Urgent warning over ‘poisonous’ new tanning trend
A “dangerous” new tanning craze is sweeping social media, prompting a number of skin and cancer experts to speak out.
Experts have issued an urgent warning after social media users began adopting a dangerous new tanning “hack”.
A string of videos shows tanning’s trend involves pouring beer over your skin, with some claiming it offers “the best tan ever” while being affordable.
But experts have described the dubious so-called “hack” as downright dangerous, The Sun reports.
Not only does it make you sticky and a magnet for pesky bugs, it also puts you at risk of heatstroke, sun poisoning and deadly skin cancer.
“I can barely believe this insanity exists. This is an extremely dangerous so-called ‘trend’ with potentially very serious consequences,” Kathryn Clifford, co-founder of skin cancer awareness charity Skcin, told the British publication.
“Tan-seekers of all kinds are at serious risk of developing all types of skin cancer and burning of the skin is strongly linked to the development of melanoma – the most serious life-threatening form of the disease.
“Furthermore, skin cancer is disproportionately high in young adults and one of the biggest killing cancers in the 15 to 34 age group – the same age group that uses this social platform more than any other.”
Australia has the highest rate of skin cancer in the world with two-in-three Australians expected to be diagnosed in their lifetimes and almost 2000 Australians dying of skin cancer each year.
“Overexposure to UV radiation causes 95 per cent of melanomas, making it almost entirely preventable,” Chair of the Cancer Council National Skin Committee, Professor Anne Cust, told news.com.au.
“We urge people not to proactively seek a suntan.”
Other sun protection experts shared the same concerns about the “unthinkable lengths” people go to achieve a tan.
Stefano Pietrini warned using beer as a tanning aid could lead to sun poisoning.
“Using beer to tan, especially without SPF, significantly raises the risk of sunburn, heatstroke and, with continued use, premature ageing,” he told The Sun.
“Without SPF, it only takes 10 minutes in the sun to start burning.
“Over time, this poses the risk of skin cancer, with 70 per cent of cases caused by sun damage.
‘Insanity’
Pietrini said people probably think beer might be a good tan-enhancer because hops, a key ingredient, supposedly increases the production of melanin – a substance that makes our skin darker.
But this doesn’t make it suitable for sunbathing.
“Any method used to accelerate tanning actually does more harm than good and will result in permanent skin damage,” he added.
“Remember, no matter how appealing a tan may seem this summer, nothing is worth the irreversible damage created through this trend.”
While British experts called for this sort of content, largely found on TikTok, to be banned – the platform has already started making strides in this area in Australia.
TikTok actively banned videos encouraging tanning last year after Melanoma Institute Australia raised concern about the “sunburnt tanlines” hashtag on the platform having more than 200 million views.
These videos consisting largely of teenagers and young adults showing off their sunburn.
TikTok also launched its “Tanning. It’s Cooked” campaign – which has been live since December 1 – which activates a warning message for users when search terms like “beach”, “sunburn”, and “summer sun” are typed in.
Anyone looking for content about tanning with be fed a message that reads: “Australia is #1 in the world for skin cancer. Find out more about how to protect yourself from melanoma.”
“We hope that we can save some lives,” general manager of TikTok in Australia and New Zealand, Lee Hunter, said.
“And we hope that people can really start to change the message around the dangers of tanning.”
— With The Sun
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