Lola Mora News Review: Are you TANOREXIC?

Name: Aldana Vercellone

Article: Are you tanorexic?

Source: Times Online

Link: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/newspapers/sunday_times/style/article1076671.ece

Have you ever seen the new tv show "Sunset Tan" or the "orange" actors and actresses walking along the famous "red carpet"

Well, even though they look radiant and beautiful wearing the newest "accesorie" - Sunbed tan - their skin might not be as healthy as we, ordinary people, think.

The wish of being tanned in the middle of winter, for a special event or just because we do not have time to sunbathe, can lead us to take the example from many famous people, like Paris Hilton, to get a sunbed tan.

If you have ever experienced this way of tanning, you probably want to repeat the session one more than and so on until you get hooked on the bright-and-brownie look of your skin.

But this desire to get tanned permanently could be the result of a new syndrome, nicknamed TANOREXIA.

Tanorexia applies to people who have a compulsion to get tanned in sunbeds several times a week. In fact, in a study published by the British Journal of Dermatology, 17% of sunbed users admitted to having more than 100 sessions a year, which increases their risk of suffering from skin cancer: The prercentage sums up to 20% of risk per decade of using sunbeds.

Getting tanned in sunbeds, appart from producing the wanted "brownie" look, make the users feel happier and with a better mood. But this state of mind is addictive due to the fact that they are part of the effects of the exposition of the body to UV rays.

Unlike sunlight, which contains a mix of UVA and UVB, sunbeds produce mainly UVA radiation, the rays that penetrate more deeply into the skin. Since radiation levels in sunbeds can be up to 12 times more powerful than sunlight, when you go on a sunbed you get a much more intense shot of UV light. These UV rays cause endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good chemicals, to be released into the bloodstream, creating a similar effect to a post-exercise high.

Uv light also activates SOLITROL, a skin hormone that works together with MELATONIN to produce changes in mood and regulate the body clock.

But, although these effect may seem to be good for people, the addicitve potential of intense UV exposure may affect people with SAD (seasonal affective disorder) produced by the suppression of serotonin from sunlight, specially during winter.

Besides, sunbed tanning causes an accelerated skin-ageing. The skin goes sallow, blotchy and wrinkles appear making people believe that the solution to this state is getting tanned again.