Addicted to tanning

Filed under: Skin Cancer

In a recent column by Dr. Leslie Baumann, Baumann addresses the risks of tanning addiction. According to Baumann, tanning addiction is not 'just in your head'.

Baumann cites a study where doctors used substance-abuse screening techniques to examine frequent beachgoers and found that over 50 percent of the beachgoers in the study showed signs of dependence. Researchers theorize that UV exposure stimulates endorphin-like production and therefore, a sense of heightened well-being. From an evolutionary perspective, this trait would be adaptive as it would encourage adequate levels of vitamin D.

Baumann adds that since we can access adequate vitamin D through supplements now, these are the best bets for those at high-risk for skin cancer. If you're going the sun route, it only takes 20 minutes a day to generate the needed vitamin D levels.

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[Source: The Cancer Blog]