Shopping, exercise, internet gaming, and sex addictions are all among the behavioral addictions that are not included in the current edition of the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, but the existence of which is nonetheless backed up by plenty of scientific studies.
Can sun tanning be addictive, and what are the signs that you have a problem with tanning?
If you recognize these warning signs of addiction, you're in trouble:
- You feel you need to spend increasing amounts of time tanning to get the same effect — this doesn't necessarily mean you need to sunbathe more to get the same tan, but that you tan more often to feel as good about yourself.
- You get anxious or feel "ugly" if you don't have the opportunity to tan or try to abstain from tanning.
- You keep hitting the sun beds or going in the sun even if you've told yourself to stop.
- You've skipped social, work, school, or other important events so you could go tanning instead.
- Your tanning has had a negative social impact because of this — for instance, you've been warned at work for being late after tanning during your lunch break.
- You're perfectly aware that tanning is bad for your skin, but you keep at it anyway.
What consequences can a tanning addiction have?
- Intentional frequent tanners have a higher risk than others of developing sunburns, because they don't take appropriate protective measures by using sun screen and limiting the amount of time they spend exposed to harmful UV rays. Some tanners actually believe a sunburn is "worth it" if they are going to end up with a tan, and the CDC estimates that 31.7 percent of people who go sun tanning often suffer a sunburn each year. Sunburns ultimately increase your risk of skin cancer.
- Premature aging is another consequence of regular tanning. This can mean wrinkles, skin that takes on a leathery texture, and dark spots.
- Eye damage is also possible, in the form of photokeratitis (a "sunburn of the eyes") and cataracts.
- Solar keratoses, textured, scaly bumps on the skin, are an early warning sign of skin cancer.
- Skin cancer is the most serious outcome, and this includes both melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers. Using a tanning bed at least 10 times a year doubles your risk of melanoma if you're over 30 and leads to an eight-fold risk if you're younger than that.
Can a tanning addiction be treated?
If you really enjoy tanning but aren't sure you're "addicted", as such, you can first try self-help strategies:
- Opt for a fake tan instead.
- Replace the good feeling you get from tanning with the good feeling you can get from exercising, or getting a massage, or having your nails done.
- Take a vitamin D supplement instead of spending time in the sun or under a tanning bed.
- In the end, simply stop tanning.
What if that doesn't help, though, and you keep returning to those tanning beds even though you don't really want to and are worried about your health? That's when you may really have an addiction.
What's the answer then? It can't be found in pharmacological treatment — medication — either, so only one viable approach remains. People who have been tanning compulsively and cannot seem to stop even though they want to and have tried to should consider talk therapy. Approaches like cognitive behavioral therapy can help you examine why you're tanning and what you need to do to stop, while psychodynamic therapy can help you process past struggles and analyze how they relate to your current behavior and feelings.
People who tan compulsively may have underlying body-image struggles, with frequent tanning just being one expression. They may also generally feel they are not attractive, or that they need to look attractive to have value. While there isn't much research on how talk therapy can help you overcome a tanning addiction, therapy can certainly help you address these struggles and teach you to have a healthier relationship with your own body.