The Graphic (Internet / Print) 02/17/06 http://graphic.pepperdine.edu/living/2006/2006-02-16-tanorexia.htm Doctors are beginning to see tanning in a different light other than a cosmetic choice some people make. A 2005 study by Dr. Robert Wagner, a professor at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas, showed that people who tan can develop a dependency on tanning. For the study, people at beaches were given a modified version of the CAGE assessment, which was originally developed to identify people who abuse alcohol. The study found that about 25 percent of beachgoers showed signs of a tanning addiction. However, this can not be applied to the population as a whole because beach-goers may be more prone to tanning dependency. “It’s not such a simple phenomenon,” Wagner said. “I think it’s multi-factorial. There are psychological effects and cultural effects of tanning and maybe physiological effects.”