One in five young women who use sunbeds are addicted to the high dose of ultraviolet radiation that leaves them bronzed, warns new research.
The ‘troubling’ findings suggests that ‘indoor tanning dependency’ is worryingly common in young women, especially in those with depression, experts said.
The survey of young women who have used indoor tanning at least once in the past year showed that more than one in five of them have signs of being addicted to the high dose of UV radiation.
And women with symptoms of depression were three times more likely to meet the criteria for having a tanning dependence.
Experts warn the findings should be a red flag to doctors who may prescribe sunbed tanning to people who suffer from seasonal affective disorder (SAD), rather than offering them a light box free of cancer risk.
