recent study in the Archives of Dermatology* looked to determine if tanning is an addictive or substance-related disorder. The investigators applied the methods used to determine alcohol or drug addiction, only they modified these questions to ask about tanning behavior. The two sets of questions used came from the commonly used “CAGE” questionnaire, and  from the criteria used to diagnose substance-related disorders in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fourth Edition, Text Revision; DSM-IV-TR).

Of the 421 participants, 229 had visited tanning salons in the prior year and were eligible for analysis. Of  those 229 people, 30% met the criteria of the CAGE questionnaire, and 29% met the DSM-IV criteria for addiction to tanning. This group that met the criteria for addiction also reported more anxiety as well as greater alcohol and marijuana use than did those subjects who were not addicted to tanning.This study shows that there are psychological aspects of repetitive tanning behavior similar to addictions to other behaviors/substances, and leads to the conclusion that excessive indoor tanning involves the same drives as other forms of substance abuse, and thus may be considered, in some people, to be an addiction. 

Does this mean that since tanning behavior well may be an addiction, you should give up trying to stop doing it and give in to your desire to do it? In other words, should you take no responsibility for your actions since you can’t control addiction? Absolutely not. It means that you should discuss this behavior (and any other behaviors that you can’t control) and your concerns about it with your physician. And, you should try to stop scheduling those tanning appointments.

*Mosher CE and. Danoff-Burg S. Addiction to indoor tanning: Relation to anxiety, depression, and substance use. Arch Dermatol 2010 Apr; 146:412.