Screenshots from @addiewilsonbby’s “Stitch” TikTok video featuring @mmaurakimm original content.
<aside> 🩺 Medical Disclaimer: This article is not intended as medical advice. The information presented in this article is for educational purposes and should not be used in place of medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment from a licensed medical doctor. Always consult with your healthcare team before making any changes to your diet, exercise routine, or medication.
</aside>
These videos caught my attention because I am a former contractor for the National Cancer Institute’s Cancer Information Service (NCI-CIS) through Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center.
While I am no longer affiliated with either organization or represent them in any way, I wanted to write this article to help disseminate some of the credible and evidence-based information they have on the subject.
Recreational sun tanning, also known as "sun bathing," began gaining popularity in the late 1800s. The concept of getting a suntan was viewed as healthy by medical professionals of the time due to their limited understanding of the dangers from ultraviolet light (UV) exposure. Tanning was actively promoted as a medical cure, which helped propel the activity to becoming mainstream by the 1920’s. (1)
However, it was "demonstrated that ultraviolet wavelengths caused erythema [redness] of the skin" as early as 1858, and by 1900, several "uncommon dermatologic [skin] conditions related to sun exposure" had been discovered. (2) By the 1930s, the United States Public Health Service (USPHS) was warning consumers not to use sunlamps without medical supervision, and UV radiation was widely regarded as a carcinogen. (2)
But it was too late. By 1929, fashion magazines such as Vouge and Harper's Bazaar had gone from zero advertisements promoting a tanned appearance in 1920, to nearly 80 advertisements promoting a tanned appearance using makeup, stockings, and swimwear. (3) It was around this time that the tanning products and lotions industry also began to emerge.
Vacationing and traveling had become widely accessible to the middle class by the 1950s, and the "vacation tan" became a symbol of affluence and status. (4) By the 1960’s magazines like Mademoiselle, regularly printed articles about tanning with instructions on how to tan, the best time of day to tan, and rotating positions aptly dubbed "the rotisserie method.”
“Indeed, fanatical sunbathers engaged in all sorts of strategies to optimize tanning, including coating themselves in a mixture of baby oil and iodine, rubbing their skin with salt, and wearing aluminum reflectors around their necks.” (4)