Emplify Health by Bellin urges caution as ‘tanmaxxing’ trend puts young people at serious skin cancer risk

Every so often, online trends targeting young people become viral, and while some are harmless, others can post serious risks to their health.

This summer’s latest trend is known as “tanmaxxing,” which encourages people – mostly members of Generation Z – to attain the darkest tan possible through prolonged, unprotected sun exposure and frequent tanning bed use. Popularized on TikTok and Instagram, influencers promote these extended sessions during peak UV index hours, and they often discourage the use of sunscreen.

“What concerns me most about tanmaxxing is how effectively social media strips away the context of real consequence. When young people intentionally seek out peak UV index hours or use tanning beds multiple times a week, they are not building a glow — they are accumulating DNA damage that compounds silently over time,” said Dr. Matt Andreoli, Empilfy Health by Bellin family medicine physician. “Melanoma does not announce itself in your 20s; it arrives later, and by then, the window for easy intervention has often passed.”

The health consequences of this trend are well-documented and severe. The World Health Organization classifies ultraviolet radiation and indoor tanning devices as Group 1 carcinogens, placing them in the same category as tobacco and asbestos. Tanning beds deliver 10 to 15 times more UVA radiation than outdoor sunlight, and individuals who use them before the age of 35 face a 75% increased risk of developing melanoma — the deadliest form of skin cancer.

Equally sobering: a recent American Academy of Dermatology study found that 37% of Gen Z participants reported not knowing the risks of tanning at all.

“The idea that skipping sunscreen produces a ‘better’ tan is a myth. The belief that a base tan protects you from further sun damage is a myth,” Dr. Andreoli says. “What is not a myth is that at least one in five Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime, and the choices made in these early years are a significant factor in that outcome.”

In the United States alone, an estimated 112,000 new melanoma cases are projected this year. With that in mind, Emplify Health by Bellin urges parents, educators and healthcare providers to have conversations with young people about these risks.