Tanorexia affects women with white skin

• May 8, 2024

The tanorexia or tanning addiction is a psychic disorder , whose term used to describe a condition in which a person creates an obsessive need to obtain a golden skin tone, either by sunbathing outdoors or in booths UV rays , However, the obsession of these people makes them believe that they never look dark enough.

Both men and women can be affected, although it is considered that the most common profile is that of women between 17 and 35 years old. According to a publication of qmujer.com ,  Caroly Heckman , researcher of Fox Chase Cancer Center of Philadelphia (United States), pointed out that those who are more at risk of falling into this dependency are young people from skin white and habitual users of booths ultraviolet rays (UV) .

The majority of people who suffer this addiction , they usually go several times a week to sunbeds , so they end up with an excess of radiation on the skin, since a session of 7 or 8 minutes in these cabins is equivalent to a whole day of sun.

Symptoms of tanorexia

1. Being excessively tanned
2. Appearance of wrinkles
3. Suffer from anxiety when you do not attend a tanning session
4. Dehydrated skin
5. Think that you have a pale skin tone
6. They do not accept the color of their skin
7. Compete with other people to see who is more tan

Consequences of extreme tanning

1. Premature aging of the skin
2. Increase in wrinkles
3. Spots on the skin
4. Skin burns
5. Produces solar keratosis (small raised, rough area found on skin that has been exposed to the sun for a long period of time)
6. Multiply by three the chances of suffering skin cancer

Treatment

1. Work is done self esteem and the body image so that the affected people can understand that their personal value does not depend on the color of the skin
2. It is not allowed to sunbathe or be exposed to UVA rays
3. For now, until the person has control over the addiction
4. They are not allowed to sunbathe, at least alone; must be accompanied by a close friend, as a couple or with relatives
5. Relaxation programs are used to control the anxiety that produces not being able to sunbathe and negative thoughts
6. In severe cases, where there are signs on the skin, you should go to a dermatologist

The treatment time varies according to the degree of affectation of the skin of each person until they achieve acceptance and be good with themselves.

And you, are you obsessed with getting a perfect tan?