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Weekly spray tans on ‘Dancing with the Stars’ AND trips to the tanning salon! Is Kate a tanning addict? And is she putting herself at risk? We asked experts — now find out what they said!

So, BFFs, we’re asking a key question: Is Kate Gosselin a tanorexic? And by tanorexic, we mean a woman who simply can’t stay away from tanning, whether by spray or by bed.

The constant trips to the tanning salon may simply seem like a way for the mother of eight to relax and get some color, but according to a recent New York Times article, it’s a legit addiction: “Many people think a bronzed tan gives them a healthy glow. But new research shows that people who regularly use tanning beds may be suffering from a form of addiction.” So again, we ask: has Kate become tanorexic?

We spoke to leading dermatologists, and according to their criteria, Kate is 100% tanorexic! She said on Oprah she got a special spray tan every Sunday on Dancing with the Stars, but was still spotted hitting up the salon at least a couple times a week in March and April during her time on the show! US Weekly even reported last year, “Kate spent the afternoon of the sextuplets’ actual birthday — Mother’s Day — at a tanning salon instead of with her kids.” So it appears that  Kate is definitely rearranging plans and making sure to always have tanning in her schedule, a couple of major signs of true bronze-addiction.

Now, is tanning harmful and especially if it’s done in a tanning bed ? The answers are an unequivocal yes and YES! Here’s the scary facts from the Skin Cancer Foundation. Melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer – and it is VERY deadly-  has increased 50 % since 1980 in women 15 to 39 AND people who use tanning beds when they are young have a 75 % greater chance of developing melanoma than those who don’t.

Then listen to this from Dr. Robert Grant, the Chief  of Cosmetic Surgery at  New York Presbyterian Hospital: “it is very clear to everyone that the exposure to UV lights in tanning beds present huge health and cosmetic risks. The health risks include a higher chance for all skin cancers, from Basils to Melanoma, and cosmetic risks include severe premature aging, lines, wrinkles, irregular pigmentation, and even wart like lesions on the skin. Remember those bumps our grandparents had on their skin when they were younger so we didn’t want to kiss them? Those are the result of too much UV exposure.” Yikes!

So Kate and any of you out there, who are tanorexics- stop it now! Kate- you have 8 babies, you need to stop for your children’s sake!

If you’re wondering if  you too could be a tanning addict, HollywoodLife.com spoke with New York based cosmetic surgeon and dermatologist Dr. Neil Sadick who laid out a few signs of a tanning addiction:

1. Someone who cannot let their skin go lighter than dark brown.
2. Someone who feels they cannot live without tanning.
3. Someone who makes sure to always have tanning in their schedule.
4. Someone who rearranges plans to tan.

Dr. Catherine Mosher, a researcher at New York’s Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center who conducted the tanning study, had this to say about the people she interviewed: “It sounds like for some of them, it is affecting their relationships with others. And 100 percent of them said they believe they can get skin cancer from tanning beds or booths, but it doesn’t prevent them from spending time using them.”

That’s pretty scary news BFFs! It seems like we all need to be careful we don’t become tanning addicts like Kate!

-Chris Spargo and Bonnie Fuller