Like drugs and alcohol, tanning beds can be addicting

“I would find myself going every day.  And if I didn’t go one day it was like, ‘Oh my gosh I’m getting white.‘  So yeah, it did become an addiction.“

Tammy Deboe says she was addicted to tanning. She started frequenting tanning beds in high school—it wasn’t long before she got a job in a tanning salon, where she worked for four years.

“It was popular you know it was better than going to the beach,“ Deboe said.

She liked the color—and the way the experience made her feel.

“More than my appearance, probably more psychological,“ Deboe said.

Tammy says tanning gave her a rush.

Dr. Heywood Zeidman, a psychiatrist, isn’t surprised.

He says studies show tanning releases endorphins, an opiate-like substance produced naturally in the body that makes you feel good—so good, some people get addicted.

He says some patients even report withdrawal symptoms when they try to quit tanning.

“Even though they know they shouldn’t they come more often, they stay longer,“ Dr. Zeidman said.

Dr. Zeidman says people with a past history of addiction or obsessive compulsive disorder are more prone to becoming addicted to tanning.

Tammy says she can relate.

She says when she worked in a salon it was easy to get a fix—tanning more often for longer periods of time.

“And then I would come home with a burn or I go too long and then I would think oh my goodness,“ Deboe said.

“Ironically, most of my patients at first will deny they’re going to it, because they’re embarrassed,“ Dr. Darrell Gonzales, a dermatologist, said.

He says the dangers of exposing yourself to UV-A and UV-B rays are serious.

“My strongest advice is stop doing it. It really isn’t healthy for the skin.  You’re exposing yourself to an increased risk of skin cancer,“ Dr. Gonzales said.

And Tammy knows her behavior is risky.

“It will give you freckles, skin cancer, your skin just turns to leather—you can’t reverse it and you’ll regret it,“ Deboe said.

She’s scaled back her trips to the salon—but she’s still tanning twice a week in the summer.

The doctor’s advice on breaking the cycle: “It’s easy for me to say it but stopping cold turkey is probably the best method for stopping those tanning salons.  And really try and supplant it with a health behavior such as exercising,“ Dr. Gonzales said.