Fall is only a few weeks away and some of us have a hard time letting go of summer.

Ditching bathing suits in favor of scarves and long pants for yet another long wait until spring doesn’t bode highly with those who worship the burning star in the sky or those of us who just appreciate dressing down instead of under a few layers.

For most people the disappearance of summer means their skin will soon dry up like cracked paint and turn pale once again or in my case paler but for a good percentage of the population this transition only means more trips to the salon.

Tanning salons are more popular than ever and everywhere you look you can always spot an unnatural orange hue during the more dreary months. Assuming some of them just got back from the Caribbean, the rest may have an addiction that’s more harmful than it may seem.

A new study done by researchers from Philadelphia’s Fox Chase Cancer Center examined 400 students between the ages of 18 and 24 according to the same parameters used to define substance abuse.

Trying to assess symptoms of withdrawal, obsessive patterns, and temperament related to desiring a “healthy-looking” skin shade.  We have known for years that indoor tanning beds are still harmful to your health, but there are more people willing to take those risks than dare to show their true colors.

The students from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond were asked questions similar to, “Does you feel the need to spend increased amounts of time in the sun to achieve a ‘perfect’ tan?” or “If you believe that skin cancer can be acquired through tanning, does that stop or lessen your time in tanning beds or out in the sun?” Along with questions about Body Mass Index , smoking habits, and exercise, out of the 400 teens and young adults questioned, 27 percent showed signs of being “tanorexic”.