Save Your Skin: Common Sunscreen Myths, Debunked

You Can Still Tan While Wearing Sunscreen

JOSE JORDAN/STR/AFP via Getty Images

A dangerous myth asserts that you can’t tan while wearing sunscreen. But this isn’t how sunscreens or tans work. SPF guards the skin against UV rays, and you don’t need UV rays to get a tan. Facialist and body-care expert Vanda Serrado emphasizes that you can tan while wearing sunscreen.

This doesn’t make tans safe, however. Sun triggers the DNA to create more melanin, darkening the skin to create a tan. Dermatologist Ted Lain says that excessive sun tanning will harm the skin, even if you wear sunscreen.

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