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.
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)