Chloe Laborde’s ultimate cure for summer boredom is tanning in her backyard. On a bright day, after checking the UV index — which is pinned on her phone’s homescreen—she puts on music, lies on her back for up to four hours and “hopes for the best.”

The junior, who has naturally fair skin, sometimes burns, but in a few days, it fades into the tan she desires.

“I’m probably killing my skin, but I like how I look when I tan,” Laborde said. “The sun brings up my mood — it’s like reverse seasonal depression.”

During the spring, when the weather gets sunnier, Laborde sits outside while doing homework.

Because her dad is a dermatologist, Chloe grew up avoiding direct sunlight and wearing long-sleeved rash guards. Now, she only applies sunscreen under three conditions: if she is at the beach or lake, when the UV index is greater than 8 or when her dad instructs her to do so.

“Tanning is just a default summer activity with my friends, and my friends will all hang out at someone’s house to tan together,” Laborde said. “The goal is to be more golden; I like to feel glowy.”

Despite the rising number of skin cancer diagnoses at younger ages, sunbathing is back. According to a survey by the American Academy of Dermatology, 28% of Gen Z respondents said getting a tan was more important to them than avoiding skin cancer. In the United States, there has been a 31.5% increase in melanoma rates between 2011 and 2019.

“What we often see is late 30- and 40-year-olds coming into our office with skin mimicking those in their fifties and sixties, with etched lines and discolored areas on their face and neck,” said St. John’s parent Suneel Chilukuri, a cosmetic and dermatologic surgeon.

In the early 20th century, tan skin reflected a blue-collar background and working outdoors. But when fashion designer Coco Chanel returned from the French Riviera in 1923 with a golden glow, the tan became a symbol of leisure. By the 1960s and 70s, people began using cooking oil and reflective blankets to darken their complexion.

While Chilukuri was in medical school, he would sit outside every weekend to tan with friends. He used a reflector, baby oil and iodine to turn even darker. Yet in 2000, when he had to get a spot removed from his shoulder due to cumulative sun damage, he stopped.

“It was quite a different experience back then,” Chilukuri said. “But when I started seeing what this leads to and what type of surgeries people were doing, I had to change my tune.”

Skin cancer occurs when repeated UV exposure damages DNA, causing cells to grow uncontrollably. Research shows that having five or more sunburns doubles the risk of getting melanoma, the most deadly type of skin cancer. Just one blistering sunburn during adolescence more than doubles the risk of developing melanoma later in life.

“Back in the early 2000s, being pale was the promoted trend because people wanted better skin health,” Chilukuri said.

In recent years, the Korean ideal of “glass skin,” which describes clear, glowing skin free of blemishes and marks, has gone viral. But on social media today, Chilukuri sees more people talking about tanning, whether promoting vitamin D intake or better appearance.

Junior Jacey Carroll, who is Black and light-skinned, suns herself twice a month to achieve a caramel color that lasts. Carroll consistently checks the UV levels and only applies sunscreen to her face, shoulders and wherever tends to burn.

“When I’m pale, I look like a dead zombie,” Carroll said. “When I’m tan, I look sunkissed, and it brings out my brown features more.”

For Carroll, tanning feels like a chore.

“Honestly, it’s really uncomfortable,” Carroll said. “It feels good for a little bit because you’re soaking in the sun, but then the sun starts to burn you, and you just want to go inside.”

A sunburn is evidence of cellular damage. As cells are injured, the skin changes hues depending on the type of melanin produced. For people who freckle easily, such as fair-skinned redheads or blondes, damage shows up as a reddish color. For people with darker skin, it presents as a bronze hue or hyperpigmentation.

“Black people get tan, too. It’s not going to be as apparent, but it does make people look better,” Carroll said. “But a tan is too dark when people start to think that someone is a different race.”

Skin-lightening products are popular in regions of Asia and Africa, where pale skin is often favored. According to a 2015 study published by PubMed Central, intentional outdoor tanning is most popular among white people.

“There’s a natural proclivity for human beings to want what they don’t have,” Chilukuri said.

For those who do not want sun exposure, there are synthetic methods to achieve that sunkissed glow. In the 1980s, tanning beds, which emit UV radiation, surged in popularity. Indoor tanning has steeply declined in recent years due to an increased awareness of its severe health risks.

Common UV-free alternatives include spray tans and self-tanning products, such as mousses, drops, mists and lotions. Self-tanning products temporarily darken the skin for a few days or up to a week.

The global self-tanning market is expected to grow from $1.2 billion today to nearly $2 billion by 2032.

On special occasions, Laborde uses spray-on tanning water, like she did for her cousin’s winter wedding.

“My method is horrible, and it never works out well,” Laborde said. “But it mimics the happy feeling you get when you wake up tanned.”

For those who worry about chemical overload from spray tans, one may consider using tanning agents made with vegetables such as carrots and beets. Chilukuri says organic spray tan salons may be a safer option to create a dark brown or orangish-brown hue without the short- and long-term damage associated with tanning booths.

At home, Chilukuri makes sunscreen easily available for his family and friends, citing options that are both cosmetically elegant — not greasy or smelly—and affordable. He recommends his family apply sunscreen to their faces and necks every day.

“While I do not want my family members’ skin to look older than their chronological age, I am more concerned with inflammaging and skin cancer.”

Chilukuri also concedes that, though life’s “not just about appearances, appearance is the easy way to get somebody’s attention.”

Chilukuri says the best way to protect from sun damage is by wearing a wide-brim hat or breathable fabrics that have built-in UV protection. The next best thing is to use sunblock.

For girls with mothers and grandmothers who have etched-in lines, Chilukuri always asks, “Do you want to have similar skin in the next few years?”

This article was originally published in the October issue of The Review.