Tanorexia Explained: Why Obsessing So Much on Getting the Perfect Tan Is Not a Good Thing

Getting a good tan might not be the trend for this cold winter months. But there are just some people who don’t care that it’s winter season. It is unusual for people to get a tan during a season that actually does not welcome that much sun. Hence, those who do may most likely have tanorexia or in other words, they are addicted to tanning. They get on with what they want with the help of tanning beds and tanning salons. So there’s actually no need to wait for summer anymore.
Tanorexia can be compared to anorexia in the sense that the person perceives his/her body to in a distorted fashion. In anorexia, the individual sees his or her self as obese and develops an almost desperate craving to lose weight. In tanorexia, the person finds his or her light skin color as repulsive and pursues a darker complexion through obsessive tanning. Tanorexic people can’t get enough of tanning because they believe the tanner they are, the more attractive they look. However, there are some researches that indicate that this addiction might be more medical than one believes it to be.
According to researchers from Wake Forest University, tanorexia is most likely brought about by UV rays emitted by tanning beds that trigger the production of endorphins, which is a chemical produced by the body that has an effect of suppressing pain.
Just like anorexia, the addiction to tanning is said to be hazardous to one’s health. Several studies were already conducted and the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has declared recently that tanning beds and sun lamps are imposing high risks of cancer to humans. Despite knowing the fact that there is a high risk of cancer caused by this artificial tanning procedure, tanorexic people still choose to do it.
Tanorexia might seem as a joke to some people, teasing those who are obsessed with tanning and those who skip some schedules for socializing to spend long hours in the tanning bed and sun lamps. However, it is a serious addiction. Much like being addicted to drugs or other substances, people with tanning addiction do suffer from withdrawal symptoms and they need supportive care when they attempt to stop. People suffering from this addiction should seek treatment before their condition gets worse.