![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1783590790_152_indicator-big.gif\")
<\/p>\nPart of what changed, she said, is a social media trend that became popular this spring and summer. <\/p>\n
\t<\/p>\n
TikTok feeds have been flush with posts from mostly gen Z \u2014 teens and young adults in their 20s \u2014 posing in bikinis or showing off their tan lines with the hashtag #tanmaxxing. The trend promotes maximum sun exposure with minimal, if any, sunscreen \u2014 and is alarming parents and dermatologists.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s really concerning because the UV index is meant to be a warning system to tell people to increase their protective measures \u2014 whether it\u2019s sunscreen or staying indoors, using sun-protective clothing (or) seeking shade,\u201d Carroll said. <\/p>\n
The consequences of tanmaxxing may not appear for another 20 to 30 years, she said, when today\u2019s youth could be dealing with \u201cirreparable sun damage.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt could be something like having more photo aging, which is like wrinkles and pigment, than we would normally expect. But it could be as serious as melanomas and non-melanoma skin cancers like basal cells and squamous cells.\u201d<\/p>\n
But warnings about the future from dermatologists and parents aren\u2019t effective as a deterrent, said Lana Armani, a 22-year-old social media and marketing specialist who lives in Montreal and posts photos of tanning with friends to TikTok. <\/p>\n
\u201cEvery weekend that we see it\u2019s a nice day, it\u2019s UV (rays) out, we\u2019re like, OK, let\u2019s make a post about (how) we\u2019re tanmaxxing because we wanna show people that we are tanning and we\u2019re like, joining in. And it\u2019s also a trend that\u2019s been very popular. So we\u2019re kind of hopping on that,\u201d Armani said. <\/p>\n
Tanmaxxing is a subset of the broader \u201clooksmaxxing\u201d trend, she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBasically what it means is you\u2019re optimizing an aspect of your life or your looks to make yourself feel better and more confident.\u201d <\/p>\n
Armani said her generation realizes they\u2019re tanning at the \u201cexact time\u201d that UV index warnings say not to. <\/p>\n
They also know about the risks of premature aging and even skin cancer, but they\u2019re choosing not to think about those dangers. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s about living in the present.\u201d <\/p>\n
That attitude is reflected in a poll conducted in April on behalf of the Canadian Dermatology Association, which found almost 40 per cent of 1,000 gen Z Canadians surveyed said they had intentionally tanned in the past year. <\/p>\n
That\u2019s despite 79 per cent of respondents expressing concern about skin cancer and 63 per cent saying they know tanning is a risk, the survey by Ipsos found. <\/p>\n
The Canadian Research Insights Council, an industry organization that promotes polling standards, says online surveys cannot be assigned a margin of error because they do not randomly sample the population.<\/p>\n
If dermatologists want to get through to people her age, they need to get celebrities and influencers on social media to promote sunscreen products that have an immediate beauty effect, such as a tint or glow, said Armani, whose facial makeup does contain sunscreen. <\/p>\n
\u201cTanmaxxing isn\u2019t just about going in the sun and getting exposure. It\u2019s also about wearing things that bring out your tan or like putting body oil or like a little shimmer that I put on sometimes in makeup.\u201d<\/p>\n
She acknowledges that such products exist, but \u201chonestly I don\u2019t really hear people my age talking about them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf they were marketed more like a beauty product instead of just sunscreen, I think more people would actually use them,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
Armani said she and her friends use self-tanner before a trip or an event, but not as a replacement for soaking up the sun. <\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like a natural tan looks different, lasts longer, and just makes you feel better overall. I think that\u2019s why people still choose to tan even though self-tanners are an option,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
Although gen Z coined the term \u201ctanmaxxing,\u201d many people in previous generations also overexposed themselves to the sun\u2019s UV rays when they were young, said Dr. Ivan Litvinov, an associate professor of dermatology at McGill University in Montreal. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt was at a time so popular that people used reflectors to maximize tanning,\u201d said Litvinov, who studies sun safety behaviours. <\/p>\n
He said children tend to be protected from the sun until about the age of 14 because their parents can make them apply sunscreen, wear sun-protective clothing and hats and minimize exposure to the sun during peak UV hours. <\/p>\n
But after that, teens start to make their own decisions and many begin tanning in the sun, he said. After they turn 18, they are also legally able to use tanning beds. <\/p>\n
There is also a biological reason that drives people to stay out in the sun, Litvinov said. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt actually feels good to be in the sun. This is an evolutionary pressure to force humans out of their cave so that they can make some vitamin D, otherwise we would have rickets and we\u2019d die.\u201d<\/p>\n
But tanning for pleasure gives much more sun exposure than the body needs and becomes harmful, he said. <\/p>\n
Armani said tanmaxxing should be done \u201cin moderation\u201d \u2014 but dermatologists say there\u2019s no such thing as a \u201csafe\u201d tan. <\/p>\n
\u201cA tan is basically your skin saying that \u2018I am being damaged,’\u201d Carroll said. <\/p>\n
\u201c(It says) \u2018you\u2019re not protecting me. So in order to protect myself, I\u2019m gonna increase the pigment in my skin, so increase the melanin production to try to give myself some protection.’\u201d<\/p>\n
But the \u201cprotection\u201d provided by a tan is equivalent to an SPF of four, Carroll said, and dermatologists recommend using sunscreens that have an SPF of at least 30. <\/p>\n
According to the Canadian Cancer Society, the rates of melanoma \u2014 a deadly form of skin cancer \u2014 have increased over the last 30 years. <\/p>\n
Sun exposure and tanning beds are the main risks for developing melanoma, the society\u2019s website says. <\/p>\n
\u201cIncidence rates of melanoma in Canada are among the highest in the world. Reduce your risk of skin cancer by being safe in the sun,\u201d it says. <\/p>\n
The cancer society advises reducing time in the sun between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., or any time the UV index is 3 or more, and seeking shade or using an umbrella. It also recommends wearing sunglasses, a wide-brimmed hat and using sunscreen on any skin that isn\u2019t covered by clothing. <\/p>\n
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 1, 2026.<\/p>\n
Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.<\/p>\n
Nicole Ireland, The Canadian Press<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Part of what changed, she said, is a social media trend that became popular this spring and summer.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":840076,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[49,48,84],"class_list":["post-840075","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/840075","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=840075"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/840075\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/840076"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=840075"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=840075"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=840075"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}