Every once in a while I see a trend that is disturbing. This is one I became aware of through my dermatology medical news. It is so concerning that the government of France is raising a red flag on this social media trend that involves promoting unprotected sun exposure. With vacations to warm climates and Spring break coming up, listen up!

Now, I have been sounding the alarm on tanning and tanning beds for years. Despite the medical concerns, the look of a tan seems to outweigh the danger associated with tanning beds and unprotected sun exposure. And the same is true for sunburn. There are no safe sunburns or sun tanning for that matter.

This new fad goes beyond. The idea is to produce defined tan lines by creating a temporary tattoo through deliberate sunburning. These are called sun tattoos, burn lines or tan lines. Seen on English speaking videos, the idea is to draw a pattern with sunscreen to create a lasting impression of the burn. You can create the “tattoo” by wearing stickers, sunscreen or tape to mark the skin during sun exposure. This results in a temporary design due to the contrasting skin colors.

As someone who is now paying the price for unprotected sun exposure as a child (we didn’t know better), I know that 85% of skin cancers are linked to childhood sun exposure. Excessive ultraviolet exposure leads to skin cancers. So what looks cool today can have serious consequences later in life. This craze to create body art is injury to the skin. To deliberately exposure yourself to the harmful effects of the sun for a temporary thrill or creative moment needs a pause or more like a cease and desist.

And here is a blistering fact from board certified Moh’s surgeon, Dr. Hovenic, “Even one blistering sunburn or just five sunburns before the age of 18 can double the lifetime risk of melanoma, one of the deadliest forms of skin cancer.” Four Moh’s surgeries later, I wish my parents and I had known the dangers of unprotected sun exposure. I grew up on Lake Michigan and spent many days in the sun with my fair pale skin.  Here I am years later, staying on top of my skin issues and removing the cancers.

I remember my daughter being upset at prom because I would not allow her to do to a tanning bed like most of her friends. It was a hard line to draw as a parent, but I am thankful I did. So parents, don’t be afraid to draw boundaries and educate your children. And you can add that sun exposure also accelerates aging and wrinkles. Spray tan is the way to go if they want that sun tanned look. Those tans temporarily dye the outer layer of the skin with no UV damage. but you still need to use sunscreen.

Bottom line: A craze on Tik Tok may look creative and fun but consider the damage that may be done for a lifetime. Parents do your part. Educate your teens and young adults. They will be grateful later in life.