A troubling tanning trend has taken social media by storm and is putting the health of those who participate at risk, but it’s hardly surprising. Recent years have seen a rise of bizarre, unorthodox, and dangerous health and beauty trends. While they have occurred in the past, these trends have sped up and spread further at a rapid rate, thanks to apps like TikTok.
Tanmaxxing aims to get a person’s skin as dark as possible by simply hanging outside for long amounts of time. Many who try to achieve the trend’s look have been advised not to use sunscreen and to go out when the sun’s UV is at its highest. Others have used natural remedies like carrot-based oils to help darken the skin.
Irresponsibility with tanning has often led to addiction, even death, and it seems that younger generations aren’t immune. This is likely a byproduct of the increase in distrust of institutions of a variety of types and products like seed oils and vaccines. Those that subscribe to tanmaxxing are largely a part of an online anti-sunscreen movement, which echoes a lot of that previous distrust.
Sunscreen has never been generally liked, largely because of the white stain it leaves on the skin. While some have simply shared their skepticism over the effectiveness of sunscreen online or their experiences because of chemical allergies and sensitivities, others have outright called sunscreen toxic or even cancer-causing.
Unfortunately, this trend is more likely to cause an increase in sunburns, skin damage, and skin cancer. Excessive tanning isn’t new, particularly in Western countries like the United States. Darker and warmer skin tones have been a trendy look in the past, contributing to the popularity of things like tanning beds.
