Tanning is getting hot again. Here's what it really does to your skin
[July 31, 2026]
By JAIMIE DING
Nichole Sims started using a tanning bed at 15 because she said everyone
around her was doing it, especially before events like homecoming dances
and prom.
Eight years later, she was diagnosed with melanoma — a potentially
life-threatening skin cancer.
During that time, Sims has seen tanning become even more popular among
young people online. She tries to counter the misinformation on social
media that touts tanning as a mood booster and beauty requirement by
sharing her own experience.
“I just feel like our generation doesn’t really look into a lot of
risks. They just kind of live in the moment," Sims said.
Experts are concerned about a resurgence in the popularity of tanning
among young adults as social media has helped tanning in general make a
comeback. A video of a girl sharing her “tanning secrets” and showing
off a bikini tan line has racked up more than 11 million views, while
people in the comments joke, “The earth probably won't last long anyway,
I'd rather go out tan than pale.”
More than 100,000 new melanomas will be diagnosed in the U.S. in 2026,
and about 8,500 people are expected to die from melanoma, according to
the American Cancer Society. Even more worrisome, some influencers are
encouraging the use of tanning beds.
“Being young in the world we live in now, being tan and pretty, it goes
together,” Sims said.
How tanning beds increase cancer risk
Dr. Pedram Gerami and his team at Northwestern University’s medical
school sought to find out what was happening at a cellular level with
tanning bed users. They had nearly three times the risk of developing
melanoma as those who did not use tanning beds.
Gerami took skin samples from tanning bed users and compared them with
samples from nonusers. His team examined the DNA sequences of
melanocytes, skin cells that can turn into moles, melanoma or other
cancers.
When melanocytes are exposed to UV light, they can mutate. Tanning beds
can emit more than 10 times as much UV light as the sun.
The DNA mutation rate of melanocytes in tanning bed users was more than
double that of nonusers whose only exposure to UV is outdoor sun, Gerami
said.
“You only need like two or three (mutations) in the right place for it
to turn into a melanoma,” Gerami said. “If you get one or two of them
from the tanning bed use … it kind of just primes all these cells to be
ready and that much closer to getting to melanoma.”
Misconceptions about tanning are more likely among youth
Gen Z adults are less informed about sun protection and more likely to
believe misconceptions about tanning, according to a 2025 survey by the
American Academy of Dermatology.
More than one-fifth of young adults said they prioritized getting a tan
over protecting their skin and more than half believed common myths like
having a “base tan” would protect against sunburn, the survey results
said.
Some videos on TikTok ridicule warnings by experts that unprotected UV
exposure can lead to increased risk for skin cancer, including falsely
saying that sunscreen can cause cancer, too. Others urge people to tan
outside when the UV index is the highest, when experts advise the public
to avoid sun exposure.
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A tanning bed is seen on March, 20, 2012, in North Vancouver,
Canada. (Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press via AP)
 “Tanning is sort of cool again … and
all the education about skin cancer and skin aging is sort of taking
a backseat for the younger generation,” said Dr. Anthony Rossi, a
dermatologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
Rossi said he recalls using tanning beds when he was younger and
understands the appeal, but years after he stopped using them, he
developed a non-melanoma skin cancer, he said.
“There’s really no such thing as a safe tan,” he said.
The FDA halted tanning bed regulation
The World Health Organization has long classified tanning beds as a
cancer-causing agent in the same category as tobacco and asbestos.
Using tanning beds before age 20 can increase your chances of
developing melanoma by 47%, according to the American Academy of
Dermatology.
California became the first state to ban tanning beds for minors in
2012. More than a dozen states have followed suit since, and many
others require in-person parental consent.
But the U.S. Food and Drug Administration withdrew a proposed rule
in March that would have barred anyone under 18 years old from using
tanning beds in the U.S. The rule was first introduced in 2015.
The FDA said it withdrew the rule in light of “concerns regarding
possible unintended consequences" in its memo, drawing concern from
experts that the action could send mixed messages to the public.
Talking to your teen about the dangers of tanning
Teenagers can be a tough group to persuade because they have less
capacity at that age to consider long-term health consequences, but
there are ways to get the message across, said Sherry Pagoto, a
psychologist and professor at University of Connecticut who has
studied indoor tanning behavior and tanning bed culture for decades.
“What resonates more with them is physical appearance, because
that’s why they’re doing it,” Pagoto said.
Rather than talking about skin cancer, parents can emphasize how
excess sun exposure can cause skin to look leathery or wrinkly, she
said. They can take their teen to a dermatologist to take a UV photo
that shows the skin damage that isn't yet visible to the naked eye.
Pagoto also said it's important for parents to model safe behavior,
as many teen girls acquire their tanning habits from their mothers.
Making sunscreen easily accessible around the house and buying
self-tanner for your teen can be a gentle way to nudge them away
from unsafe tanning.
“Change can sometimes take time. So if you’re feeling frustrated ...
sometimes you just kind of have to wait for their process to
unfold,” Pagoto said.
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