It’s a warm summer day in June. You and your friends head to the beach, hoping to get a good tan and catch some waves. One of you said they would bring sunscreen, but of course, they forgot. You all brush it off and disregard the dangers and possibility of getting burned. You all check the UV index on the weather app, as any average teenager would do nowadays. There and behold, “UV 11.” Obviously, pretty amazing, but UV 12 would be ideal.  Hour by hour, the ultimate tan increases. 

You have always heard your parents tell you to wear sunscreen. When you were younger, they would scoop up the pasty, white goop of sunscreen and smear it with so much aggression, you would end up looking like a ghost. If you were near the beach, it would stick to the sand, and it never blended in. Yet, you would brush it off, thinking it wasn’t a big deal, and immediately run to the pool or ocean because you couldn’t wait any longer.

Once you get home, you realize that you’re a little burnt. As the evening goes on, your skin progressively becomes warmer and warmer and starts to hurt. It’s just a sunburn, right? It will be gone soon, and it will turn into a nice, golden tan. As expected. A few days pass, and the redness fades into a bronzed glow. Yet, with every burn, the damage increases, even if it doesn’t show right away.

In the current Gen-Z culture, tanning has become a major part of the generation. The contrast of pale spots with the rest of a bronzed tan body makes a perfect mixture for the sharpest and best tan lines. Nowadays, tanning is more than just looking a certain way. It creates this feeling of relief by putting this generation into a summer mindset. By getting tan, you feel as if you are in that summer state, with not a care in the world and just time to spend, enjoying the long sunny days. On the contrary, being pale can feel like you are missing out on that feeling of euphoria. For many, it can even make them feel insecure. That’s why so many people are often found abstaining from sunscreen as they hope to get that deep tan.

Although tanning may seem like an easy way out from school, stress, and the casual winter depressive states, the reality is: tanning comes with a price. Over time, repeated exposure to UV rays, especially when they hit above 5, ages your skin immensely and puts you at extreme risk for sunspots and skin cancer. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, 90% of non-melanoma skin cancers are linked to UV exposure.

The good news is that tanning under the sun for hours or under a tanning bed, aren’t the only solutions to get that sun kissed glow. Bronzers, self-tanners, and sprays spray tans can provide you with the same warm tan (AND with tan lines too!). You don’t even have to damage your skin to feel that golden glow.

So next you decide to lie out by the pool, or have a beach day, don’t forget your sunscreen. It doesn’t mean you’re missing out. Sunscreen only protects you from those extreme ultraviolet rays, yet you still will get that tan. The damage from UV exposure adds up over time, and while a tan can give you a temporary confidence boost, it is not worth the long-term consequences. By taking the extra step to wear sunscreen, you can still enjoy that summer glow.