Young people of the past used to check if there were waves. Today, they check the weather app to see if there is a UV 10, then refresh the radiation index obsessively, and only when the number climbs to levels of a nuclear reactor do they set out on the new national mission: To roast as quickly as possible. On TikTok they call it "The Index" or UV maxxing, when in practice, this is a generation that has managed to turn a health warning into a group summer challenge.
This trend has taken a strong hold on social media, especially among Gen Z who flood the feed with videos of young people waiting for the hours when the sun is angriest to deepen their pigment and produce a "before and after" video that will bring them maximum views. Some of them even treat the UV index like a matriculation protective grade: UV 3 – that is for the weak, UV 8 – that is for the advanced, and UV 11 is already for the president's honor roll of the dermatology department.
And speaking of which – dermatologists and health organizations are pulling their hair out and warning that the use of the radiation index is completely opposite to its original purpose. The UV index was designed to help people protect themselves and hide from dangerous sun, not to signal to them when it is best to go out and burn to death. Experts repeatedly recall the bummer truth: There is no such thing as a healthy tan. As far as the skin is concerned, the tanned pigment is simply a warning letter and a defensive reaction to severe damage the skin has experienced.
And like any self-respecting TikTok trend, here too users are not satisfied with just radiation but upgrade the experience. Those who do not slather themselves in classic tanning oils move on to carrot oil, coconut oil, and other products that promise a shimmering glaze effect on the skin. The problem is that these products provide almost no protection, and some even increase exposure to radiation: The oily texture functions like a frying pan, accelerating the heating of the skin and, above all, helping it fry homogeneously.
The algorithm, of course, loves it. Tanned skin photographs great in filters, bikini lines generate traffic, and fast-tanning videos run on loops. It is a pity that videos about sunspots, premature aging, and skin cancer are much less viral. These, what can you do, get a stage only a few years later.
Pola Blick Dayan, an expert in advanced cosmetics and natural medicine, explains that "The intensity of this ultraviolet radiation is divided into clear levels: An index of 0–2 represents low risk, 3–5 is already moderate risk, and 6–7 jumps us to high risk. From there, the business only becomes truly dangerous – an index of 8–10 is defined as very high risk, and any number from 11 and above means extreme and completely dangerous radiation, which here in the Levant, is a matter of routine, especially during the burning peak hours between 11:00 and 16:00."
Here comes the part that translates less well to Reels. Blick Dayan clarifies that prolonged exposure during these hours causes severe and irreversible damage to the skin: From painful sunburns, through eye damage, deep dryness, pigmentation spots, and severe damage to elasticity, to premature skin aging, deep wrinkles, and a dramatic increase in the real risk of contracting skin cancer and melanoma in the future.
So how do you protect the skin anyway?
Blick Dayan recalls the iron rules: First of all, completely avoid direct sun exposure during peak radiation hours (11:00 to 16:00). It is mandatory to apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher at least half an hour before leaving the house, and to renew the application every two hours, or immediately after sweating and coming out of the water.
Beyond that, do not forget physical protection: Wear a wide-brimmed hat that protects the face, wear sunglasses with UV protection, wear protective clothing, and most importantly – drink plenty of water to restore to the skin the moisture it loses in this madness.
So how do we sum up? The damage of exposure at a young age does not disappear, it just stays quietly inside the cells and waits for the day when the skin decides to pull the skeletons out of the closet. Because our skin, contrary to what is customary to think at age 17, remembers everything. It might wrinkle, dry up, get tired, rebel, and lose elasticity – but from at least one problem it does not suffer: Dementia.