Dermatologists, cancer experts and other clinicians have raised concerns about a new trend being adopted by some sunbathers. It is known as sunburn art, which has gone viral on internet. One can search Twitter for the #sunburnart hashtag and you can see many examples of it.

In this, designs are made on the skin by using sunscreen or another sun barrier in a selected pattern and sit in the sun and leaving the rest body parts unprotected. Health officials have always said that UV radiation, whether natural or artificial, can prove taxing for the skin. It can lead to burns, wrinkles, dark spots and even cancer.

Dr. Thomas Rohrer said such type of an art does not make sense at all that puts a person at risk of skin cancer. The Skin Cancer Foundation has warned people not to try it. As per the American Cancer Society, over 3.5 million people are diagnosed with skin cancer every year.

In America, it is the most common form of cancer. Skin cancer happens because the skin has absorbed too much UV rays over time from sources like sunshine, sunlamps, or tanning beds. Amongst all, melanoma is the most dangerous form of skin cancer and can kill a person in three to six months if no treatment is taken.

"The only way you get a tan is if your DNA has been damaged. Melanoma can develop as a brand new spot, or it can be a spot that you've had for your entire life, a mole, that changes", said Dr. Orville Hartford, a dermatologist at Penobscot Valley Dermatology in Orono.