As a generation, millennials and Gen-Z can generally say we're a whole heap more sun safe than the older generation when it comes to sunbeds. But, recently faux tanning has been blowing up on TikTok and sunbeds are getting a second wind of popularity.
We get it. The UK's wintery and wimpy sunshine (when it does make a rare appearance) is no consolation. It sort of makes sense that people are exploring their options for boosting glow. Already, #sunbed has racked up over 320 million views on TikTok. There's tons of “before and afters”, tips, routines, tutorials circulating – alongside a weird hack involving nasal spray. And granted, the creators look particularly bronzed, it's just… have we all conveniently forgotten how crazy dangerous they are?
Over on Twitter, one user @GracetyOConnell raised the subject with followers, writing: “Swear I've never heard the use of sunbeds so normalised as much as I have lately? I feel like I'm back in 2002, Sis, no [SIC]."
And the comments have been heating up with the overwhelming response to chill it. “My tiktok fyp is BURSTING with before and after sunbed videos and stuff about nasal sprays and tan injections? I’m like this is not the content I’m looking for,” one user called @SarahMagliocco replied. “I noticed this recently! My mum used to use them years ago and developed skin cancer (obviously can't prove they were the cause but it's likely). When there are such good tanning alternatives why take the risk?," another user called @LaurenRAbbott said. “Did nobody watch final destination?? traumatised me as a kid would never get in one for the life of me,” said another user called @shanelle_shim.
And we've got to back them. Sunbeds are really bad news. Which is why to most of the skincare obsessives among us, it may seem hard to believe that they still exist – and that people are hyped about using them.
Why are sunbeds bad?
Tanning machines emit ultraviolet rays (UVA and UVB, although mostly UVA) at very close proximity to the skin in order to mimic the stimulation of the production of melanin, resulting in a tan. The rays are often stronger than those of tropical midday sun, and are unsurprisingly very harmful and damaging to the skin.
Experts agree. After getting skin cancer himself, Dr. Shah also known as @dermdoctor urges people to avoid tanning beds at all costs. He has referenced in the past how he'd gone to tanning beds hundreds of times. He tells users on TikTok that using sunbeds is not a good solution as “tanning beds are mostly UVA radiation, UVA has a longer wavelength and is most responsible for ageing of our skin, it creates the appearance of tanning by oxidising melanin but doesn't actually increase melanin production.” He then adds: “When you use a tanning bed you're just ageing yourself for a tan that is not going to last.”
However, that is not the only con. Using sunbeds has been proven to increase your risk of developing skin cancer; both malignant melanoma – which can spread to other areas of the body – and non-melanoma, which slowly develops in the upper layers of the skin. And no glow is worth limiting your life span.
According to skin cancer charity Melanoma UK “exposure to tanning beds before the age of 30 increases a person’s risk of developing melanoma by 75%, and young people who regularly use tanning beds are 8 times more likely to develop melanoma than people who have never used them.” In the UK, melanoma kills six people every day.
Can sunbeds help with skin conditions?
There is a lot of conflicting information out there around the benefits of sunbeds, one being that it ca help with skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis, and even acne. Founder and Medical Director of West London medical and aesthetics clinic, Adonia Medical Clinic, Dr. Ejikeme comments: “Using tanning beds to help with skin conditions is a real misnomer. With eczema or psoriasis for example, there’s a breach in the barrier of the skin and the whole point of skin is to be a protective mechanism, protecting us from everything from infection, to the harmful UV rays of the sun, so if this barrier is breached by a condition, you should be extra careful when going in the sun. So a tanning bed is actually the worst thing you can do."
She then adds: "The myth that tanning beds help with these conditions may come from the fact that there is a specific light treatment which uses very resistant heaters but should only be carried out by medical professionals. I would always advise against tanning beds, and recommend using sunscreen every day alongside medical advice.”
Like with smoking, it is currently illegal to administer the use of sunbeds to anyone under the age of 18, and any company offering the use of sunbeds has a legal responsibility to provide information of the risks associated with it.
In the meantime, fake tan is a way safer way to get your glow on without the damage. And if you're worried about a mole, read about the alphabet mole check guide everyone needs to know.
For more from Glamour UK Beauty Writer Shei Mamona, follow her on Instagram @sheimamona
For more from GLAMOUR's Beauty Editor, Elle Turner, follow her on Instagram @elleturneruk
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