In raging summer, sunscreen misinformation scorches US
The Peninsula
Washington: Dismissively tossing a tube of sunscreen over his shoulder, a TikTok influencer declares that the cream causes cancer. He instead promotes...
Washington: Dismissively tossing a tube of sunscreen over his shoulder, a TikTok influencer declares that the cream causes cancer. He instead promotes "regular sun exposure" to his 400,000 followers -- contradicting US dermatologists fighting a surge in such dubious misinformation.
In the midst of a blazing summer, some social media influencers are offering potentially dangerous advice on sun protection, despite stepped-up warnings from health experts about over-exposure amid rising rates of skin cancer.
Further undermining public health, videos -- some garnering millions of views -- share "homemade" recipes that use ingredients such as beef tallow, avocado butter and beeswax for what is claimed to provide effective skin protection.
In one viral TikTok video, "transformation coach" Jerome Tan discards a commercial cream and tells his followers that eating natural foods will allow the body to make its "own sunscreen."
He offers no scientific evidence for this.
