Search |
Advertisement
Featured Slideshows
Celebrities Separated At Birth?
More
|
Close Window E-mail This Page
Believe It Or Not 'Tanorexia' A Very Real Problem
Required fields are marked with an asterisk(*)
-
- Send me a copy of this e-mail.
-
Click here to refresh with new letters
The information you provide will be used only to send the requested e-mail and will not be used to send any other e-mail communications. Read more in our Privacy Policy
Stumble It!
May 20, 2009 5:56 am US/Eastern
Believe It Or Not 'Tanorexia' A Very Real Problem
University Study Reveals Credible Evidence That One Can Get Addicted To Sun-Tanning Like With Drugs, Alcohol
Reporting-
Click to enlarge
-
AP
Related Slideshows
Related Stories
- CBS 2 HD Presents: Where The Jobs Are Part II (5/19/2009)
- CBS 2 HD Presents: Where The Jobs Are (5/5/2009)
You know the risks.
"I wear a lot of sunscreen," said Kennedy Carruthers of the West Village.
"I've seen some women who are addicted to tanning and it's not very healthy," added Kate Cosgrove of Cincinnati.
Still, for many, having a perfectly bronzed body is the ultimate goal.
"Everyone tells me you know you're going to regret it 10 years from now," Jamie George said.
George said she's addicted, hitting the tanning bed up to three times a week and spending $3,000 a year.
"A tanorexic, I definitely would be guilty," George said.
And tanorexia is considered a real condition.
There is evidence to support a tanning addiction. A recent large university study found 25 percent of respondents showed some signs of being addicted, with symptoms similar to those of drug and alcohol dependent individuals.
This may explain why George and so many others are conflicted by their behavior. Statistics show skin cancer is the most common, accounting for at least half of all cancers.
"You know that it's going to harm you but you can't give it up," George said.
Then there's Melanotan. It's an injectible drug that promises a safer way to tan. No baking, no faking. It works by boosting your body's levels of melanin, the pigment that controls the color of your skin.
The problem is its illegal.
"It's possible that several thousand people have used it," Dr. Ross Levy told CBS 2 HD.
Like them, CBS 2 HD easily bought it online for $40. What'd we get?
"This is all I got, no instruction, nothing. Just a vial with no label on it," Dr. Levy said.
Levy said Melanotan could one day be as big as Botox. He was shocked we were able to buy it before it's even been tested.
"There is not a doctor in this country that would really know how to do this," Levy said.
Still there are countless reports of women injecting this illegal drug themselves in a desperate desire to achieve the perfect tan.
"Something about injecting is a little scary but I mean if it lessens the chance of skin cancer it would be something I would look into," George said.
While not approved in the United States, Levy said Melanotan is currently being tested in Australia.
Levy said Melanotan is at least five years away from being approved in the U.S.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
WCBSTV.com's Most Popular Pages
You need the latest Flash player to view video content.
Click here to download.
Click here to bypass this detection if you already have the latest Flash Player.
Click here to download.
Click here to bypass this detection if you already have the latest Flash Player.
Advertisement
