‘Don’t do it’: Edmonton health officials warn against this social media trend

Experts are warning people against a new online trend called tanmaxxing. CTV News Edmonton's Miriam Valdes-Carletti reports.

Health officials are warning against a rising social media trend that involves getting as tanned as possible, by any means necessary.

Tanmaxxing typically involves going outside when the UV index is at its highest and not wearing sun protection in order to achieve a golden glow.

Some Edmontonians enjoying the reprieve from constant rain were outside maxing their tan on Wednesday.

Brigid Elliott, for example, prefers to call it “Vitamin D-maxxing” because she’s more concerned about getting outside than achieving the perfect tan.

“When it’s really sunny outside, I like to let myself bake as long as possible … I wear sunscreen daily. I’m a ginger redhead, so if I don’t, I suffer the consequences.”

Western Canada Dermatology Institute dermatologist Mariusz Sapijaszko says more young people are learning in real time what those consequences are.

“Everything in life is all about the dose, in moderation. By all means have fun in the sun, but focusing on tanning specifically, on maxing out the UV radiation that our skin is exposed to, it’s just bad karma,” he said.

Too much exposure can range from general sun damage like wrinkles, blotchiness, fragility and other forms of premature skin aging, to skin cancer – the rates of which are on the rise, according to the Canadian Cancer Society.

He says we’ve already seen the consequences of tanmaxxing, despite it not having a catchy name back in the day, from the 20th century.

“Every generation has its own tanmaxxing ideas … It’s like a new generation is relearning the same thing that we learned before already.”

New data from the Canadian Dermatology Association suggests younger Canadians – including the tanmaxxing Gen Z – may have a disconnect between what they know about skin cancer and how they actually behave in the sun.

He says trying to tan as quickly as possible may also result in less of a golden glow and more of a blistered blunder.

“Your skin may not necessarily be tanning well. Tanning really depends on what you eat, what your skin type is, what your family history is … The bottom line is, don’t do it.”

Tim Caulfield, a University of Alberta public health and law professor, says some tanmaxxing rhetoric relies on heavy misinformation spread over social media, especially about sunscreen.

His team looked at TikTok to understand the algorithms tanmaxxing was being promoted in and found it ran deep in certain ‘manosphere’ or ‘health’ communities.

“There’s also a lot of fear-mongering associated with sunscreen, this idea that the chemicals in sunscreen cause cancer, which is not true. That natural sunscreens are better for you – not true. And that getting a base tan means you don’t need sunscreen – really, really not true,” he explained.

“A lot of these natural influencers are pushing these concepts, and they’re getting engagement.”

Like Sapijaszko, Caulfield says that doesn’t mean people should avoid the outdoors entirely. It does, however, mean enjoying the outdoors should include SPF 30 and above, protective wear and hydration.

“Don’t believe the narratives around the idea that getting a tan means you look healthy. On the contrary. Sun protection matters, especially in the context of skin cancer.”

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Miriam Valdes-Carletti