- Misconception 1: When my skin is tanned, it is protected.
When your skin tans, it means that it is trying to protect itself from harmful rays. A tan is always a sign that your skin is getting damaged. There are no exceptions.
- Misconception 2: My skin gets used to the sun and then no longer needs sunscreen.
That is wrong. Only after about three weeks in the sun does the skin reach a slight level of self-protection, which, however, only corresponds to an SPF of 10.
- Misconception 3: I don't need sun protection when the sky is cloudy.
A thin cloud cover only blocks about 10-20% of the radiation. However, you cannot know how the clouds will develop, whether the sun will rise after all, or whether it will stay out longer: a dangerous misjudgment with consequences.
- Misconception 4: I don't need sunscreen in the shade.
Even in the shade, we receive so much radiation that we can even get sunburned. Unfortunately, this danger is often underestimated.
- Misconception 5: Sun protection is only important in summer.
In winter, the sun is weaker and shines less, but ultraviolet radiation, which we cannot see, penetrates more. At the same time, the skin produces less melanin in winter and therefore less self-protection, so that the skin is stressed even for a short time without sunscreen. Sunburns are particularly common in spring because unprepared skin is exposed to stronger sun.
- Misconception 6: I don't need sun protection at the office or at home.
60% of harmful UV-A rays continue to reach the skin through window panes in the home, office, car or tram, while UV-B rays are largely blocked. That's why we don't visibly burn or tan, but our skin still suffers long-term damage from dangerous UV-A rays. And that without us noticing.
- Misconception 8: Sun damage can be repaired.
Modern plastic surgery can alleviate some of the visible consequences of sun damage, but it can do nothing about the truly threatening consequences: skin cancer. Did you know that black skin cancer is one of the deadliest types of cancer? Even a small spot that is not recognized in time can be fatal,
because skin cancer metastasizes very quickly, which are transported to your body through the bloodstream.
Experts talk about a solar account for the skin, that is, unfortunately the skin notices each damage and adds it year after year.
- Misconception 9: Tanned skin is just so much nicer and looks healthier.
Did you know that the beauty ideal of "brown skin" is a very young phenomenon that is not even 100 years old and is particularly widespread in the Western world? In Asia, brown skin is considered ugly, and in Africa, people even try to whiten their skin with dangerous methods. Until recently, here, too, pale skin was considered the ideal of beauty, so people protected themselves from the sun with hats and umbrellas.
- Misconception 10: Children need plenty of sun for healthy development.
In previous centuries, rickets was a dreaded childhood disease, often caused by a lack of light. The vitamin D deficiency caused by this caused the bones to become weak and crooked. Today, that's why babies get vitamin D and kids don't live in rooms with no light anymore, so there's no need to worry, but the prejudice persists. Children's normal outdoor activities ensure the formation of vitamin D: In summer half an hour in the morning or late afternoon is sufficient, in spring and autumn one hour.
Much more dangerous, however, are the sun's rays on children's skin, since they are not yet capable of producing pigments for their own protection. For this reason, babies should only be in the shade during their first year of life. Parents should always remember that every sunburn on the skin of children increases the risk of skin cancer in old age.