Dermatologists have warned the public after a new trend involving intentional sunburn practices emerged and inspired sun lovers around the world.

In an attempt to get a sunburn tattoo, people have started leaving parts of their body free of sunscreen to form a sunburn that represents or shows a certain design.

The trend has quickly taken over social media with thousands of users getting sunburned on purpose before sharing their ‘cool’ tats online.

As dermatologists have warned, however, the practice is not only ridiculous but very dangerous as sunburns greatly increase one’s chances of suffering from skin cancer in the future.

In an interview with Daily Mail, Dermatologist Dr. Whitney Bowe from New York explained that the sunburn “damage is going to be with you for the rest of your life.”

“There is no safe way to get a sunburn tattoo. That is a major misconception. There is no such thing as a safe tan,” Ms. Bowe warned.

In addition, the dermatologist warned the people against tanning and explained how both Ultraviolet A and B rays cause permanent damage to the skin.

“The UVB rays are primary responsible for burning. So the UVB rays penetrate into the top layer of the skin, the epidermis, and those are the ones responsible for the sunburn,” she added.

“UVA rays dive deeper into the dermis. Those are the ones that cumulative exposure lead to wrinkles and loss of elasticity the skin.”

Concluding that sunburn tattoos are a dangerous practice that should be avoided by everyone, Dr. Bowe said:

“There is no such thing as a safe tan or safe burn. Even one bad sunburn can double your risk of melanoma later in life.

“A lot of these sunburn tattoos are being done by kids. When you have young skin like that, it is especially vulnerable to ultraviolet rays. You are more likely to see signs of aging.”

What are your thoughts on this dangerous trend? Let us know in the comments and don’t forget to SHARE this post with your friends and family!