Many people often develop this addiction to tanning unconsciously, which is why it is more common than we think.
What specifically does the term tanorexia refer to? Did you ever hear it?
Tanorexia refers to addiction to tanning. It is a term commonly used to describe a condition in which a person generates an obsessive need to achieve a darker skin tone, either by sunbathing outdoors or in UV booths, which is never achieved when considering have a much lower tone than the real thing.
Officially, the medical community has not listed the symptoms of tanorexia. However, those affected generally present the following manifestations: competition with peers to achieve the darkest tan, compulsion to increase and maintain the tone gained, experiencing excessive anxiety, frustration and chronic dissatisfaction with the results obtained, constant conviction that their skin tone it is lower than it really is and finally, decreased appetite caused by the feeling of lack of hours in the sun.
Referring to data and scientific research on the subject, I can then specify the following:
In 2005, a group of dermatology specialists published a study called “Light Tanning as a Type of Substance-Related Disorder” -Archives of Dermatology- (M. Warthan, T. Uchida, R. Wagner, Jr.) . This research showed that people with an obsession with tanning experienced a loss of control of their limits because, being able to do so, they avoided stopping the tanning process once the skin was already brown. As a medical specialist I can say that this pattern is similar to other addictions such as alcoholism or smoking.
In 2006, regarding endorphins and withdrawal, the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology reviewed research entitled “Induction of Withdrawal-Like Symptoms in a Small Randomized Controlled Trial of Opioid Blockade in Frequent Sunscreens” (M. Kaur, A. Liguori, W. Lang, S. Rapp, A. Fleischer, Jr., S. Feldman). Biochemical evidence from this research showed that tanning addiction is caused by a release of opioids and endorphins while sunbathing.
Thus, the patients analyzed in the study who sunbathed more frequently, when cutting the cycle showed a severe withdrawal syndrome; while those who sunbathed moderately did not experience notable changes.
On the other hand, in 2012 a pilot test was published that refers to the addictive effects of the sun, called “Activation of the reward pathway with exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) versus simulated UVR in frequent tanners” (Cynthia R Harrington). In this investigation, the addictive effects of sun exposure were confirmed again.
During 2006 and framed under the concept of UV rays as a drug, an investigation was released that made it clear that tanoréxics may have this strong inclination because UV rays cause them a pleasant experience, as can happen with any drug. As exposure to radiation generates a moment of euphoria, every time you sunbathe or enter a solarium, the body produces endorphins which trigger a feeling of well-being by warding off pain.
Tanorexia generates consequences in the skin, weakening it and being able to cause tumor and pre-tumor lesions. It is important to note that it is an addiction that has treatment. In this sense, surgical treatment and creams are long-term, without the possibility of performing a skin transplant, which turns into a chronic pathology. Prevention and photoprotection are key strategies.
As a specialist dermatologist, I have a large number of patients who must maintain constant and chronic treatment of their skin. The first impression is that they never received enough information to warn them of the consequences of prolonged sun exposure.
Sometimes it can be difficult to identify people who suffer from this obsession with tanning; however, we must become observers and offer assistance or guidance to those who suffer from it. Giving help is a valuable contribution to health.
Dr. Leisa Molinari (MN 116.628), dermatologist specializing in skin cancer and Mohs micrographic surgery. Founder of the Skin Medical Center @dra.leisamolinari
