Sun Bed Use and its Associated Behaviour Patterns in Adolescents
Historically, the tones of skin differentiated the sun-
exposed, tanned working classes from the lighter skinned
upper classes who limited their exposure to sun as much as
possible. It is interesting that even today, in some
ethnicities, especially of the African1 and South
Asian2 continent, a fairer skin is much desired
for, and this has created a multimillion dollar industry
which is successfully selling products from talc, fairness
creams to skin bleaching creams. The Japanese geisha used
white paints and many Caucasians used lead or arsenic based
fairness creams. The phenomenal turn around to tanned skin
in western society has been largely attributed by many to
the very popular ‘caramel-skinned’ Parisian
singer Josephine Baker, and the French fashion designer Coco
Chanel, who in the prime of her popularity accidentally
developed a tan whilst on a yacht trip3.
Thereafter, a ‘winter tan’ became a sign of
leisure and social status.
It was fascinating to read the article by Thomson et
al4 and the results were almost predictable. It
is unfortunate that there is now such a major emphasis by
peers, the media and the society at large, on the physical
appearances that older children and younger adults have
limited success in resisting to such peer pressures and
trends. There are increasing trend of using social
networking sites in the study population and the popularity
of the person unfortunately relies again on text based
interaction or the photographs5.
Not adding a ninth question to the questionnaire asking
sun bed users WHY they were having a tan, was a great
opportunity missed and would have been a very meaningful
question providing further insight into this behaviour.
Perhaps, a large part of the current trends in the study
population has its roots in the way society and the media
select, promote and popularise the current role models,
whose lifestyles and behaviour are copied by their
followers. These society and media created notions of
desirable body types, dress sense, skin tone, etc.
reinforces the beliefs of younger people providing a false
boost to self esteem and a sense of ‘fitting
in’.
We were particularly drawn to a study by
O’Riordan et al6 who found that there was
statistically significant association in adolescent females
between frequent tanning bed use and being highly concerned
with body weight, frequent dieting, laxative use and induced
vomiting, binge drinking, recreational drug use and having
friends who placed a lot of importance on being thin. All of
above are strongly associated with eating disorders, body
dysmorphophobia, anxiety disorders and depression.
Whilst stricter legislation or in fact a ban may
decrease sun bed use and the resultant skin illnesses, it is
paramount that the wider picture is taken into
consideration. The media and society have a large
responsibility in portraying healthier lifestyles. Education
about the health concerns is necessary not just for the
adolescents, but also for the schools and parents.
References:
Ronald E Hall. Bias Among African-Americans
Regarding Skin Color: Implications For Social Work
Practice.Research on Social Work Practice, 1992, vol./is.
2/4, 1049-7315 (1992 Oct)
Sahay S, Piran N. Skin-Color Preferences and Body
Satisfaction Among South Asian-Canadian and European-
Canadian Female University Students. Journal of
Social Psychology, Apr 1997, vol./is. 137/2(161-71), 0022-
4545;0022-4545 (1997 Apr)
Sharon Koskoff. Art Deco Of The Palm Beaches.
Arcadia Publishing. p. 2. ISBN
0738544159.
