It's dangerous and painful. So why is the Internet hyped up about sunburn art?
Don’t. Just don’t.
That’s dermatologist Ian Maher’s advice to anyone who’s thinking of joining the “sunburn art” trend by using stencils, stickers or strategically-placed sunscreen to temporarily burn designs onto their skin.
“They are really taking their life in their own hands for a chuckle on Facebook or Instagram,” says Maher, assistant professor of dermatology at Saint Louis University.
The risks of intentional overexposure to the sun—including elevated rates of fatal skin cancers—are well-documented, but that hasn’t stopped people from posting their designed sunburns with the hashtag #sunburnart. The Skin Cancer Foundation even released a statement this month asking people to stop burning themselves.
“On average, a person’s risk for melanoma doubles if he or she has had more than five sunburns,” the foundation says.
Maher echos the Skin Cancer Foundation’s warning that sunburn art can cause serious problems later in life.
“What that sunburn does is damage the genetic code of those [skin] cells, and that damage is perpetuated as you grow older,” Maher says. “That’s how you get skin cancer. Even one really severe sunburn can be enough to cause some fairly serious cancers.”
Maher says he’s especially troubled by images of teens or young people bearing sunburn art.
“Unfortunately, I feel a lot of younger people are doing it who aren’t yet fully aware of the threats posed to their health,” Maher says. A sunburn may be temporary, but the damage can be permanent.
Maher says none of his patients have come to him sporting sunburn art, probably because if they have an appointment with him then they’re already grappling with skin cancer.
Besides, he says, his patients know better than to admit to something as damaging as sunburn art. “My patients know how I feel about it,” Maher says.
Maher says he isn’t trying to convince anyone to stay inside like a hermit.
“Spending time outside is wonderful, it’s good for your health,” he says. “You just have to take some very basic steps to protect yourself.”
And that means choosing sunscreen, not sunburns.
Follow Lindsay Toler on Twitter @StLouisLindsay or send her an email at LToler@stlmag.com. For more from St. Louis Magazine, subscribe or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
