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This summer season, TikTok and Instagram feeds have been stuffed with a brand new ritual: “checking the UV.” Gen Z content material creators are monitoring the each day UV index—to not keep away from the solar, however to move outdoors when it is strongest for what they see because the “optimal” tan. On the similar time, some social media influencers are spreading claims that sunscreen is dangerous or pointless, a development that has dermatologists more and more involved.
Whereas on-line conversations about solar publicity are trending, the dangers of UV radiation are actual and cumulative. Peak UV publicity impacts all pores and skin tones, from sunburn and untimely ageing to hyperpigmentation and, in some instances, pores and skin most cancers.
To interrupt all of it down, we requested Y. Linda Liou, DO, an assistant scientific professor within the Division of Dermatology at UC San Diego College of Drugs, to clarify the science of the UV index, the true dangers of intentional solar publicity, and how one can get pleasure from sunny days with out paying for it later:
This ‘checking the UV’ development has exploded on TikTok and Instagram. What do you suppose while you see individuals timing their tanning—or solar time on the whole—to the UV index?
I really love that persons are being attentive to the UV index—it means they’re excited about solar publicity. However what worries me is the way it’s getting used: as an alternative of avoiding excessive UV instances, persons are chasing them to tan sooner. A tan could seem like a glow, nevertheless it’s actually your pores and skin’s SOS sign that DNA injury has already occurred. You do not see it instantly, however the hurt is occurring beneath.
What precisely is the UV index, and what does it inform us about solar publicity and pores and skin injury danger?
The UV index is mainly a climate report for a way robust the solar’s radiation is. It takes into consideration issues like time of day, altitude, cloud cowl and ozone ranges. The dimensions runs from 1 to 11+, and the upper the quantity, the sooner your pores and skin can burn or get broken. At a UV index of 11, for instance, some lighter pores and skin tones can burn in underneath 5 minutes. However even if you’re darker skinned and you do not burn simply, your pores and skin cells are nonetheless getting hit with invisible radiation injury.
What are the potential short- and long-term penalties of intentionally tanning throughout peak UV hours? Does this danger fluctuate relying on pores and skin tone?
Once you lay out throughout peak UV, you are getting a blast of radiation at its strongest. On the floor you would possibly see a tan or burn, however beneath, UV rays are breaking DNA, stressing out pores and skin cells and weakening your pores and skin’s immune defenses.
Quick-term results embody sunburns, tans and extra breakouts of issues like chilly sores. Over time, UV injury can result in wrinkles, pores and skin thinning, uneven pigmentation and elevated danger of pores and skin cancers that may be life threatening, like melanoma.
And simply to be clear—no pores and skin tone is immune. Darker pores and skin tones do not burn as simply, however UV injury nonetheless builds up and might result in hyperpigmentation or pores and skin cancers which are typically identified later as a result of individuals do not count on them.
Some individuals imagine a ‘base tan’ or tanning in brief bursts is safer. Are there any tanning myths or misconceptions you want extra individuals understood?
One of many largest myths is {that a} “base tan” protects you. The reality is, a tan is your pores and skin’s response to break—it interprets to your cells pumping out melanin, the protein that makes you darkish, to defend the remainder of your pores and skin cell from extra damage. That tiny little bit of safety is nowhere close to as robust as sunscreen, and also you needed to injury your pores and skin simply to get it. Even the darkest pure pores and skin tones do not block UV utterly, so nobody is off the hook.
Currently, there’s been some misinformation on-line claiming sunscreen is dangerous or pointless. As a dermatologist, what would you say to somebody who’s questioning whether or not they need to use sunscreen in any respect?
It is simple to really feel overwhelmed by all of the combined messages on-line. However here is the actual fact: sunscreen is protected, efficient, and one of many easiest methods to stop pores and skin most cancers and untimely ageing.
Some myths I’ve heard on social media:
Sunscreen is poisonous and dangerous: Some research in mice discovered indicators of malignant transformation when animals have been uncovered to very excessive doses of sure elements in chemical sunscreens underneath circumstances that do not replicate typical human use. These outcomes do not translate to on a regular basis, real-world purposes on individuals. If you wish to decrease any of these dangers, mineral sunscreens (zinc oxide, titanium dioxide) are nice options.
Sunscreen is unhealthy for the surroundings: Not all sunscreens have a unfavorable impression on coral reefs. Solely sure chemical blockers resembling oxybenzone and octinoxate have been discovered to be related to coral bleaching. If you wish to be extra conscientious concerning the surroundings however nonetheless keep protected, search for mineral sunscreens or “reef-safe” choices.
Sunscreen will trigger vitamin D deficiency: The reality is, the solar is a very unreliable option to get vitamin D as a result of it varies by season, pores and skin tone and geography—and the UV injury outweighs the advantages. A vitamin D complement is a safer, extra constant selection.
I hear this typically from my older sufferers with pores and skin cancers: “I wish I had worn more sunscreen when I was younger.”
Proper now, you might have tons of choices—lotions, sprays, gels, sticks, even tinted sunscreens that mix nicely with totally different pores and skin tones. There’s actually one thing for everybody. So for those who’re debating sunscreen, bear in mind: it is not about worry, it is about future-proofing your pores and skin. Shield it now, and your older self will thanks.
For many who wish to get pleasure from sunny days with out harming their pores and skin, what are your finest methods—particularly past the same old ‘put on sunscreen and a hat’? Are there any lesser-known habits or routines that make an actual distinction long-term?
You do not have to keep away from the solar utterly, simply be sensible about it:
Keep in shaded areas when potential and attempt to do out of doors actions earlier than 9 a.m. or after 4 p.m., when the UV index is decrease.
Verify the UV index in your cellphone. If the UV index is bigger than 3, it’s best to have some type of solar safety. Do not let clouds idiot you: UV radiation remains to be current on overcast days and cuts by means of the clouds.
The bread and butter of “wear sunscreen and a hat” remains to be essential. Go for broad-spectrum SPF 30 or increased. Use 1 / 4 of a teaspoon for the face (two finger lengths is a good hack), and a shot-glass quantity for the physique. Reapply each 90 minutes and set a cellphone alarm to remind your self!
There are lots of enjoyable, fashionable choices for photo-protective clothes, hats and sun shades. You must select UPF 30+ shirts, wide-brim hats that cowl the ears and neck, and sun shades to guard your eyes. If you happen to do not wish to purchase new garments, there’s even a laundry additive referred to as SunGuard that provides UV safety to what you already personal.
There’s a fern-derived dietary complement, polypodium leucotomos, that provides some added safety, nevertheless it’s solely a backup, by no means a alternative for sunscreen and shade.
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College of California – San Diego
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Monitoring the UV? Ditching the SPF? Here is what a dermatologist says (2025, August 31)
retrieved 31 August 2025
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