Catherine S Thomson, Sarah Woolnough, Matthew
Wickenden, Sara Hiom, Chris J Twelves. Sunbed Use In
Children Aged 11-17 In England: Face To Face Quota Sampling
Surveys In The National Prevalence Study And Six Cities
Study. BMJ 2010;340:c877
Joseph B Walther, Brandon Van Der Heide, Sang-Yeon
Kim, David Westerman, Stephanie Tom Tong. The Role Of
Friends' Appearance And Behavior On Evaluations Of
Individuals On Facebook: Are We Known By The Company We
Keep? Human Communication Research, Jan 2008,
vol./is. 34/1(28-49), 0360-3989;1468-2958 (Jan
2008)
David L O’Riordan, Alison E Field, Alan C
Geller, Daniel R Brooks, Gideon Aweh, Graham A Colditz, et
al. Frequent Tanning Bed Use, Weight Concerns, And Other
Health Risk Behaviors In Adolescent Females. Cancer
Causes and Control Volume 17, Number 5 / June, 2006
doi:10.1007/s10552-005-0453-9
Competing interests:
None declared
Competing interests:
No competing interests
28 March 2010
Nadeem Mazi-Kotwal
ST6 in Psychiatry
Protiva Datta, Associate Specialist in General Adult Psychiatry, Bedfordshire and Luton Partnership NHS Trust, Weller Wing, Bedford Hospital, MK429DJ
Rapid Response:
Sun Bed Use and its Associated Behaviour Patterns in Adolescents
exposed, tanned working classes from the lighter skinned
upper classes who limited their exposure to sun as much as
possible. It is interesting that even today, in some
ethnicities, especially of the African1 and South
Asian2 continent, a fairer skin is much desired
for, and this has created a multimillion dollar industry
which is successfully selling products from talc, fairness
creams to skin bleaching creams. The Japanese geisha used
white paints and many Caucasians used lead or arsenic based
fairness creams. The phenomenal turn around to tanned skin
in western society has been largely attributed by many to
the very popular ‘caramel-skinned’ Parisian
singer Josephine Baker, and the French fashion designer Coco
Chanel, who in the prime of her popularity accidentally
developed a tan whilst on a yacht trip3.
Thereafter, a ‘winter tan’ became a sign of
leisure and social status.
al4 and the results were almost predictable. It
is unfortunate that there is now such a major emphasis by
peers, the media and the society at large, on the physical
appearances that older children and younger adults have
limited success in resisting to such peer pressures and
trends. There are increasing trend of using social
networking sites in the study population and the popularity
of the person unfortunately relies again on text based
interaction or the photographs5.
sun bed users WHY they were having a tan, was a great
opportunity missed and would have been a very meaningful
question providing further insight into this behaviour.
Perhaps, a large part of the current trends in the study
population has its roots in the way society and the media
select, promote and popularise the current role models,
whose lifestyles and behaviour are copied by their
followers. These society and media created notions of
desirable body types, dress sense, skin tone, etc.
reinforces the beliefs of younger people providing a false
boost to self esteem and a sense of ‘fitting
in’.
O’Riordan et al6 who found that there was
statistically significant association in adolescent females
between frequent tanning bed use and being highly concerned
with body weight, frequent dieting, laxative use and induced
vomiting, binge drinking, recreational drug use and having
friends who placed a lot of importance on being thin. All of
above are strongly associated with eating disorders, body
dysmorphophobia, anxiety disorders and depression.
decrease sun bed use and the resultant skin illnesses, it is
paramount that the wider picture is taken into
consideration. The media and society have a large
responsibility in portraying healthier lifestyles. Education
about the health concerns is necessary not just for the
adolescents, but also for the schools and parents.
Regarding Skin Color: Implications For Social Work
Practice.Research on Social Work Practice, 1992, vol./is.
2/4, 1049-7315 (1992 Oct)
Satisfaction Among South Asian-Canadian and European-
Canadian Female University Students. Journal of
Social Psychology, Apr 1997, vol./is. 137/2(161-71), 0022-
4545;0022-4545 (1997 Apr)
Arcadia Publishing. p. 2. ISBN
0738544159.
Wickenden, Sara Hiom, Chris J Twelves. Sunbed Use In
Children Aged 11-17 In England: Face To Face Quota Sampling
Surveys In The National Prevalence Study And Six Cities
Study. BMJ 2010;340:c877
Kim, David Westerman, Stephanie Tom Tong. The Role Of
Friends' Appearance And Behavior On Evaluations Of
Individuals On Facebook: Are We Known By The Company We
Keep? Human Communication Research, Jan 2008,
vol./is. 34/1(28-49), 0360-3989;1468-2958 (Jan
2008)
Geller, Daniel R Brooks, Gideon Aweh, Graham A Colditz, et
al. Frequent Tanning Bed Use, Weight Concerns, And Other
Health Risk Behaviors In Adolescent Females. Cancer
Causes and Control Volume 17, Number 5 / June, 2006
doi:10.1007/s10552-005-0453-9
Competing interests:
None declared
Competing interests: No competing interests