Sunburn Art: A Dangerous New Trend?

It seems like every time we turn around, there's a new trend hitting the streets amongst our young people. One new trend is "Sunburn Art", but is it safe?  There is a new hashtag that is popping up around the internet and social media. The tag is #sunburnart. There are certain marks that a hashtag must hit in order to be considered a trend. Although the sunburn art hash tag hasn't quite hit that mark, it's close enough to make parents aware of it.

Youngsters are partaking in the trend of sunburn art more and more this summer. They simply take a pattern of some sort and lay it over a part of their body. Then, after being out in the sun for hours, they pull the stencil off, and they have that image outlined on their body due to time spent in the sun.

The Skin Cancer Foundation is strongly advising, and has for years, the public to avoid sunburn as much as possible. There are a few different reasons for this. One reason is because sunburn can cause DNA damage to the skin. Another reason, is that it accelerates skin aging and can increase a persons lifetime skin cancer risks.

The Skin Cancer Foundation also states that should a person sustain five or more sunburns in their younger years, they take a risk of being a victim of melanoma by 80%.

It goes without saying, that people should put sunscreen on, cover-up with hats, proper sunglasses and other items to help block the sun to avoid potential long range consequences.