Debunking 6 common sun protection myths

The UK is in the grip of a heatwave right now, which we probably don’t need to point out to anyone who is currently feeling a little hot and flustered – or can look out a window! But, the big question is – are you wearing sunscreen? And are you wearing it properly?

Unfortunately, there are still plenty of myths about sunscreen use floating about, which could be harming your skin (and your health). Here are five that we hear about the most so you can stay protected…

1. You only need sunscreen in the summer

No, you need it all year round – which will also save you from getting ‘caught out’ and rushing out to the shops when a heatwave hits! That said, summer – when the heat and sunshine reminds you that you might be burning – is a really good time to get in the daily sunscreen habit, and then not give it up post-holiday or heatwave.

Think that the sun isn’t strong enough in the UK, especially in the winter, to have an impact though? Not true. Collagen-damaging UVA rays are present in daylight all year round, even in the UK. You can check the daily UV index where you live online or in your weather app on your smartphone. If it’s over 3 the sun is strong enough to cause damage and you should be wearing sunscreen. Even if it’s lower, many modern sunscreen formulations contain ingredients to protect the skin against other external ageing factors, such as pollution and high-energy blue light (HEV) – the type admitted from our smartphones and laptop screens. So, if your daily routine involves exposure to either of these, you know what you need to do.

Our selection of tried-and-tested sunscreen favourites makes the whole process super easy too.

2. You can tan safely if you don’t burn

Simply not true, I’m afraid. A sun ‘tan’ is caused because your body activates your skin’s melanocytes (which produce the pigment that deepens skin colour) to try to protect against DNA damage caused by the sun’s UV rays. It’s basically your skin’s ‘help’ signal that it is being bombarded. Even without burning, UV exposure causes genetic damage that builds up over time, leading to wrinkles, sunspots, and an increased risk of skin cancer. In essence, a tan is not a sign of health, but of your skin trying to shield itself from further injury.

For that reason, as Dr Ross Perry of Cosmedics explained when we sat down with him for a mole check, “the classic cheat of waiting half an hour before putting on sunblock to get a ‘healthy glow’ without burning, really isn’t a good idea. Don’t try to guess how strong the sunlight is and how much you are going to react to it. That’s a recipe for getting more burnt.”

3. There’s such thing as a ‘base’ tan

In the same vein, “there’s no such thing as a safe base tan  – it is utter nonsense,” reveals Dr Perry. In particular, please don’t jump on a sun bed before your next holiday – as Alice explains here. Sun bed usage is frankly just dangerous and proven to increase your risk of skin cancer.

The only safe base tan is the one that comes from a bottle and there are so many affordable, easy-to-use and effective formulas out there on the high street nowadays that there’s really no excuse not to ‘fake it’, if a tan is your ultimate goal.

4. Darker skins don’t need sunscreen 

They really do, because they are prone to hyperpigmentation and dark marks – which again, can be picked up from UV light in daylight, even more than pale skins. Any existing pigmentation is exacerbated by the sun too – making it a must when the weather heats up.

A 2017 study found that Black people in the States were four times more likely to present with advanced-stage IV melanoma – the deadliest type of skin cancer – than Caucasians, partly because it is often detected too late. Therefore, the study indicates that the mortality rate from melanoma is 1.5 times higher among the Black population. Please bear that in mind and keep your skin protected.

5. The factor you use doesn’t really make much difference

While any sunscreen is better than no sunscreen at all, there’s a reason skin experts say SPF 30 is the minimum you should be wearing. SPF 15 and below (we’ve spied factor 8 before) doesn’t block enough UV radiation to offer strong protection, especially considering it is often applied less thoroughly by us than in testing (so we get less than the advertised factor).

“A lot of people are using a factor lower than they probably know they need to, using less than they should, or applying it less frequently, in order to still get a tan,” reveals Dr Perry. However, this just leaves your skin inadequately protected, leading to sun burn in the short term, and premature ageing (such as wrinkles and dark spots) in the future. Broad spectrum SPF 30 and above have got a lot better recently in terms of texture too, so you don’t have to worry about thick, gloopy formulas.

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6. You’ve got SPF in your makeup, so you don’t need sunscreen 

You guessed it; you do. Because when sunscreens are tested to make sure they do their job at protecting skin, they are tested using a thick applications of the product. So, unless you wear your make-up in a super-thick layer – not even those on camera or influencers wear their makeup that thick – you just won’t be getting the same protection as you would with a dedicated sunscreen underneath. Plus, the SPF rating in many foundations with built-in sun protection simply isn’t high enough – you want to be using SPF30 and up.

There’s a reason I bang on about proper use of sunscreen so much. It’s the single most effective thing – apart from not smoking – that you can do to prevent the visible signs of skin ageing. So please, just wear some. Every day.

Find a high-quality sunscreen from this selection of my favourites and read more about the effects of sun damage on the skin and how to avoid it here.