6 Sunscreen Myths You Need to Stop Believing

Sunscreen is the most important product your can have in your skincare routine. It helps prevent the signs of aging like fine lines, wrinkles, and dark spots, prevents sunburns, and most importantly, it helps protect your skin from skin cancer. With all these reasons to wear sunscreen, why is it that some people choose not to? It might be because they believe some of these sunscreen myths.

Myth #1: Sunscreen causes cancer

There’s no evidence that sunscreen causes cancer.

Myth #2: You don’t have to wear sunscreen during the winter.

Sunscreen should be applied year round.

Myth #3: Melanin-rich skin tones can skip sunscreen.

While the risk of skin cancers and sunburns is low for those with melanin-rich skin tones, there are other reasons to wear sunscreen (fine lines, wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, etc).

Myth #4: Using sunscreen can cause vitamin D deficiency.

Recent studies have shown that it’s not sunscreen causing vitamin D deficiency, but rather our increasingly indoor lifestyles.

Myth #5: Sunscreen in makeup provides enough sun protection.

You’d have to apply way too much makeup to get the amount of SPF listed on the packaging.

Myth #6: You don’t need sunscreen if you have a base tan.

Just because you have a tan doesn’t mean UV rays aren’t damaging your skin.

Watch this video to hear board-certified dermatologist Dr. Sam Ellis elaborate on each of these sunscreen myths.