Locations
In the modern world, the internet is constantly coming up with new trends. Some are harmless, some, like the ice bucket challenge, help promote a good cause, and then others are just dumb and dangerous. Some examples of these dumb internet challenges include:
- The Tide Pod Challenge, which involved eating a Tide laundry detergent packet.
- The Boiling Water Challenge. There were two versions of this, drink boiling water, or throw boiling water on an unsuspecting person.
- Sunburn Tattoos, which involves getting creative with how a person gets a sunburn.
These sunburn tattoos aren’t new to the world. For a long time, people have, either on purpose or as a prank, given or received a sunburn in a specific shape. While getting a sunburn in a specific shape isn’t anywhere near as dangerous at ingesting laundry detergent or boiling water, it can still be very harmful to a person’s health.
Sunburn Tattoos, Really?
One of the newest trends going around the internet is sunburn tattoos. With this trend, people give themselves “tattoos” by leaving a stencil on their skin as they soak up some rays. This results in a sunburn that perfectly matches whatever the stencil was. This method allows a person to get a temporary, but accurate design of whatever they want. All the person has to do is lay out in the sun.
However, despite the simplistic, and seemingly harmless nature of this trend, it can actually cause a lot of problems for a person. After all, anyone who has gotten a sunburn before can attest to the fact that they are not enjoyable in the slightest.
Sun Exposure Can Cause Health Risks
Many people are aware of the fact that prolonged and unprotected sun exposure can be dangerous to their health. The Sun’s harsh UV rays can damage human skin at a cellular level. Not only does this cause immediate problems, pain and redness, it can lead to increased chances of skin cancer developing later in life.
In addition to the obvious health concerns, extreme sun exposure like this can age skin faster. This means wrinkles, sun spots, and saggy skin a lot sooner than most people would want them. This is just another reason to prove that getting too much unprotected sun exposure can be a bad thing.
Be Safe This Summer
For many, the immediate effects of a sunburn are reason enough to put sunscreen on. No one wants to deal with the burning pain or the bright red mark on their skin. Then there is the itching and peeling as the dead skin falls off.
Then there are the long term effects that are often forgotten or overlooked. Increased sun exposure raises a person’s chances of developing skin cancer, which is even worse than the sunburn itself. No one wants to deal with that.
Sun burns are just unpleasant all around, so why would anyone purposefully get burned? No design is worth getting a sunburn for, especially since the design will fade away in just a few days. That is why it is best for everyone to simply remember to apply their sunscreen this summer.
Experts recommend that sun block, of at least SPF 15, be applied around 30 minutes before going into the sun. It should be applied all over the body, including less obvious places such as:
- Eyelids
- Lips
- Underarms
- Feet
The sun block should also be replaced regularly, every 80 minutes. Doing so will reduce sun exposure and help keep a person happy and healthy this summer.