'Sunburn art' trend could increase skin cancer risk

A new trend has hit social media this summer, but the ramifications of it could be deadly.

Referred to as "sunburn art," the gist is that people put sunblock on, but only in specific areas so that when they sunburn the burn pattern on their skin comes out looking like a design. There is a #sunburnart hashtag on Instagram where people post their painful results.

But behind the artistry, there is the threat of skin cancer, which The Daily Mirror points out is a common cancer that is preventable. They added that "non-melanoma skin cancer is mainly caused by overexposure to ultraviolet light which can come from the sun, or artificial sunbeds and sunlamps." Other factors include family history, burning easily, and having moles or freckles.

According to The Skin Cancer Foundation, nearly 5 million people are treated for skin cancer in the U.S. each year. They add that more people have skin cancer than any other form of cancer combined and that one in five Americans will have skin cancer in their lifetime. This comes a few weeks after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that melanoma skin cancer has increased dramatically in the past few years.