'Tanmaxxing' trend could come at a dangerous cost, skin cancer experts warn

Summer fun in the sun is being taken to a new extreme.

"Tanmaxxing" is a social media trend that involves maximizing sun exposure and tanning the skin more intensely.

Popular among Gen Z, the practice combines time spent in direct sunlight with a variety of tanning products like oils, bronzers and gels.

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Creators on social media are showing off their dramatic tan lines and outdoor set-ups — some even forgoing sun protection or adding tanning bed sessions.

While spending time outdoors can help boost mood, support the body's production of vitamin D and reduce screen time, dermatologists warn that excessive sun exposure — especially as promoted by the tanmaxxing trend — can be dangerous.

New York-based board-certified dermatologist Dr. Michael Tassavor, MD, emphasized that there is "no such thing as a safe, natural tan."

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"Tanning is damage," he said in an interview with Fox News Digital. "Tanfluencers sell a deep tan as a ‘wellness upgrade,' but a tan isn't a glow-up — it's your skin's visible distress signal that DNA damage has already happened."

"As a skin cancer specialist, I've taken care of thousands of skin cancers on patients who 'tanmaxxed' before it had a name. Most regret it."

The World Health Organization classifies UV radiation and tanning beds as Group 1 carcinogens, which is the same category as tobacco and asbestos.

Using a tanning bed before age 35 can raise melanoma risk by about 75%, Tassavor noted.

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"The damage compounds silently and shows up years later, once the easy window to intervene has closed," he said.

According to Tassavor, two common beliefs behind tanmaxxing are false: Skipping sunscreen does not produce a "better" tan, and a base tan does not protect the skin from future sunburns.

Sunlight "isn’t the enemy," the dermatologist noted, but there’s no need to chase it.

"Most of your vitamin D can come from diet and supplements, and your skin is efficient enough to [get] what it needs from ordinary incidental exposure," he said.

"Vitamin D matters for bone density, and sun does give some people a genuine mood lift, but there's no evidence that anyone has to go out of their way to sunbathe for it, and no evidence that diligent sunscreen use harms bone health."

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To safely expose yourself to the sun, Tassavor recommends using SPF 30 sunscreen and reapplying every two hours. Tanning beds should be avoided "entirely," he cautioned, because there is "no safe dose" of UV exposure and using them accelerates skin aging.