What is Tanorexia?
Tanorexia is a form of tanning addiction, characterized by a belief that one’s skin is never quite dark enough. The name for this condition is obviously meant to evoke anorexia, another form of body image disorder which causes people to constantly try to lose more weight, under the impression that they are heavier than they really are. While the thought of a tanning addiction might seem laughable, tanning addictions and tanorexia are actually very serious problems. Simply put, tanning addiction is a syndrome in which people feel a constant need to tan, much as smokers frequently desire cigarettes. Someone with a tanning addiction may spend hours sunbathing or in tanning beds, and he or she may complain about a loss of tan after a few days of inclement weather. In some cases, the tanning schedule becomes so important that someone with a tanning addiction will decline social engagements or miss work in order to tan, and when someone with a tanning addiction tries to stop, he or she will
Well tanorexia is a bit like anorexia, except it’s the tanness not the skinninest that they are worried about. Alot of people suffer from tanorexia and doesn’t realise they have it. Their are some ways to tell if you are tanorexia. It can make you fear sunscreens, make you feel that your tan is too light, using sunbeds everyday although you know that it gives cancer.
Although tanorexia may sound like a made up word to you, the truth is that it is a condition which really does exist. The name has, as you can probably guess, been based on the eating disorder called anorexia. The main thing that tanorexia and anorexia have in common is the fact that they are both psychological conditions, rather than physical conditions. Tanorexia is a word which is used in order to describe people who feel the continuous need to tan, despite any known consequences which are associated with using tanning salons or laying outside in the sun. What Are The Symptoms? The number one symptom of tanorexia is the constant desire to tan, even though you may realize that there are dangerous or even deadly consequences with doing so. However, there are also a number of other signs which may indicate that you have tanorexia. Some of these indicators are as follows: – Spending hours at the salon or outside in the sun, even if it means that you will get the slightest bit of a tan.
