The Queen Victoria Hospital Foundation Trust in East Grinstead is warning the public about a practice known as "sunburning," endorsed by certain social media influencers.
This trend entails not using sunscreen to obtain a tan or intentionally burning the skin as a purported acne treatment.
TikTok is now taking down these posts.
Sam Orkar, Consultant Plastic Surgeon and Clinical Director of the hospital’s Plastics and Burns services says: “Social media trends such as this not only pose an immediate danger but have the potential to cause lifelong health issues for those that follow them.
Melanoma is the 5th most common type of Cancer and nationally numbers are on the increase. Please can we encourage everyone to be safe in the sun and look after your skin and remember there are safer ways to treat acne than putting yourself at risk through unprotected sun exposure.”
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