Every so often, a phrase will enter TikTok vernacular and throw me for a loop.
So, when I first heard people talking about tanning dysmorphia, I dismissed it as another ignorant phrase.
One video is captioned, Tan dysmorphia?
Getty Images/Bella Geraci
Not after this filter.
People are using the filter to feel better about their tan and put them off going darker.
Tanning, in general, is problematic, as arethese videos.
Tanning increases your risk ofbasal cell carcinoma,squamous cell carcinoma, andmelanoma.
Thestatisticsare shocking, withskin cancerbeing the most common cancer worldwide.
Sun beds, orindoor tanning beds, are even more dangerous than natural sunlight.
Skin cancer is the biggest concern here, but it goes further than that.
Tanning can have a negative impact on body image for some individuals, saysDr.
Ifeoma Ejikeme, a skin expert and founder of Adonia Medical Clinic.
She added, About 25% of people with BDD excessively tan.
Most often, they do this to darken what they consider to be too pale, or ghostly-looking skin.
As with manybody-image related matters, social media is an exacerbating factor.
Dara Greenwood, an associate professor of psychological science at Vassar College, tellsAllure.
But this conversationneedsto go beyond a TikTok comment section.
All of this begs the question: When has a person gone too far?
Its imperative to any conversation about tanning that the cultural impacts of colorism are addressed.
And, as always, remember to wearsunscreen.
More on tanning:
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