Jane Brody had a recent column in the NY Times on new studies which indicate that some people may actually be addicted to natural or artificial tanning. The focus is on tanning salons which are more easily accessible to the public.
Here's an excerpt.
"Dermatologists express great frustration with their seeming
inability to deter tanning behavior, particularly among adolescents and
young adults, who are most at risk for the ill effects from these
otherwise life-giving rays.
There are many explanations for this failure, including the widespread
belief that people look better (read healthier and perhaps thinner) when
they are tan. This notion has helped to foster the multibillion-dollar
indoor tanning industry, supported by some young patrons as often as 20
times a month.
But in recent years, another explanation has emerged for which there is
now considerable scientific support: the idea that exposing one’s skin
to UV radiation has addictive potential.
As with alcohol, not everyone who is exposed becomes dependent on the
sun. But there are enough UV abusers — one in five college students,
perhaps half of beach habitués and 70 percent of indoor tanners,
according to various studies — to warrant a new medical diagnostic
category: tanning addiction.
The full article is worth reading.