Long-term consequences

Doctors warn of dangerous TikTok trend

Influencers affected by acne in particular propagate "sunburning" as a remedy.

(Bild: stock.adobe.com/misu)

Doctors from the National Health Service in the UK are warning of a new "dangerous" TikTok trend. This could increase the risk of developing cancer, according to the National Health Service.

Queen Victoria Hospital warned the public about "sunburning" - a phenomenon promoted by influencers on social media, where people are forgoing sunscreen to give their skin a "healthy boost" or even deliberately burning it to cure acne.

"Trends like this not only pose an immediate danger but have the potential to cause lifelong health problems," Sam Orkar, clinical director of plastic surgery and burns, told the BBC. He urged people to apply sun cream and use "safer" treatments for skin conditions.

The hospital said that while it had not yet seen any cases linked to the new trend, it warned that those who join the trend could feel the effects in years to come. TikTok could not initially be reached for comment, according to the report.

Good and affordable protection
According to figures from Statistics Austria, 1500 people across Austria were diagnosed with black skin cancer in 2022. The disease was fatal 370 times. This means that melanomas are responsible for around 90 percent of skin cancer deaths.

When choosing a sunscreen product, you should not be guided by brand or price - the quality of the products varies from test to test every year, consumer protection experts from the Association for Consumer Information recently concluded after testing 17 different sunscreens.

The products from Today (transparent sun spray), Nivea Sun (protection & care), Sun Kiss (sensitive sun milk) and Sundance (sun spray) proved to be good and inexpensive.