People are now purposefully burning designs onto their skin and sharing them online with the hashtag #sunburnart.

Because the human race can be really dumb sometimes.

To create the designs, people either just apply suncream to a particular area, or use a temporary tattoo, and allow the unprotected skin to burn.


Obviously, skin experts have spoken out against the trend and warned it could cause skin cancer.

This is where popular culture is clashing with medical advice,’ New York-based dermatologist Dr. Barney Kenet told ABC News.

‘It’s really obvious that sunburn does two things to you: it gives you lines and freckles and wrinkles and it also causes skin cancer especially melanoma,’ he warned.



He adds that the trend is particularly dangerous because it could inspire people to spend longer in the sun, perfecting their ‘art’.

‘The practice is tempting them to burn even worse,’ he said.

And even if you tan rather than burn, the damage is still being done. ‘A sunburn is worse than a tan, but any time you’re in contact with ultraviolet light, you’re damaging your skin,’ Dr. Alster from the Washington Institute of Dermatologic Laser Surgery explains.

‘Even if you’re not getting burned, the damage is done. The UV light is changing the DNA in your skin,’ she adds.

If you really want to create some #sunburnart, the skin experts say the only way to do it safely is by using self-tanning products.

Or, maybe, just don’t be a d*ck.

MORE: Skin cancer sufferer shares shocking selfie to warn others about the dangers of sunbeds

MORE: Man’s luminous pink sunburn is a timely reminder of the importance of suncream

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