bite
real
life
T
he scene is set, the sun is
shining and the waves are
lightly tickling the shore
of a secluded beach in
the Bahamas. You have the
perfect designer bikini you’ve always
wanted and the washboard abs to go
with it but before you get comfy, you
must remember the most important
beach accessory: sunscreen.
Over the last year tanorexia, a new and
highly dangerous fad has influenced many
in the UK and beyond. Though the
tanorexic label itself may sound
a little ridiculous, it is in fact a
medical condition describing a
psychological addiction disorder
in which a person becomes
obsessed with spending large
amounts of time tanning,
exposed to the sun or under a
tanning bed.This is usually due
to the common perception
that one is unattractively pale.
With eight million people
currently suffering from skin
disease in the UK, tanorexia
is a serious health issue. The
disorder was put on a global
media platform in May of this
year when tanorexic mum,
Patricia Krentcil from New Jersey
was arrested after taking her fair
skinned five-year-old daughter
to a tanning salon where she
received burns all over her body.
The issue was also brought to
the attention of many in the
fashion industry after the H&M
summer campaign was criticised
by health professionals, who
believed that the images would
encourage unhealthy behaviour
amongst young people.
In recent years, the appeal
of tanning has grown.Though
there are numerous fake
tan products on the
market, many young
people across the UK
are seeking a more
permanent solution
in the frequent use
of sunbeds, unaware
of the severe risks
involved. A review
by
the
World
Health Organisation’s
International
Agency
for Research on Cancer
(
IARC) found that first
exposure to sunbeds before
the age of 35 increases the
risk of malignant melanoma
by 75 per cent. In Scotland the
popularity of sunbeds over the last
decade has impacted dramatically
upon the health of the nation with
official figures showing a 62.8 per cent
increase in skin cancer between 2000 and
2010.
EVERYYEAR,THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE FLOCK
TO HOLIDAY HOTSPOTS TO CATCHTHE
SUN OR ALTERNATIVELY USE SUNBEDS TO
GET THAT GOLDENTAN BUT DOTHEY
REALISE THE CONSEQUENCES?
CORRINE
MCCONNACHIE
EXPLAINS THE DANGERS OF
USINGTANNING BEDS AND NOT PROTECTING
OUR SKIN FROMTHE SUN’S RAYS.
The Time Bomb
is ticking for
Tanorexics