title: Current versus ideal skin tones and tanning behaviors in Caucasian college women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore tanning behaviors and whether a discrepancy between current and ideal skin tones exists.
  
  
  METHODS
  The sample included 78 Caucasian women from a mid-sized midwestern university.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were collected in spring 2012 via a paper questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sixty-two percent of the sample regularly engaged in salon tanning at least once per week, with an average frequency of 2.5 visits per week. Thirteen percent endorsed regularly tanning 4 or more times per week, and 26% reported visiting a tanning bed more than once in a 24-hour period. Ninety-four percent wished their current skin tone was darker, and ideal tone was significantly darker than current tone.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The data suggest that the young Caucasian women in this sample tend to be dissatisfied with their current skin tone to an extent that leads the majority of them to engage in risky, potentially cancer-causing behavior by either salon tanning or considering tanning in the future as time and finances become available.
authors: a Department of Psychology , Southern Illinois University Edwardsville , Edwardsville , Illinois.
authors: Ashley
authors: A
authors: Hemrich
authors: Laura
authors: L
authors: Pawlow
authors: Andrew
authors: A
authors: Pomerantz
authors: Dan
authors: D
authors: Segrist
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D012880:Skin Pigmentation; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013633:Tanning / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014495:Universities / Q000639:trends*; D044465:White People / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: current skin tone; ideal skin tone; salon tanning; tanning; tanning bed