07/22/2026
Summer vacation = peak sunscreen excuse season☀️🧴
As a board-certified dermatologist, these are some of the most common myths I hear every summer:
❌ “I’m sitting under an umbrella, so I’m protected.”
🏖️ Umbrellas provide shade, but UV rays reflect off sand, water, concrete, and other surfaces—so you’re still getting significant exposure.
❌ “I’m on a plane, so I don’t need to worry about the sun.”
✈️ Airplane windows don’t block UVA rays—which contribute to premature aging and skin damage—and can still pass through. At cruising altitude, UV exposure is also more intense because there’s less atmosphere filtering the sun’s rays.
❌ “I have a base tan, so I don’t need sunscreen.”
🌞 Even tanned skin can continue to accumulate UV damage that contributes to premature aging and skin cancer risk.
❌ “If I’m not burning, I must be fine.”
🔥 Not all sun damage results in a burn. UVA rays can silently contribute to wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, collagen breakdown, and increase your long-term risk of skin cancer.
❌ “It’s cloudy, so I don’t need sunscreen.”
☁️ UV rays don’t disappear when the sun does. They can still pe*****te through clouds and cause skin damage.
Wear a broad-spectrum SPF 30+ every day, reapply every 2 hours (and after swimming or sweating), and don’t forget often-missed areas like your ears, lips, neck, hands, and the tops of your feet, your future skin will thank you🤍
