Frequent users of tanning beds know that exposure to ultraviolet light is bad for them. But they do it anyway. And doing so may be an indication of addictive behavior, says new research appearing in the latest issue of  the journal Archives of Dermatology.

Researchers asked 421 college students about their tanning use with questionnaires designed to screen for addictive behavior. Of the 229 who said they used tanning beds, nearly 40 percent met the criteria for addiction on one measure and 31 percent met the criteria on another measure.

In addition, tanners who met these criteria were more likely to report anxiety and higher uses of alcohol and marijuana, the study found. 

Despite the warnings and calls for bans on the practice for minors (officials in Howard County, Maryland passed one last year) young people's usage of tanning beds is on the rise, the paper states. 

We know studies like these that rely on self-reporting have limitations. But the findings sure are thought provoking and probe what's the allure of tanning despite all the risks of skin cancer? 

"In addition to the desire for appearance enhancement, motivations for tanning include relaxation, improved mood and socialization," write the researchers from Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and the State University of New York at Albany. Given that kind of reinforcement, perhaps tanners return to the beds because they're motivated by the same kind of craving that addicts have for other substances, they authors suggest.

Baltimore Sun photo