She feels the warmth of the lamps heating up against her skin as the lights seem to get brighter and brighter. She lies there naked, completely relaxed and almost motionless, with a smile on her face. The sound of a fan blows faintly in the distance which propels a light soothing breeze. There is something about the warming of her skin that brings her pleasure. She knows she will be able to maintain her beautiful bronze glow all through the winter.

Janel Heisey, 22, is one of many who enjoy tanning. She has not just been lying in the sun outside, but also in tanning beds for the past seven years. She says her love for tanning started in her sophomore year in high school when she wanted to be tan for the dances.

There appears to be an increase in the amount of people who are tanning now more than before. Both men and women, primarily young adults, are participating in the fad. According to an article in the Washington Post, by William Saletan in May 2006, about 30 million Americans are using indoor tanning salons. At least one in four teenage girls and about one in every two women ages 18 to19, have used some sort of indoor tanning devise to maintain their color. Many identify with the term Tanorexics or Tanorexia, which is much like Anorexia but instead of believing you are overweight, you think you are not tan enough, even though your skin may appear orange to others.

“I know it’s bad for you, but I like it,” says Heisey. “More girls in the world do it than don’t.

Supposedly talking on a cell phone is bad for you. Anything can give you cancer.”

She maintains her tan by visiting her favorite tanning salon in the East Bay, called Sunset Tanning, three to four times a week. She also uses specially designed tanning lotion to give her skin a darker tint, which helps attract the rays to her skin. That way she can use the bed’s full capacity. The lotion is called “Love Junky,” and can be found in most tanning salons for $56 a bottle. According to Heisey, it will last about a year.

“I notice when you don’t use it I can tell a difference in color,” she says. “You look more bronze (with the lotion).”

Heisey acknowledges that there are some people who tan on a daily basis, which she doesn’t think is good.

“They look like a wax person,” she says. “I go at random times, random days and I see the same people.”

According to Heisey, there is a point where she believes people can get too tan and appear to look orange. She says she does cover her face with a towel to prevent burning or getting wrinkles.

“I don’t think I’m an addict, I just like to tan,” she says. “If I was told I had skin cancer I would stop.”

The United States isn’t the only country with people obsessing over being bronze. According to BBC News, England is also having an issue mostly with teens wanting tan skin. The British Medical Association and Cancer Research UK has called a ban on anyone under 16 using tanning salons.
A study by Newcastle University, completed in May 2004, found that close to 100 people die as a direct result of indoor tanning every year in the U.K.

In the U.S., The American Medical Association is asking lawmakers to have tanning devises be off-limits to anyone under the age of 18. The American Academy of Dermatology wants to outlaw them all together.

Tanning salons tend to have a different outlook, according to Kim Robinson, 21-year-old SF State Business Major, who works at Solar Planet tanning salon located on Lombard Street in the Marina District. She says referring to her salon, three percent of the sun’s radiation is ultraviolet (UV), and one to three percent is the UV ray that stimulates the melanin in your skin, called UVB light. Ninety-seven percent to 99 percent is UVA light, which is the UV ray that darkens your skin.
“Our beds have around 2.2 percent UVB compared to other beds that have three to 5.5 percent,” says Robinson. She claims she has heard other salons have beds that could go up to 16 percent.

“When you tan indoors you are in a controlled environment,” Robinson says. “When you are outdoors factors such as air pollution, season of the year, time of day, altitude, reflective surface and latitude can all intensify UV radiation.”

According to a sign posted on the window of Solar Planet by ITA Indoor Tanning Association, sun exposure is good for human health. Moderate sun exposure improves bone health, enhances medical health, prevents certain cancers, improves heart health, alleviates some skin disorders, decreases risk of autoimmune disorders and alleviates conditions related to obesity.

Robinson also began tanning in high school to get ready for the dances. She says she used to play softball and would get tan lines from the kneepads she worn during the games.

“After that I liked how it looked,” says Robinson. “I like tanning in a bed because in Northern California there is not enough sun. I like to go to the salon because it’s faster.”

Robinson maintains her glow by continuing to tan at her work once every seven to 10 days, which is all that Solar Planet recommends after you have gotten your base tan, a process that takes up to two to three weeks with tanning every two days.

There may be a price to pay in order to maintain that healthy looking glow, according to Clinical Psychologists Shelley Diamond, Ph.D, who specializes in working with people who have skin diseases.

“Unfortunately, these young women, and sometimes men, typically avoid confronting the possibility that they have a problem,” says Diamond. “Despite the fact that physicians have told them they are at high risk of developing skin cancer.”

According to Diamond, These types of patients usually do not show up for appointments, or those that do expect a quick fix to their addiction.

“It’s frightening and overwhelming to explore the real reasons why they are doing this,” she says. “But over time, it gets easier and it starts to feel great to talk to someone who cares about the real you inside, underneath the skin.”

Those who tan don’t want to think about the possibility of getting cancer, but are still aware of the possibility and want to keep up their tan image.

“You can get cancer from the sun too, so everything within moderation,” says Robinson.