A new study published in the Archives of Dermatology has found the deadly disease tanorexia to be hereditary.
Tanorexia is a condition marked by the obsessive need to burn one’s skin until it is an unnatural shade of tan. This is typically done while lying poolside, beachside, or within a lightbulb-lined coffin. People who suffer from tanorexia can easily be spotted by their freakish skin tone, which will later transform into dry, crag-like crevices as the sufferer ages. The unnatural shade makes the whites of sufferers’ eyes stand out, giving them an appearance of being perpetually surprised. Sufferers also tend to accent their dark skin with extremely dark or extremely light hair, as well as skintight clothing, which gives them the appearance of Sports Illustrated: Swimsuit Edition rejects.
The study, conducted by Dr. Elaine Ray of the Alaskan College of Medicine, interviewed 2,000 women between the ages of 18 and 30 who tan themselves regularly—even during the dead of winter. Dr. Ray found that the worst tanorexic suffers had mothers who were also tanorexic.
“Many tanorexic young women started fighting their disease as teenagers, when their tanorexic mothers first introduced them to tanning salons,” Dr. Ray states. “Mother and daughter would then start visiting the tanning salon together. It was a bonding experience, like shopping. Only, instead of building up credit card debt, they were raising their cancer risk.”
Dr. Ray’s study found that tanorexic mothers and daughters suffered from an array of other issues, including low self-esteem, an unrealistic self-image, and pale-skin-phobia. They also tended to be addicted to celebrity magazines like Us Weekly and to reality shows like The Bachelor and Jersey Shore. Tanorexic mothers were also found to enjoy shopping in the teen section of clothing stores.
“Tanorexia is a real problem,” said Dr. Ray in an interview on Good Morning America. She went on to quote the findings of a World Health Organization study that found tanning to be among the top cancer risks—as deadly as arsenic. Even the FDA has considered enacting underage tanning bans that would make it illegal for all people under the age of 18 to use tanning beds.
“We should really put a stop to the unhealthy madness that is tanorexia,” Dr. Ray stated. “Hopefully, knowing that the condition is heredity will help us to develop successful interventions so we can save lives and save people from the visual harassment of seeing tanorexics out in public.”