Here’s why you need to think twice before you try out the #SunburnArt trend
Most of us do everything we can to avoid getting sunburned. It hurts like heck, all that peeling skin is a total pain to deal with, and, oh, yeah, getting sunburns ups your chances of developing skin cancer later in life in a very scary way.
That’s why we’re a little nervous about this new #SunburnArt trend making its rounds on social media. As CBS News reports, people are using sunscreen to place a design on one’s body, leaving the rest of one’s body exposed to the sun. Of course, people get burned on the exposed parts of their body, and when that sunburn eventually turns into a tan, the #sunburnart remains on the skin.
We can’t support a trend that skews dangerous, and we’re not only worried that those that partake in #sunburnart are upping their chances of developing melanoma later in life, we’re also worried that lots of people participating don’t realized just how much one sunburn can cost you, and need a crash course in skin health stat.
“The Skin Cancer Foundation strongly advises the public to avoid sunburns at all costs,” the group’s senior vice president, Dr. Deborah S. Sarnoff, stated. “A sunburn is not only painful – it’s dangerous, and comes with consequences. Sunburns cause DNA damage to the skin, accelerate skin aging, and increase your lifetime skin cancer risk. In fact, sustaining five or more sunburns in youth increases lifetime melanoma risk by 80 percent. On average, a person’s risk for melanoma doubles if he or she has had more than five sunburns.”
So what’s a girl to do if she’s dying for hibiscus #sunburnart on her back but doesn’t want risk her health? Spray tanning to the rescue! Just get that stencil secured to the back of your shoulder and spray away. Yes, fake tans only last about a week (and, to be honest, really only a few days if it’s the middle of summer and you’re sweating like crazy every time you hop outside). Still, better to be safe than sorry, and if you end up having to deal with cancer later in life as a result of a fleeting trend you participated in during your youth, we have a feeling you are going to be sorry indeed.
So everyone slather on that SPF 30 (or higher!!) and remember, there is no trend in the world that is worth you risking your health and safety.
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