Wednesday, May 16, 2007

They are called "tan-orexics" or obsessive tanners.
They are people who become addicted to the way they feel while getting that bronze glow.
NBC10 reported that people can become addicted to the tanning bed and can experience a "high" much like a drug addiction.

Some doctors have said it's a real problem and victims have said withdrawal is much like stopping heroin.
The addiction is not just because of the way they look with a tan, but they simply must tan a lot, despite being aware of the danger.

Tara Burtonis was stuck inside all day at work and her only sun exposure was fake. She spent 30 minutes, three times a week in a tanning bed.
"I was addicted to tanning," she said. "I think it physically makes me look better, but it's mostly for the feeling that it gives me."
A feeling that dermatologist Steven Feldman said people could get addicted to.
"Their skin looks terrible and it's wrinkled and I ask them why are they doing it? And they say things like, 'Oh, it just makes me feel so good,'" he said.
Feldman said people who are addicted experience a high much like drug addiction.
"The skin releases endorphins, feel good molecules, from skin cells when they're hit by ultraviolet light," he said.
When frequent tanners stop it's like taking their drugs away, Feldman said.
"
They get the shakes; they get sweaty," he said.
Burtonis felt withdrawal symptoms when she stopped tanning.
"I had nausea, vomiting, I felt jittery," she said.
It made her realize she no longer wanted to be tan -- she needed to tan.
"I definitely don’t feel as good," she said.

Unlike alcohol or drug addiction, tanning won't kill you, but it is the leading cause of melanoma, which kills 8,000 Americans each year.
Doctors said there is no easy cure for tanning addiction. The only thing tanners can do is spend more time in natural sunlight to feel better.
And use self-tanning lotions to safely get the look you want.

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