According to the New York Post and the Daily Mail in the U.S. on the 5th (local time), “Sunburn,” which burns acne skin with hot sunlight, is popular on TikTok every summer. In fact, if you type the search word “Sunburn,” you can see several videos of TikTokkers revealing their face without anything under the midday sun and saying, “Sun, give me a ride on my acne.”
Teenage TikTokker Hayley Wentold (@livingfor_jesuss) also garnered more than 1.7 million views with the video, “Tell the Sun to Burn Acne.” In the video, he claimed that the sun had an effect on acne, and there were many opinions in the comments that agreed. In this regard, experts agree that it has an anti-inflammatory effect on ultraviolet rays, but warned of the danger, saying it is difficult to determine how much sunlight should be received. According to a dermatologist’s report, exposing acne or blemish-prone skin to sunlight “moderately” improves skin condition. However, if the heat is too high, the skin can ripen, and rather make acne worse. The report warned, “When the skin is dry due to excessive exposure to sunlight, sebum activity increases, producing oil-producing sebum. Excessive sebum production and seborrheic dermatitis are the main causes of blemishes.” It is also difficult to conclude that the anti-inflammatory effect is simply due to exposure to ultraviolet rays. Dr. Justin Clark, a dermatologist in London, told the Daily Mail, “The effect of sunlight may actually be because people are less stressed.” Usually, people enjoy sunbathing while on vacation, which leads to less stress and healthier skin. Another problem is that the trend continues for many years, especially in English-speaking countries where there are many white people. Dr. Zainab Rafta, a spokesperson for the British Skin Foundation and a dermatologist, said, “Suntan is associated with an increased risk of skin cancer. The incidence of skin cancer more than doubles if you have more than five times of suntanning.” Every year, 100,000 people in the United States and more than 15,000 in the United Kingdom are diagnosed with melanoma, a type of skin cancer.
In particular, the incidence of melanoma in the UK is increasing faster than other cancers, and the increased use of sunbathing and tanning machines is cited as the cause, the Daily Mail said.
JULIE KIM
US ASIA JOURNAL
