Young women vary in reasons for indoor tanning

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Young women have wide-ranging reasons for going to the tanning salon, which means they likely need different motivations to stop, according to researchers.

In a study of 168 female college students who visited tanning salons, the researchers found that more than half were "event tanners" -- meaning they tanned ahead of special occasions or vacations, but not on a regular basis.

In contrast, 12 percent regularly tanned year-round, and they had the most positive attitudes toward tanning, the most dissatisfaction with their natural skin color, and the strongest intentions to keep tanning in the future.

This group, according to the researchers, appears to be at greatest risk of sun damage and skin cancer down the road. They say a variety of approaches -- from addressing body-image problems and depression, to emphasizing the health risks of indoor tanning -- may be needed to reach this group of "hard-core" tanners.

"The results of this study emphasize the fact that 'one size fits all' does not apply when it comes to indoor tanning," the researchers report in the Archives of Dermatology.

Dr. Joel Hillhouse, of East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, led the study.

The findings are based on survey responses from 168 college students who were asked about their indoor-tanning habits over the past year. More than half -- 52 percent -- said they visited a salon only to get ready for certain occasions; about 29 percent tanned regularly, but not year-round, and were less influenced by emotional issues than regular, year-round tanners were.

Finally, 6 percent of the women were dubbed "spontaneous" or "mood" tanners. They visited the tanning salon irregularly, but seemed to do so, at least in part, to get an emotional lift.

According to Hillhouse and his colleagues, these women -- as well as many year-round tanners -- may need to be screened for seasonal affective disorder (SAD). SAD refers to a collection of mood-related symptoms, including depression and fatigue, which arise with seasonal changes. It usually occurs during the shorter, darker days of winter.

Year-round tanners -- who, in this study, visited the salon more than 70 times a year, on average -- are probably least likely to respond to a brief talk with their doctor about the long-term dangers of tanning, according to Hillhouse's team.

"We believe that this hard-core group of tanners may benefit the most from intensive interventions that address the social, appearance, health, and mood aspects of tanning in an integrated package," the researchers write.

SOURCE: Archives of Dermatology, December 2007.