Tanorexia

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It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Sun tan and Sun bed (Discuss)

It must first be stated that Tanorexia is not an actualy disease and is just a frequently used term within the lesser media of the United States. There is no medical backing to this being an actual disease, and is in no way scientifical.

"Tanorexia" is term coined by doctors to describe people who put themselves at risk of getting skin cancer as a result of the excessive outdoor tanning or excessive use of tanning salons to get a darker skin color. It is based etymologically on the medical condition anorexia. Whereas anorexics look in the mirror and see themselves as too fat, regardless of how fat or thin they really are, tanorexics always see themselves as too pale. The result is the individual constantly overexposes him or herself to ultraviolet radiation. Overexposure to UV rays may destroy melanin and thus reduce the ability to tan in the short term.

Taxorexia should not be confused with tanning addiction, which is a physical rather than psychological problem. The term is sometimes also used loosely to refer to people who overuse fake tan products, although those products are not associated with any health risks.

[edit] Symptoms

Symptoms include intense anxiety if a session of tanning is missed. Competition among peers to see who can get the darkest tan can cause additional anxiety. Some people's skin will tan more, less or even to a different tone altogether, as well as freckle. A tanorexic will begin to see him or herself as white and could attempt to tan up to five or more times per week in the quest to get the darkest tan possible.

As is the case with almost every other addiction, tanorexics tend to withdraw from society, owing to a fear of not being regarded as they want to see themselves.

[edit] Tanning beds and tanning culture

Tanning beds allow an individual to get UV exposure regardless of the weather, time of year or their location.

Until the 1980s, most tanning lotions were designed only for outdoor use, and had little or no sunscreen. Often, the primary purpose of such products was to accelerate the tanning process using maximum UV exposure. Initially, many people assumed that tanning beds were a safe alternative to outdoor tanning because the UV does not penetrate as deeply as it does when tanning outdoors.^{[citation needed]}