« Sun-tattoo », « burn-lines » ou « tan-lines » … This Instagram and Tiktok trend, which consists in voluntarily burning the skin in the sun to obtain traces of tanning rightly worries Ministry of Health and Dermatologists. Let’s go back to the dangers of this phenomenon that has become viral to adolescent girls.
The trend “Burn-lines” and “Sun-Tatoos”, very risky volunteer sunburns
On Tik Tok, the hashtags “burn lines” and “tan lines” multiply.
Young girls and adolescent girls reveal their “burning marks” in front of the shoulders, arms and chest. To achieve their goal and obtain a red-white contrast between the shoulder covered by the top of the hand jersey and the rest of the bust, they are exposed sans protection.
Others draw patterns with their sunscreen on their skin and leave the whole area around being burned by the sun. After a few hours, the area covered with protective remains pale while the adjacent skin is blushed by the sun. This variant of the challenge is “the Sun Tattoo” or solar tattoo.
Finally, some go even further in this risky practice by accelerating the burning process. To reach their purpose of “ephemeral tattoo”, they put oil on the body.
This risky and dangerous trend, highly highlighted in English -speaking videos, worries parents, public authorities and health professionals.
Concerns of the Ministry of Health …
Yannick Neuder recalled the serious dangers of this trend aimed at burning the skin to obtain traces of tanning. In a video published on social networks this Monday, July 28, the Minister of Health warns:
“Burn the skin voluntarily for a Tiktok or Instagram video: this is what I have seen for a few weeks on social networks with the Sun-Tattoos, the Burns-Lines and the Tan-Lines. Your skin is your life, you only have one, do not sacrifice it for 30 seconds of buzz ”.
Before adding: “Exposing the sun without cream, nor any protection, sometimes even with oils or monoi, make an ephemeral tattoo on the skin by sunburn: you have to stop it, it’s very dangerous. We know that sunburns in children very significantly increase the risk of cancer in adulthood, the risk melanoma ».
Namely!Several risk factors to develop melanoma, a malignant tumor developing from melanocytes, have been identified: exposure to the sun and UV radiation, the history of sunburn, especially during childhood, the phototype of the light skin with red or blond hair, light eyes and freckles, the sensitivity of the skin in the sun, a number of beauty grains higher than 50, Beauty grains of unusual appearance, family history and a deficit in the immune system.
And dermatologists
Several dermatologists have spoke in the media to alert on the dangers of these “burn-lines” or “sun tattoo” practices.
On France Info, Christophe Bedane working at the Dijon University Hospital, specifies: ” The first sign is a first degree burn. With tanning accelerators like oils, it is even possible to have a second degree burn that can send you to the hospital. ”
Namely!The first degree burns are characterized by red, dry and painful skin, but without blisters. These are the sunburns of summer. Second degree burns are distinguished by swollen, red, oozing skin with the presence of blisters containing a clear liquid.
Anne Dompmartin du CHU de Caen tells journalists from the point: “These are brutal sunburns with big risks of having melanoma and carcinomas. When you burn, UVs reach the DNA of cells. There is therefore always risks of mutation and developing cancers ”.
For his part, The French Society of Dermatology (SFD) recalls the good reflexes :
- Sunscreen: SPF 50+, with a wide spectrum, to apply 20 minutes before exposure and then every 2 hours;
- No exhibition between 12 p.m. and 4 p.m.
- Hat port, covering clothes and glasses;
- Avoid “tanning accelerators”.
Exposure to UV rays is indeed the main factor in skin cancer. Each year, in France, from 141,200 to 243,500 skin cancers are diagnosedincluding 112,960 to 194,800 caused by excessive UV exposure, according to Public Health France.
The SFD also indicates “We don’t play with your skin!” She is precious! And that skin cancers are in exponential development and melanoma, the risk of the most serious skin cancer, kills more than 2000 people per year in France ”.
Sources
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