The four women jetted off on holiday to Greece and looked significantly different at the end of their getaway to how they looked at the start, leaving many people feeling concerned
A mother and her daughters have shared footage of their tans before and after holidaying in Greece and people have been left with the same concerns. Lots of people hope to achieve a post-getaway glow, with a tan often associated with looking healthy – but it does come with serious risks.
The NHS warns there’s “no safe or healthy way to get a tan” and adds that “people who spend a lot of time in the sun, whether it’s for work or play, are at increased risk of skin cancer if they do not take the right precautions.”
It’s important to use at least factor 30 sunscreen, never let your skin burn, and spend time in the shade between 11am and 3pm, when the sun is at its strongest and most intense.
Of course, many people still want to look as though they’ve tanned in the summer and on holiday.
A growing trend on social media sees people comparing their skin tones before and after they’ve jetted off for a break in the sun, with one family’s video gaining a lot of attention online.
In the footage, which was shared on TikTok, a family of four women take it in turns to showcase their complexion before and after their holiday in Greece.
One of the daughters goes first and shows herself twirling around and smiling at the camera before it cuts to her doing the same movement in the airport, only in this second clip, her skin tone is significantly darker.
Next, her mother completes the same gestures in two different clips spliced together to show her paler complexion before her holiday, then a much, much darker tone after their getaway’s completion.
In the third and fourth spot, the other two daughters show their approach to tanning – and it’s a lot more subtle. Both girls have a bit of a glow but their skin colour isn’t dramatically different like the first two.
In the comments beneath the TikTok video – which has been viewed more than 46.7 million times – people were keen to share their thoughts, and many had the same concerns about the women’s skin and the associated risks of tanning.
One person said: “Tanning is skin cells in trauma. No tan is worth the skin cancer risk.”
Another said: “3 and 4 were the only ones that tanned naturally. The other two (ESPECIALLY 2) went to a solarium and you cannot convince me otherwise”.
A third quipped: “Number two used boot polish instead of suntan lotion.” A fourth asked: “Did 1 & 2 sleep outside?”
One TikTok user added: “So 3 and 4 actually know how to put on sunscreen”, while another joked: “I’m sorry, was the resort they stayed at THE SUN?!”
While someone else commented: “TANNING GIVES YOU WRINKLES AND……CANCER”.
Another person chimed in: “The first 2 definitely sunbathed whereas the other 2 used sunscreen and moderate exposure”.
Someone else asked: “Did you guys not use sunscreen at all?”
Another added: “Yall, can we normalise just wearing sunscreen?”
The NHS states: “Sunburn increases your risk of skin cancer. Sunburn does not just happen on holiday. You can burn in the UK, even when it’s cloudy.
“There’s no safe or healthy way to get a tan. A tan does not protect your skin from the sun’s harmful effects.
“Aim to strike a balance between protecting yourself from the sun and getting enough vitamin D from sunlight.”