Tanning Addiction: Skin Cancer Patients May Exhibit UV Dependence

Just like smoking, everyone knows that tanning isn't good for you. Yet even a skin cancer diagnosis won't keep some from the tanning salon. 

In fact, recent statistics show that at least one in seven skin cancer patients will return to tanning beds.

A recent study in which all participants that had been diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma participated in a four-year-survey after receiving their diagnosis showed that, for some, almost nothing could keep them from tanning. 

Those that did report returning to the tanning salon stated that they went about 10 times per year. A few even reported going 20 times a year.

Background information from the study noted that the amount a patient tanned before they were diagnosed with cancer affected the possibility of a "relapse."

In fact, some of the skin cancer patients may even suffer from what the Skin Cancer Foundation calls "tanning addiction." Health experts believe that tanning addicts will exhibit signs of both psychical and psychological dependence, which may even cause them to suffer from withdrawal symptoms.

Nearly two-thirds of retuning tanners showed signs of "tanning dependence," as well.

"What's always surprising, both in this study and in prior research, is that the people who have a diagnosis of skin cancer -- the ones who should be the most vigilant because they have been educated about skin cancer -- are often the ones who are continuing to expose themselves to a known carcinogen," said Dr. Richard Langley, the president of the Canadian Dermatology Association, via CTV News.

But why is it that some think they are invincible after overcoming a diagnosis when they should protect themselves more to prevent cancer reoccurence; not less. 

According to a recent study regarding the risky behaviors some melanoma survivors engage in, study author Dr. Anees B. Chagpar, an associate professor of surgery at the Yale School of Medicine, in New Haven, Conn., wrote in a statement, that "Although we found that melanoma survivors did better than the general public at protecting their skin from the sun, we also found that more than a quarter of melanoma survivors never wear sunscreen." 

And for those that still practice the habit of tanning in general--whether it's at the salon under a lamp or on the beach, sans sunscreen (and even those who do not have any type of skin cancer)--the widespread belief that people look better, and perhaps, healthier and thinner, when they're tan, is simply not true. In fact, as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration states, tanning is a sign that UV rays are reaching the skin and damaging the epidermis. The harsher the sunburn, the more painful the feeling can be to your skin. And, severe sunburns experienced in childhood have even been linked to a higher risk for melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. 

Translation: Make sure to protect yourself. Let's use some common sense. 

More information regarding the study can be found in JAMA Dermatology.