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(HealthNewsDigest.com) – Many people are convinced that they have “tanorexia,” or an addiction to tanning. And a new study suggests they might be right. Researchers have believed for several years that tanners exhibit similar behavior to alcoholics and drug addicts. Dr. Ariel Ostad is a Manhattan board certified Dermatologist and Cosmetic Dermatologic Surgeon. He is also a co-author of a textbook entitled “Practical Management of Skin Cancer.” (Lippincott-Raven, 1998). He knows all too well the dangers of addictive tanning and that it can lead to skin cancer. Dr. Ostad wants the public to be aware that this addiction can be as physically harmful as any other. Dr. Ostad points out that, “The most deadly skin cancer- melanoma, is more common, and kills women predominantly in their 20s. This is life or death.” Each year melanoma kills more than 9,000 people. Researchers say that people under the age of 30 who use a tanning bed 10 times a year have eight times the risk of developing melanoma.
If you think you might have a tanning addiction, go to this page, take the quiz and then read on: http://www.gotoquiz.com/do_you_have_tanorexia_or_a_tanning_addiction
Psychiatrists now believe that certain regions of the brain we know are partially responsible for drug and alcohol addiction seem to have increased blood flow when you put UV [ultraviolet] light in front of these individuals who are known for frequent tanning. Now scientists say they’ve seen that addiction firsthand, by peering into the brain. According to findings due to be released in the Journal: Addiction Biology, scientists at University of Texas’ Southwestern Medical Center examined a group of tanners undergoing a regular, indoor tanning session.
Sunbathers’ Feelings Similar to Other Addictions
When the ultraviolet light, which tans the skin, hit the tanners’ bodies, the parts of their brains associated with reward and addiction lit up, indicating increased blood flow.
When researchers blocked the UV light, without telling the tanners, the same parts of the brain dimmed and became less active.
“We’ve found 50 percent of frequent tanners report feelings similar to other addictions,” said study author Dr. Bryon Adinoff, an addiction psychiatrist at the University of Texas’ Southwestern Medical Center. “They’re unable to cut down their tanning. They get skin cancer and they still tan. These are the kinds of things that we see in people with other kind of addictions.” The researchers’ conclusion: UV light revs up addictive urges. They say that the addiction is likely not limited to tanning indoors but also outdoors.
About Ariel Ostad, MD: www.drarielostad.com
Dr. Ostad is a board certified Dermatologist and Cosmetic Dermatologic Surgeon, a Fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology. He received his B.A. magna cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa in 1987 from New York University. In 1991, Dr. Ostad received his M.D. from New York University School of Medicine. He went on to do an internship at Harvard Medical School, and completed his residency in Dermatology at New York University Medical Center in 1995. He completed a fellowship in Mohs micrographic surgery, laser and dermatologic surgery at UCLA.
Dr. Ostad is currently a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Dermatology at New York University Medical Center, and a former contributing editor to the Journal of Dermatologic Surgery. He has authored numerous articles on topics including chemical peeling agents, hair follicle stem cells, liposuction, and laser surgery, and has written textbook chapters in Cutaneous Oncology (Blackwell 1998). He is also a co-author of a textbook entitled Practical Management of Skin Cancer (Lippincott-Raven, 1998). Dr. Ostad is also a course instructor for the American Academy of Dermatology, and is frequently called on to lecture on laser surgery and skin cancer.
A popular resource with the media, Dr. Ostad has appeared on ABC, NBC, FOX, CBS, CNN and has been quoted in many consumer publications including Vogue, Glamour InStyle, Allure, Cosmopolitan and many others.
BOARD CERTIFICATION: American Board of Dermatology
MEMBERSHIPS:
American Academy of Dermatology
American Society for Dermatologic Surgery
American College of Mohs Micrographic Surgery and Cutaneous Oncology
American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery, Fellow
American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery
The Skin Cancer Foundation
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