Tanning is coming back into fashion. Dermatologists warn of the dangers

According to ELLE magazine, more and more people are returning to a bronzed tan - or at least an imitation of it - in the summer of 2025.

"I'm like a solar panel - just don't tell anyone," confessed one beauty editor.

"I'm terrible at being myself and always tan, only hiding my face," says a star make-up artist.

Experts say that tanning fashion is not just about aesthetics, but part of a cultural shift, especially among young people.

According to a survey by the Orlando Cancer Institute, nearly a third of adults still believe that tanned skin looks "healthier." But dermatologists caution: melanoma cases have increased by 42% in the last 10 years.

"We're seeing more and more young women with melanoma - it's a direct consequence of the fashion for tanning," explains Dr Mona Gohara, a dermatologist in Connecticut.

According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, melanoma is already the third most common cancer in women under 50. And even if skin cancer can be detected early, it remains a serious lifelong risk factor.

"Anyone who experiences skin cancer at a young age will subsequently be at an increased risk of new malignancies," Gohara emphasises.

Experts point out that the return to tanning fashion is accompanied by a growing distrust of medical advice.

"We are seeing a rejection of advice from health authorities. This applies to vaccinations, tanning, and even sunscreen," says Washington, D.C.-based dermatologist Sarah Hogan.

Some influencers are fuelling doubts about the safety of sunscreen.

One of the most popular podcasters, Andrew Huberman, for example, has argued that chemical UV filters can disrupt the hormonal system.

And popular blogger Nara Smith even showed how she makes a "homemade cream" from coconut, beeswax and shea butter. However, New York-based dermatologist and EltaMD brand ambassador Marisa Garshick reminds us:

"There's not enough evidence that these ingredients are harmful. What we do have is ironclad evidence that the sun causes skin cancer."

Vin Gruber, owner of the Upper East Side Tan chain, says his business has grown from one to three salons since 2023, including a branch in Miami.

"The biggest surge in interest in tanning in the last 10 years came after the pandemic, when people were tired of staying home and wanted to get out in the sun again," he explains.

For Generation Z, he believes, tanning has become a form of protest:

"They are denying the inhibitions of the previous generation, which was rigidly anti-tanning."

Even celebrities are helping to popularise bronzed skin. Kim Kardashian, for example, once posted a video from her office where she had installed a tanning bed. Although she later retracted her direct endorsement of tanning, many of her subscribers remembered it as an unofficial endorsement.

Medical professionals insist: if you want to look "summery," you should opt for alternatives.

"If you still want a bronzed skin tone, there is a way that won't leave a mark for life - self-tanner," advises Dr Gohara.

In the summer of 2025, tanning has once again become a symbol of hedonism and nostalgia for the 80s. But experts remind: the sun can give not only a golden colour, but also serious health problems. Therefore, everyone should choose between a temporary effect and long-term safety - armed with facts, not trends.