People are deliberately chasing tans even as SPF products now promise better coverage than ever.
Why it matters: There's no such thing as a "healthy tan,'" dermatologist Nazanin Saedi told Axios. "A tan is a sign of sun damage."
Yes, but: After Seattle's long, gray winters, locals may crave the feeling of sunshine on their skin — a familiar impulse in Scandinavia where people famously strip down to savor sunny days — even if dermatologists say a tan isn't worth the risk.
Threat level: Too much UV doesn't just age your skin — it can cause cancer.
Anthony Rossi, a dermatological surgeon at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center said he's now seeing a new generation make the same mistakes he did as a former tanning bed user who later developed skin cancer.
"I'm cutting off more and more skin cancers" from patients in their teens, 20s and 30s, he says.
By the numbers: New invasive melanoma diagnoses rose about 47% over the past decade, per the Skin Cancer Foundation — though Rossi cautions some of that reflects more aggressive screening, not just more disease.
Meanwhile, tanning bed use is tied to nearly triple the risk of melanoma, according to new research.
The latest: Active sunscreen ingredient bemotrizinol — popular in Europe and Asia — was just approved for use in the U.S.
The bottom line: The sun does offer real health benefits, but you don't need to skip sunscreen to get them.
