"It's criminal!": TikTok's "sun tattoo" or "burn lines" trend worries dermatologists

A new trend on social media is scaring health professionals . Videos posted on TikTok and Instagram with the hashtags "burn lines" or "sun tattoo" are garnering millions of views. The goal: to get tan lines, or very often sunburn, as clear and pronounced as possible on your swimsuit. But there are also kinds of temporary tattoos, created by covering certain areas of the skin with sunscreen.

"These are real burns because the goal is to have maximum contrast with the area protected with a large amount of cream," warns dermatologist Catherine Oliveres-Ghouti, a member of the National Union of Dermatologists and Venereologists , on RMC. A trend that most often involves young women, often teenagers.

To achieve this result, these women are prepared to do anything, even burn their skin by exposing themselves to the sun without protection. Each one shares her advice for achieving this. For one, it's "carrot oil to apply now." Another opts for "Monoï oil" and is delighted to have "burned" and to be in "so much pain."

These "frying" oils allow "maximum contrast," laments Catherine Oliveres-Ghouti on Apolline Matin . While searching on TikTok, the specialist came across "second-degree burns with blisters."

"It's completely unconscious. The people who spread this kind of idea on TikTok are criminals," insists the specialist.

This trend prompted Health Minister Yannick Neuder to release a video on social media to warn young women. "Your skin is your life, you only have one, don't sacrifice it for a 30-second buzz," he declared.

Dermatologist Catherine Oliveres-Ghouti describes this as an "absolutely harmful" trend that represents "an immediate danger because you'll get a terrible sunburn," and "ultimately, you have at least a 50% increased risk of developing skin cancer in the next 10 or 12 years." According to Public Health France, more than 85% of skin cancers are linked to excessive sun exposure.

"Melanoma killed 2,800 people last year, that's as many as people on the road," the dermatologist points out.

Eve Maubec, a member of the French Society of Dermatology, also warns younger people about the dangers of sun exposure: "The accumulation of these repeated exposures is very dangerous. If you have suffered five sunburns before the age of 20, you increase your risk of melanoma by 80%."

To avoid increasing your risk of skin cancer, Catherine Oliveres-Ghouti advises "seeking shade under a roof" whenever possible. "Sunscreen between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. is useless; you can never put on enough," she adds. She also adds that most parasols are "absolutely not protective."