Photo: Maclane Auerbach
Tanmaxxing is a popular trend among teens, despite a mountain of evidence about the dangers of UV radiation, and warnings of increased skin cancer risk. Maclane Auerbach has watched the trend catch on, prompting her to speak up and educate her peers by sharing the truth about tanmaxxing.
By Maclane Auerbach
As a teenage girl, I’ve realized that being tan gives you an automatic status upgrade. People my age believe that a tan is a sign of health and use the UV Index for tanmaxxing. But as the daughter of a dermatologist, I know the reality: Tanned skin is damaged skin, the exact opposite of health.
All my life, I’ve been educated about the importance of sun safety. For me, sunscreen was just another part of the day, like brushing my teeth or making my bed. Now I realize that my sun safety practices are much different than my peers.
My friends will text to invite me over, saying “Today is a great day to tan! The UV is super high.” Seeing tanning trends on social media is one thing. Witnessing them in my own group of friends strikes me on a whole new level, motivating me to educate and help them protect their future skin from damage.
A dangerous trend
Promoted by influencers as an appearance enhancer, tanmaxxing involves intentionally seeking a high UV index, sometimes swapping sunscreen use for tanning oils or tanning beds, to achieve the darkest tan possible. Of course, dermatologists like my mom are sounding the alarm.
Tanmaxxing is not only exploding on social media, but it is affecting my own social life. I am missing out on group hangouts because my friends are dedicated to basking in the sun for hours. I am missing out on inside jokes because I am sitting in the shade during a pool party rather than lying out in the sun with my friends. Although I know better, sometimes I wish I was ignorant of the dangers of the sun just so I could hang out with my friends.
But I do know better. I know that tanmaxxing damages the skin and that damage builds up over time. In short, tanmaxxing is skin cancer maxxing.
Skin cancer is serious
A vast majority of skin cancers are caused by ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun and indoor tanning. Melanoma is a dangerous type of skin cancer, but, like all skin cancers, it is also highly preventable with proper sun protection. Knowing these facts makes the risks of tanning feel much more real to me. I don’t want to look back 20 years from now, wishing I had not sacrificed my long-term health for a temporary tan. Some people know the dangers of tanning but prioritize their tan anyway. Others who aren’t aware put their health at risk without even realizing it. If that doesn’t make you pause, maybe read it again.
Is permanently damaging your skin barrier and raising your risk for skin cancer a good tradeoff for those 7-10 days of tan skin? It shouldn’t be.
The UV Index: Not a tanning tool
People who use the the UV Index as a tanning guide are using it for the exact opposite of its intended purpose. The UV Index was created to help people understand when to be extra careful with sun protection, by measuring the intensity of UV rays from the sun. The UV Index is reported as a whole number between 0 (only at night) and 11(+).
The higher the UV Index, the stronger the sun’s rays, the more sun protection you need. A UV Index of 11 indicates extreme radiation, when you can burn in less than 10 minutes. Tanmaxxing when the UV Index is high is dangerous, especially to youthful skin, because sun damage is cumulative, starting with your very first tan or burn.
The sun does not discriminate
I happen to have a skin type that makes tanning impossible. For those of us with skin so pale that it skips “tan” and heads straight for “burnt,” the consequences of tanmaxxing are far more obvious. And while both tanning and burning are both forms of skin damage from the sun, a person’s risk for melanoma doubles if they have had more than five sunburns. My strawberry-blonde hair, blue eyes, and naturally light skin, put me at a higher risk of developing skin cancer than my peers.
But even if your skin tone is darker, you are not immune to sun damage. The sun certainly doesn’t discriminate! It’s a myth that naturally darker skin offers substantial protection. In reality, the darkest skin tone only provides the equivalent of SPF 13 – not high enough for sunscreen to earn The Skin Cancer Foundation Seal of Recommendation for safe and effective sun protection.
A healthy lifestyle
My mission is to educate young people like me to not only protect their skin but also to reinvent unhealthy beauty standards and to embrace our natural, healthy skin tones. Consequently, we can learn to love ourselves for who we are, as well as protect our skin.
Tanning has become more than a trend; it has morphed into a lifestyle – a dangerous one.
