Tanning Salon Clients Show Addictive Behavior, Study Finds

(April 19) -- Indoor tanning aficionados might be hitting the beds for more than just a bronzed look, according to new research that suggests customers of tanning salons exhibit addictive behavior and are prone to anxiety and substance abuse.

The study, published in this week's Archives of Dermatology, comes as the $3 billion industry is already bracing itself. A 10 percent tax on tanning is being proposed to help offset costs of health care reform, and new federal regulations will likely restrict tanning among minors and require that warning labels be placed on tanning beds.

A study of 421 college students, undertaken by researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and the University of Albany, used two written questionnaires that are designed to screen for alcohol and substance abuse. The questionnaires were modified to apply to indoor tanning.

Study participants were also evaluated for anxiety and depression.

Of the students polled, 229 had used tanning beds in the last year, with an average of 23 visits. Thirty-nine percent of them met the criteria for addiction based on the first questionnaire, and 30 percent did based on the second.

"In addition to the desire for appearance enhancement, motivations for tanning include relaxation, improved mood and socialization," the study reads. Those benefits might lead to a perceived dependency on indoor tanning.

Students who matched criteria for addiction on both questionnaires spent more time in tanning booths than their counterparts. They were also more likely to report anxiety, as well as frequent drug and alcohol use.

The research team suspects that tanning could be one warning sign of a psychological problem, and it's a habit that -- like smoking -- can be exacerbated by a teen's social circle.

"Overall, findings suggest that individuals who use drugs may be more likely to develop dependence on indoor tanning because of a similar addictive process," the study reads. "In addition, tanning and drug use may be reinforced by peer group norms."

Indoor tanners often cite winter doldrums, or even seasonal affective disorder, as compelling reasons to tan. But the study found no connection between self-reported depression and indoor tanning, which means that tanning wasn't being used to mitigate those mental health problems.

The study adds more evidence to a potential connection between indoor tanning and addiction. In 2006, researchers at Wake Forest University found that when the key skin chemical produced during tanning was blocked, frequent tanners experienced withdrawal symptoms such as nausea and dizziness.

Young adults are the group most likely to use tanning beds, despite frequent warnings about potential skin cancer risks. For some, the ongoing habit might actually need to be addressed with psychological intervention.

"If associations between affective factors and indoor tanning behavior are replicated, results suggest that treating an underlying mood disorder may be a necessary step in reducing skin cancer risk among those who frequently tan indoors," the study authors write.

Confirming a causal relationship between tanning and mental health will require more research. But, at the very least, the study's questionnaires are already diagnosing a cultural phenomenon.

Participants categorized as "addicted" to indoor tanning answered "yes" to questions like: "Do you ever get annoyed when people tell you not to use tanning beds or booths?" and "Do you ever feel guilty that you are using tanning beds or booths too much?"

It's an indication of the social stigma that tanning salon owners say is casting them as skin cancer enablers and forces their clients to come and go in secrecy.

"People already come in like they're ashamed to be here," Gabrielle Dahms, the manager at New York's City Sun, told AOL News in March.