Hop onto TikTok and you’ll find lots of videos of young people — mostly women — fake baking under the glowing UV lights of a tanning bed. Seattle dermatologist Heather Rogers says this is an alarming trend that comes after years of decline in indoor tanning in the U.S.
She points to a 2025 survey from the American Academy of Dermatology which found 20% of Gen Z respondents prioritize getting a tan over protecting their skin. And 25% say it’s worth looking great now even if it means looking worse later.
They feel like “it’s better to be tan than it is to worry about skin cancer,” Rogers says.
Millennials tend to look younger (generally) because they’re the first generation to (generally) worry about skincare
This will probably work out fine
I honestly thought that Gen Z was the generation to finally break out of so many bad habits but as best I can tell, angry social media has turned them into the new Boomers.
No way, they were the ones who were all ripping juuls at age 13, jumping on 4chan and getting fed gamergate and eating it right up, but hey they don’t drink or something.
You’re thinking Millenials for the first one but yes on the second. They don’t drink or have sex and are less likely to buy property but will do all the narcissistic shit the Boomers did.
I’m a millennial. Juuls weren’t a thing til we were in our 20s.
In other news, salt makes things salty.
Like the back of a Volkswagen?
I think that was “uncomfortable”
Is it usual for you? You free Wednesdays?
Gee, who would have thought that bathing your body in UV rays that damage DNA would be a bad thing?
Hop onto TikTok and you’ll find lots of videos of young people fake baking under the glowing UV lights of a tanning bed.
Make some clips from Final Destination 3 trend again and watch this problem solve itself.
From the pages of the medical journal “Duh!”
No surprise here. Shower yourself in death rays -> die.
Maybe they dont believe they have much of a future and just enjoying the now?
Everything old is new again
Was waiting for them to talk about butt hole sunning
I want to add a UV light somewhere in the house so that we can get vitamin D. Cooking your self in UV light is beyond stupid. But we in the north do probably need some sort of thing at home to make UV for a few minutes.
And somehow what you’re saying is better? Foods naturally rich in vitamin D exist, supplements exist, vitamin D fortified drinks like milk and orange juice exist 🤦🏽♂️
Tanning is stupid. You’re exposed to uncontrolled UV light. The body needs exposure to UVB 280nm-315nm. LEDs come with strong 295nm, 310nm and various others. Exposure to these wavelengths is much more effective than eating foods rich in vitamin D. However, this is not for tanning. We are literally talking 60 seconds to 3 minutes or better even just a few seconds every few minutes sparsely. One idea I had was an LED placed in a hallway or the stairway with an ir detector and timer. Keep the exposures to say 6 seconds and reset the timer after 5 minutes. That would give you a comparable dose to getting it from the sun. The problem is the eye protection. Most damage comes from UVA to form cataracts. However UVB is not better.
Anyway before you palm your face again, the sun give you the same dose as an equally calibrated dose from an LED. But the LED is better because it removes the UVC and UVA from the picture. There’s a study showing actual tests on pig eyeballs. UVA gives you cataracts. So a better idea is a specifically installed light with an activation timer that you must start by pressing a button. So you get your self yellow glasses to protect your eyes and you press the button and wait for say 15 minutes while reading a book or eating. This gives you enough UV to not need supplements. But it would not be a continuous exposure up close to a source. It would be a controlled exposure a couple of meters away from the LED and for only a few seconds every minute for 15 minutes. A prescription. Just like any other prescription.
I get what you’re saying but it seems overly complicated and unnecessary risk. We know UV exposure is not good, so why do it? Yes the body can make vitamin D with some exposure, but what’s your opposition to simply taking a supplement and eating vitamin D rich foods or fortified drinks?
Your setup needs to account for timing, distance, and duration appropriately without any easy feedback to determine those parameters are correct. Even then there are still risks including eye exposure as you said.
What you’re saying can be done, but it’s complicated and not without risk when there are easier and safer alternatives. Personally, I take a medication that increases my risks from sun exposure, so I always wear sunscreen and avoid direct sunlight when possible. I’ve found taking a supplement to be super easy and it’s generally a good idea to take a high quality, well rounded supplement since it can account for other nutrients your diet may be lacking at any point in time (ex. Was my diet lower in iron or some vitamin this week? No big deal since I supplement anyways)
