The tanning bed trend from the 2000s has come back into fashion among Generation Z.
The return of the Jersey Shore “gym, tan, laundry” aesthetic also brings with it a huge cancer risk for young people who have developed an affinity for it.
According to research by IbisWorld, there are now 6,000 more tanning beds in the states than in the late 2000s, and by 2023 there were a total of 22,000 tanning salons nationwide.
Heather Rogers, MD, a Seattle-based dermatologist, shared with Women’s health‘(Generation Z) doesn’t take care of their skin, despite having a 15-step skin care regimen.’
Despite the multitude of studies and research supporting the negative consequences of tanning, Gen Z is choosing to ignore science to achieve their personal standards of beauty.
The tanning bed trend from the 2000s has become fashionable again among the generation Z (archive image)
According to the Center for Advanced Dermatology and Skin Cancer‘Tanning beds can increase the risk of skin cancer, damage and weaken the immune system, cause clinical problems in the eyes, lead to photodamage (damage to the skin from unprotected exposure to UV radiation) and accelerated photoaging, or premature aging of the skin caused by repeated exposure to UV radiation.’
Despite the wealth of information already out there, more and more tanning salons are opening up due to the growing trend of Generation Z.
Co-owner Win Gruber opened three tanning salons, called Upper East Side Tan since 2023.
Win believes that 30 to 40 percent of his customers are between 22 and 26 years old, and 90 percent of them are women, who often participate by paying the $59 monthly subscription fee.
He shared with Women’s Health: “I know with the generation before them, there was a backlash against tanning, and I think it’s kind of swung the other way, a little bit.”
Despite all the long-term warnings, 28 percent of Gen Z respondents have shared in a Survey for the American Academy of Dermatology In 2022, tanning was more important to them than the risks of skin cancer that it entails.
Dr. Rogers, who removes skin cancers such as moles, bumps or sores, told Women’s Health, “The survey data was quite concerning in terms of how much room for improvement there is in educating Gen Z about the risks of (ultraviolet light). That gap really doesn’t seem to have been filled yet.”
The return of the Jersey Shore’s “gym, tan, laundry” aesthetic also brings with it a huge cancer risk for young people who have developed an affinity for it (file image)
Dr. Jacqueline Watchmaker, a dermatologist at US Dermatology Partners, explained: ‘There is a wave of misinformation affecting younger teens and Gen Z.
“I’ve certainly seen some 20-year-olds who are not just tan, but reddish brown; they’re so tan I call them mahogany.”
Unlike in the 2000s, when tanning beds required sessions lasting more than 25 minutes, today, thanks to technology, you can get a tan in as little as four minutes, because improved beds emit stronger, more dangerous rays.
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