People have a complicated relationship with tanning. While some individuals deliberately seek tanning for aesthetic reasons or to achieve a sun-kissed look, others vehemently dislike it due to concerns about skin damage and health risks associated with excessive sun exposure. Those belonging to the former category employ all kinds of tricks to receive the perfect tanned look. One such trend going viral on TikTok is beer tanning! As the name suggests, the hack involves slathering your skin with this alcoholic beverage before exposing yourself to the sun. According to Forbes, people are arguing that the hops in beer help activate melanin — a substance in your body that produces hair, eye, and skin pigmentation — and therefore facilitates a darker, more even tan. While one TikTok video says, "Try beer for tanning, thank me later,” another mentions four steps - buy the cheapest beer, take a dive into the water, take a beer shower, and enjoy the sun. The trend has caught the interest of numerous people to the extent that Metro reported that the UK online searches for "beer tan" have jumped by over 137 per cent since March. However, dermatologists worldwide have expressed concerns over this latest trend, asking people to exercise precautions. "Any method to accelerate tanning is leading to more skin damage and increasing the risk of skin cancer," Dustin Portela, a board-certified dermatologist with over 2 million TikTok followers, was quoted as saying by Highsnobiety, adding that the only thing you should apply to your skin before a beach day is sunscreen — not alcohol. "Alcohol, when applied to the skin, will strip away natural oils and moisture, leaving the skin dry and more prone to damage from sun exposure. Also, using beer on the skin can cause irritation and allergic reactions. Depending on the ingredients in your beer — like additional flavouring — you could also be putting yourself at risk of a significant phototoxic reaction called phytophotodermatitis which is extremely painful and can take weeks to resolve," he added. Concurring, Dr Navya Handa, dermatologist, cosmetologist and laser surgeon, Primus Super Speciality Hospital said that applying beer to the skin while sunbathing with the belief that it will enhance the tanning process is not a safe or recommended practice. "Using beer on the skin while sunbathing can have negative effects for several reasons," she said, listing a few: *Increased Sensitivity: Alcohol can be irritating to the skin, making it more sensitive to the sun's UV rays. This can lead to a higher risk of sunburn and other sun-related skin damage. *Dehydration: Alcohol is a diuretic, which means it can dehydrate the body, including the skin. Dehydrated skin is more susceptible to damage from the sun. *Disruption of Skin Barrier: Alcohol can strip the skin of its natural oils, which are essential for maintaining a healthy skin barrier. A compromised skin barrier can lead to dryness, redness, and other skin issues. *Lack of Sun Protection: Relying on beer as a tanning enhancer might lead some people to skip using proper sun protection like sunscreen. This increases the risk of sunburn, premature ageing, and skin cancer. *Ineffective Tanning: There is no scientific evidence to support the claim that beer can enhance the tanning process. In fact, it may hinder the process by dehydrating the skin and increasing the risk of sunburn. 📣 For more lifestyle news, follow us on Instagram | Twitter | Facebook and don't miss out on the latest updates!
