I knew there was something fishy about tanning!

[emmagrant01]

This explains a lot about my family, really. My mom, aunt, sister, and cousins are religious about tanning, and it's never held any appeal for me. I'm happily pale and unblemished while they're increasingly leathery, mwahahaha. And they know it's bad for them, but they do it anyway, just like smoking.

Small Study Points To Addictive Effects Of Frequent Tanning

Frequent users of tanning beds may be getting more out of the experience than darker skin, according to researchers from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. New evidence suggests that ultraviolet light has "feel-good" effects that may be similar to those of some addictive drugs.

Link to full story

Comments

[lunicanca.livejournal.com]

I know that sunlight (UV rays from tanning beds also? I don't know) has vitamin D in it, which is thought to possibly increase serotonin levels in the brain. Serotonin makes people happy -- depressed people often lack normal levels of serotonin, while some drugs affect serotonin in order for it to stimulate its receptors more, thus giving people a high. So, maybe it's just that they're getting addicted to the vitamin D they get from tanning, if that happens. I guess my suggestion would be to spend a little bit of time outside on a regular basis (The National Institues of Health's website (http://dietary-supplements.info.nih.gov/factsheets/vitamind.asp) suggests 10-15 minutes without sunscreen (but using sunscreen after that point) at least twice a week) and skip the tanning beds. :/