If you’ve spent any time scrolling TikTok or Instagram lately, you may have seen influencers or teens talking about the “perfect UV Index for tanning” or checking their weather apps for the day’s “UV peak.” What was once a tool used by dermatologists and meteorologists to prevent sun damage is now being used by some young people to seek it out.
The trend of using the UV Index to chase the sun is growing—and it’s deeply concerning. What may seem like harmless fun or a shortcut to a golden glow is actually a fast track to long-term skin damage. The UV Index wasn’t designed to help you tan—it was created to help you protect your skin. Understanding it, and using it wisely, is one of the most important habits you can build for lifelong skin health.
Let’s break down what the UV Index actually means—and why it should shift from being your tanning target to your sun-safety signal.
What Is the UV Index, Anyway?
The UV Index is a standardized measurement of the strength of ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun at a particular time and place. It typically ranges from 0 (low) to 11+ (extreme), and it's designed to help people understand when the risk of sunburn and skin damage is highest.
Here's a quick breakdown:
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0–2: Low risk (still, sunscreen is encouraged)
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3–5: Moderate risk (precaution needed)
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6–7: High risk (protection essential)
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8–10: Very high risk (unprotected exposure can damage skin in minutes)
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11+: Extreme risk (UV radiation is dangerously intense)
The higher the number, the faster your skin can burn—and the deeper the damage goes.
Who’s Tracking—and Why?
More and more teens and young adults are tracking the UV Index on their phones or smartwatches—not to avoid the sun, but to time their sun exposure for tanning. Posts tagged with #uvindex, #tanningcheck, and even #uv8 or #uv10 are gaining popularity, often encouraging others to “lay out now” or “catch the peak UV window.”
Some are using apps like Apple Weather or UVLens to find the day’s peak exposure, then heading outdoors with minimal sun protection in hopes of getting a glow.
What’s especially alarming? Many of these individuals are skipping sunscreen altogether, falsely believing that a “base tan” offers protection (it doesn’t- read here about the myth of the base tan), or that burning a little now is a price worth paying for “aesthetic” results.
The Real Risks of High UV Exposure
Let’s be clear: UV radiation is a known carcinogen. That means it causes cancer. It's responsible for the majority of skin aging and is the #1 cause of skin cancer, including melanoma—the most dangerous type, which can be fatal.
For teens and young adults, repeated sunburns early in life significantly increase the risk of developing skin cancer later. In fact, just five blistering sunburns before age 20 increases your melanoma risk by 80%.
But even without visible burns, regular unprotected UV exposure causes:
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DNA damage in skin cells
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Breakdown of collagen and elastin (leading to premature wrinkles)
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Uneven pigmentation and sun spots
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Suppression of the immune system in the skin
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Permanent damage to melanocytes, the pigment-producing cells, which can lead to irregular pigmentation or even melanoma
And here’s the kicker: You don’t have to burn to be damaged. Tanning itself is a sign your skin is under stress and trying to protect itself by producing more melanin. There’s no such thing as a safe tan.
Why Young Skin Is Especially Vulnerable
In teens and young adults, the skin’s DNA repair mechanisms aren’t fully developed. The damage that starts in adolescence can take years to show up—but when it does, it often presents as early aging, chronic pigmentation issues, and a much higher lifetime risk of skin cancer.
And unlike other some other beauty trends that can be reversed or outgrown, sun damage is cumulative and irreversible. Once the damage is done, it doesn’t fade like a trend.
How to Shift the Mindset
Rather than chasing a high UV Index, we should be teaching young people how to use it as a warning system, not a tanning forecast. The UV Index should be a tool for deciding when to reapply sunscreen, wear a hat, or stay in the shade during peak hours (usually 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.).
Brands, influencers, and parents can help by:
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Normalizing SPF use as part of daily skin health, not just beach days
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Educating on the long-term effects of UV exposure
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Highlighting healthy skin as beautiful skin—no tan required
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Offering products that make protection easy—like ERLY Start Moisturizer SPF 40, which combines mineral sunscreen with skin-supporting peptides in a lightweight, wearable formula
A Final Word
The idea of tracking the sun like a weather event isn’t inherently wrong. It’s how that information is used that matters. If you’re using the UV Index to decide how to protect yourself, great. But if you’re using it to chase a tan or avoid sunscreen, it’s time to rethink the goal.
The healthiest glow comes from taking care of your skin—not compromising it.
