Sunbathing might be an addiction

GALVESTON, Texas, Aug 15, 2005 (United Press International via COMTEX) -- Most people know exposure to ultraviolet rays produced by the sun or a tanning both are dangerous, now a study indicates why many people ignore that fact.

Researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, using criteria adapted from methods used to screen for alcoholism and drug dependency, determined repetitive tanning behavior might result from a type of addiction.

UTMB Professor Richard Wagner, senior author of the study, and his colleagues asked 145 Galveston beachgoers a series of questions such as, "Do you try to cut down on the time you spend in the sun, but find yourself still suntanning?"

The questions were based on diagnostic criteria for substance-related disorders in the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

The DSM criteria indicated 53 percent of the beachgoers interviewed were classified as "ultraviolet light tanning dependent."

Wagner said the study's results might explain why educational interventions have not been more successful.

The study appears in the current online issue of the Archives of Dermatology.