RENO, Nev. (KOLO) - For years we’ve been warned about the sun’s damaging rays.
Every day a UV index is released to let people know when those rays are at their most intense. Sunscreen, hats, and long sleeve shirts are recommended before going outside.
But influencers on social media have other ideas.
“I’ve been seeing a lot of that,” says Chevy Victoria, a 19-year-old. “Oh, the sun is good for you. And it is to a certain extent to where you should protect yourself from the sun.”
Chevy won’t be misled.
There are others out there, specifically Gen Z-ers who are taking bad advice and using the UV Index to determine when they should go out and get a suntan.
They are headed outdoors when the UV Index is at its highest.
“So the interesting part was I learned this from my daughters, which is actually how I learned about this,” says Ashley Vazeen, a Doctor of Nursing with the Nevada Center for Dermatology. “They kept saying ‘oh the UV Index is at 8 today. We should go out between this time and this time, and we will get a better tan.’ And I was like what?”
The UV Index can be found on weather apps and websites.
The highest reading is 11, which here in Reno we easily meet for a large part of the day.
Laying out in the sun with virtually no protection, especially when the UV Index is at its zenith is guaranteed to damage the skin.
“Long-term would be skin cancer, cataracts, premature aging, wrinkles,” says Vazeen.
Vazeen says there is no safe tan, when the skin changes color it’s an indication of sun damage.
Believe it or not, sometimes social media gets it right.
Chevy tells us of one video she’s seen online of a 22-year-old.
“She was posting about how she was tanning about every single day just trying to get darker skin that was just what she was preferring,” says Chevy. “And then she was diagnosed with Melanoma on her pinky toe, and they ended up having to remove her whole pinky toe.”
Not an aberration.
Research shows those reporting getting a tan or darker skin from sun exposure is up 25% from 2020 to 2024. It’s just a matter of time between that sun exposure and the medical dark side of it.
There are safer ways to get that sun-kissed look on skin; spray on tans or bronzers are a good option without the sun damage.