Doctors have come out against a new trend popular among the youth: the so-called "sunburn art" in which images or patterns are created by exposing certain areas of the skin to the sun without proper sun protection.
Photos of sunburn art created using sunblock or temporary tattoos are beginning to be shared on social media sites bearing the hashtag #SunburnArt.
Doctors and dermatologists aren't happy about the new trend, strongly warning of the dangers of skin damage and an elevated risk of skin cancer.
"This is where popular culture is clashing with medical advice," said Dr. Barney Kenet, a New York dermatologist. "It's really obvious that sunburn does two things to you: it gives you lines and freckles and wrinkles and it also causes skin cancer, especially melanoma."
The risk is increased by the fact that many people looking to create an impressive example of such sunburn "art" might stay out in the sun longer than they would otherwise, he noted.
Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the Unites States, with estimates of the numbers of Americans who will develop it in their lifetime running as high as one in five, experts say.
Of particular concern, doctors say, is that sunburn art is often being created on areas of the body that are usually protected.
"Areas that are exposed every day—like the face, the neck, the back of the hand—get a low level of sun exposure daily," explained dermatologist Elizabeth Hale, also based in New York.
"But people are exposing areas of their body that have been covered year round," she pointed out. "It's as if more virginal skin is getting this intense sun exposure, which all of the data show is much more dangerous than chronic sun exposure."
Forgoing sunburn art for an overall tan is not a healthy choice either, she said, and not something she recommends.
"A tan represents DNA damage," she said. "That's what a tan is. It's basically like our body trying to mount a response to the damage that it's taking in. There's nothing good about a tan."
The Skin Cancer Foundation released a statement denouncing the new trend.
"A sunburn is not only painful—it's dangerous, and comes with consequences," wrote the foundation's senior vice president Dr. Deborah S. Sarnoff.
"In fact, sustaining five or more sunburns in youth increases lifetime melanoma risk by 80 percent."
