We did it when we were young. But we didn’t know any better. Humans know more now and I, for one, wouldn’t dream of doing it today. I’m talking about tanning.
Even though I’m notoriously sun shy, I still wouldn’t tan even if I had the resilient hide of a hippo. Sure, we need sunshine (or vitamin D anyway) to survive but that doesn’t make laying under hot beams of light a better idea. Yet, there’s Gen Z, ages 14-29 right now, sizzling in the sun until they brown and crisp like rotisserie chickens. I live in a beach town so I can confirm a Star story about this generation’s* love for tanning and dismissal of sun science.
TikTok Says It’s Okay – What’s the Problem?
The reasons young folks are taking to tans are superficial and heavily influenced by, well, influencers:
- A tan makes you look better in pictures.
- It’s slimming.
- It reminds you of summer.
- Sunscreen is a myth devised by big pharma.
In horror, I watched an Instagram video of a woman who claims we’ll look back one day and realize sunscreen was the cause of skin cancer, not a preventive measure. (Thousands share this view.) Others mix common household ingredients in their kitchens and claim they’re just as effective as major sunscreen brands. Who knew baking soda blocked UVA and UVB rays? Well, it doesn’t. I make my own DIY shower spray but that’s as far as I’m willing to go as a home product replicator. Sunscreens are tested and approved by scientists, you know, like Dr. Fauci. People with credentials and experience and wisdom. It’s become cool to dismiss science in place of a gut feeling.
Those of us who tanned in our younger years are now seeing its long-term effects. Dark patches on the skin. Furrowed wrinkles. Some of that stuff comes with aging but a lot of it comes from too much time in the sun. When I started having issues with my sensitive skin in my late twenties and early thirties, a dermatologist taught me about sunscreen. She showed me how much to apply –a lot more than you think –and the prevailing wisdom back then was it would last all day. We now know that isn’t true. Reapplication is a must.
A Tan is the Skin’s Cry for Help
The skin doesn’t darken because it wants your eyes to pop in photos. It’s sending out pigment to protect the body from an assault. Tan skin isn’t healthier, it’s in crisis mode, trying to fend off an invader. The sun is breaking down collagen and damaging DNA. Just check out the sun damage on lower layers of my face even though I’ve been a shade person for decades. Once the damage is done, it’s permanent.
So, what’s going to happen to these young tanmaxxers when they get older? First, let’s hope they get older. Our dear friend Kent died last year after a brief battle against melanoma. I don’t know his sunshine history and skin cancer can absolutely develop apart from sun tanning. But it’s the major risk factor. So why increase the odds?
When I feel my legs look a little pasty, I use a self-tanning lotion to give them colour. Like diseased lungs on cigarette packs, maybe showing your fave Gen Z THESE PHOTOS will change their minds. They prove the stark difference between the skin of twin sisters at age 61. One tanned, one didn’t. The future might seem like it’s a long way off for these young tanning fans but it will come. For their sakes, I hope it doesn’t come with a bunch of health problems that could have been easily prevented.
*A huge generalization to be sure but statistically, they’re most likely to bake to get tanned.