Rapidly Spreading Summer Craze: Doctors Warn of Extreme Danger

A concerning new trend is rapidly spreading among young people, who are using the sun's rays to contour their faces, a practice dermatologists are calling extremely dangerous. Dubbed "contour tanning," the method involves applying sunscreen to specific areas of the face, such as the nose, cheekbones, forehead, and chin, while leaving other areas exposed to the sun.

The goal is to achieve a tanned look in the unprotected zones, creating the illusion of natural shading and sharper facial features, similar to makeup contouring. Some individuals even vary the SPF levels on different parts of their face or leave certain areas completely bare. This trend repurposes the UV index, typically used to warn about dangerous sun exposure times, into a guide for when it's "most effective" to tan quickly.

Dermatologists are sounding the alarm, highlighting that this trend not only normalizes sunbathing but makes avoiding sun protection a deliberate part of the method. While short social media videos showcase a tanned face and defined lines, they fail to show the cumulative damage: radiation penetrating the skin, cellular damage, and the eventual appearance of pigment spots and wrinkles.

"This is not a cute or innocent tan. The skin remembers those hours spent in ultraviolet radiation, and sunburns. Years later, this can return in the form of skin cancer – both melanoma and other types of skin cancer, which are increasing, as well as accelerated skin aging," warned Dr. Ella Egozi, a dermatologist and medical director at Maccabi Aesthetics, to Ynet. Experts stress that the face is highly exposed to the sun, and this trend encourages intentional sun damage in exchange for a temporary aesthetic effect. Unlike makeup, which can be applied, corrected, and removed, the damage from UV radiation is cumulative and long-lasting.

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This is not a cute or innocent tan. The skin remembers those hours spent in ultraviolet radiation, and sunburns. Years later, this can return in the form of skin cancer – both melanoma and other types of skin cancer, which are increasing, as well as accelerated skin aging.