Sunscreens are most essential beauty product for this season. Sunscreen, also known as sunblock and suntan lotion, is a lotion, spray, gel or other topical product that absorbs or reflects some of the sun's ultraviolet (UV) radiation and thus helps protect against sunburn. Diligent use of sunscreen can also slow or temporarily prevent the development of wrinkles, moles, and sagging skin. Despite beauty experts, dermatologists, and so many other skincare experts stressing on the importance of this product, though, there is a lot of misinformation on sunscreens. Hence we decoded some myths just for you.

Now, this is one huge myth. Sunscreen does not work like your moisturiser. With moisturisers all you need to do is apply some to your body once you step out of the shower. But sunscreens don't work that way. You can't just apply it once and then forget about it. You need to keep re-applying it every few hours to get any benefit from it.

Just like other products your sunscreen too will expire. The active ingredients in your sunscreen have a certain shelf life and so it is important to consume the tube and get a new one every season. Also, sunscreen should also be applied to your ears and neck as well because these parts of our body are equally exposed to the harmful UV rays of the skin. Even in-house lighting can harm your skin.

It is widely believed that dark skin is better protected against sunburns because the melanin in the dark skin helps shield it. This is not true. Melanin is formed as the skin’s defense against the sun’s rays when they burn the skin. Even if you are naturally dark-skinned, your skin isn’t immune to sun rays. While your skin is less susceptible to sun damage because of the pigment in your skin, you can still get sunburnt or affected by skin cancer. Remember: every kind of skin tone needs sun protection.

Many people say that you don’t need more than an SPF 15. Not only that, most people are unaware of the fact that your sunscreen should say Broad Spectrum or UVB+UVA Protection PA+++ along with the SPF value. This part of your sunscreen is what prevents your skin from getting burnt by all of the sun’s rays. Not only that, higher SPF values do provide marginally higher protection.

There are several sunscreens which are comedogenic, which means they clog pores. Several others contain chemicals which can react with sensitive skin and cause acne. However, not every sunscreen does this. There are many sunscreens out there now for oily, acne-prone, and sensitive skin.

If you layer two different SPFs, say a sunblock with SPF 50, and a BB cream with SPF 20, you will, unfortunately, get the protection of SPF 20. So, don’t mix your products and waste them.

Sunscreen should be applied at least 20 minutes before you step out. However, as we have all been taught to make the most of what we pay for, we think applying it right before stepping out in the sun will give us protection for a longer period of time. Sunscreens are composed of oil and water which need to dry down and bind with each other uniformly to form a sufficiently protective layer. So, you must wait for 8 to 20 minutes to make sure your sunscreen is completely dry.

The SPF in your makeup is next to nothing. To get the necessary coverage from, say a product with SPF 20, we need to apply a teaspoon of that foundation or BB cream to our face, caking it with the product completely. Unless we do that and pile on the entire amount recommended, which no one actually does without looking like a ghost, the sun protection that product provides is useless.

Some people have an anti-sunscreen stance because they believe it is full of chemicals. From certain retinol derivatives, to oxybenzone, the chemicals in sunscreen have been suspected to cause tumours in rats they were tested on. However, the amount of exposure to this product needed to lead to tumours is exponentially more than the amount we are exposed to. Not only is that, the chances of getting skin cancer by not using sunscreen far greater than that getting sick because of sunscreen.