Tanning marketing exposing young people to skin cancer risk, doctor warns
Louise Walsh
A lifestyle medicine doctor is worried that trends such as sunburnt tan lines and the resurgence in sunbed use means young people are going backwards when it comes to sun safety.
As we face into weekend forecasts of soaring temperatures, Dr Kate McCann says young people are being drawn into tanning marketing at a time when over 11,000 new cases of skin cancer are being diagnosed each year in Ireland.
"The hashtag #sunburntlines has more than 200 million views on TikTok but intentional sunburn lines aren't the only example of young people's obsession with tanned skin as another trend sees people tattooing tan lines into their chests," she said.
"We had been making great progress in realising that tanning isn't a sign of beauty, it's a sign of skin damage. We've been great in promoting awareness of sun safety but now it seems, we really are going backwards.
"We are now starting to see the use of sunbeds going back up after having been a trend to get away from and the use of tanning oils is on the rise again. We know that the use of sunbeds before age 35 can increase risk of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, by 75 per cent."
The Dublin based preventative health doctor who lives in Ashbourne, Co Meath says the marketing influence of tanning among influencers on social media platforms and TV is worrying.
"There are more and more people under 35 years of age who are not worried about premature ageing and they see their beauty as a short-term thing. They are being targeted by online trends promoting health misinformation, such as the use of cooking oil for faster tanning. It's just exposing you to increased risk of skin damage.
"Even one severe sunburn - that is a sunburn that blisters or peels - as a child or teen doubles the risk of skin cancer later in life. Nine out of 10 cases of skin cancer come from UV exposure from sun or sunbeds. This is really a concern among health professionals right now as there is a huge amount of health misinformation being circulated on social media about sunscreen.
"We have also gone back 25 years to tan lines trends that were fashionable back then. Using sunblock or stickers on your skin while you tan to leave a white mark or 'tattoo' behind is now in vogue again.”
Tanning has been shown to be addictive for some people. Dr McCann advocates for positive body image which includes skin tone.
"I say, own your tone. All skin tones are beautiful.
"Look in the mirror and say I am who I am and I am beautiful, whatever your skin colour is. It’s not ‘pasty’ - I would say ‘pure porcelain perfection’”.
"The trends are worrying but we can still promote sun safety awareness through healthy family habits: Slip on a shirt, slap on a hat, slide on some shades, seek some shade – and slop on the sunscreen or a mineral sunblock. We need to have ongoing discussion with our children and teens about beauty trends and body image. No trend looks as beautiful as healthy feels.”
Dr McCann urges everyone to fact check influencer and social media claims when it comes to skin health and sun safety, and encourages families and patients to use trusted resources like the Irish Cancer Society website.
