A new trend is taking social media by storm, but this one was deemed unhealthy by health experts. Many individuals are posting sunburn art photos in their social media accounts as it was hyped as the new trend among youngsters. However, dermatologists are warning the public as it may cause skin cancer.
With melanoma rates on the rise, doctors say that it is very shocking to see this fad roam among social media users. These people use strategically placed sunblock on their body to create their sunburn art then would snap photos of it to be uploaded in the internet. Some even put decals and would skip their sun protection lotions.
"Five good sunburns in your life increase your chances of getting malignant melanoma by about 80%," Doctor Lornell Hansen told KDLT News.
According to ABC News, images of sunburn tattoo arts are making the rounds using the hashtag, #sunburnart. Some people think that the images on their body are just temporary but experts warn that some may take a longer time for the skin to heal depending on the extent of the damage.
Dr. Richard LeConey at the Institute Of Anti-Aging told ABC News, "One deep sunburn is damaging to the skin, permanently. Your skin never forgets. There will be some long lingering pigment effects there that won't go away. Even when their skin lightens up, there will probably be some residual faintness of this image."
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States. Specifically, melanoma which is a type of skin cancer is the deadliest kind and it is caused by exposure to the ultraviolet rays from the sun. Their report says that in 2011, 65,647 people in the United States were diagnosed with melanomas of the skin, including 38,415 men and 27,232 women. Out of this number, 9,128 people in the United States died from skin cancer.
They released health recommendations to protect the skin from cancer. They recommend that people should stay in the shade especially during the day, wear clothing that covers the arms and legs, use sunscreen and avoid indoor tanning.