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The recent enactment of statewide bans against indoor tanning for minors is a testament to growing public acknowledgement that ultraviolet (UV) light exposure is the major risk factor for skin cancer. Nevertheless, tanning behavior is pervasive, and sunscreen use typically falls far below recommended levels. The notion that tanning may be an addictive behavior is not new. Several groups have shown that β-endorphin levels are elevated in humans after tanning and that opioid antagonists produce withdrawal symptoms in tanners.
To study how UV exposure can drive addictive behaviors, Fell and colleagues irradiated mice at a suberythemal dose equivalent to 20 to 30 minutes of ambient midday summer sun exposure in Florida on Fitzpatrick skin types …