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Myth - People with a tan or dark skin don’t need to use sunscreen with SPF.
Fact - Everyone needs sun protection!
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Myth - If you are in the shade you don’t need SPF.
Fact - The reflection of the sun will burn even if you are in the shade - sand, snow and water all reflect sunlight and can contribute to your risk of burning.
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Myth – You can’t get burned on a cloudy day.
Fact - Clouds don’t block the UV rays that cause sunburn.
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Myth – If you apply a waterproof sunscreen before hand, you can swim or surf and still be protected for the day.
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Fact - No sunscreen is waterproof, only water resistant. So if you go in the water, reapply every 40 minutes.
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Myth – All day protection sunscreens only have to be applied once and will protect you all day.
Fact - Sunscreens actually break down in the sun and should generally be applied every 2-3 hours (sweat and activity also cause them to wear off). Sunscreens that contain zinc oxide stay on longest. Also, be aware that it takes 30 minutes for sunscreen to adequately penetrate your skin.
Fact - And, did you know that Insect repellent can reduce a sunscreen's SPF by up to one-third? When using sunscreen and insect repellent together, a higher SPF should be used and reapplied more often!
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Myth – You will lose the ability to absorb important vitamin D from the sun if you are wearing sun block.
Fact – Your body can get vitamin D from food sources so you don’t have to risk burning your skin.
And, most importantly
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Myth - You only need UV protection in the summer sun.
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Fact - You should ensure that you use broad spectrum UV protection all the year round, the kind which provides protection from the damaging effects of both UVA and UVB rays. Unlike UVB rays, UVA radiation levels have only small fluctuations during the day, and are present from sunrise to sunset every day, all year round, even in the winter and on cloudy days. UVA rays can even pass through windows and glass, making the indoors, near windows, equally dangerous for your skin. Its the UVA rays that are aging your skin, even though you may not burn or tan. Up to 95% of the suns radiation that reaches the skin is UVA. These rays penetrate deeper into the dermis or base layer of the skin, where connective tissue and blood vessels exist. The result is a loss of elasticity that causes the skin to sag, wrinkle, and age prematurely.
The information provided on annalotan-usa.com is not intended as a substitute for medical advice. If you have a medical question or concern regarding any item or article on this site, please consult your physician