Myths

A lot of paper has been filled on the subject sun and sunlight. But not all information around this is correct.

Many people believe, for example, that tanned skin is not only especially beautiful but also especially healthy. This is actually an image that prevails today in Western societies. But this doesn’t make it true. Tanning is a warning signal of the skin. Skin that is really healthy has a natural colour.

Many people who know that too much UV radiation is not healthy, or who long for light and warmth on grey and cold days, decide to go to a solarium. But even if the radiation in the solarium is artificial, it is not less dangerous.

Also the so-called "pre-tanning" before vacation or before midsummer, in a solarium or through self-tanning creams, is no improvement in terms of protection against sunlight. The norm for your behaviour should be how much sunlight your skin can endure without getting burnt.  You should take protective measures according to your individual skin type, that’s the most important thing.

People with darker skin may believe that the sunlight will not hurt them and that only fair-skinned people have to care about skin protection. But that’s not true at all. Dark skin types can become sunburnt as well if they exaggerate sunbathing – it only takes a bit longer with them.

Protection against the sun is also not something you should think about only on sunny, cloudless midsummer days, in the way of: no sun, no UV radiation - no danger. The opposite is the case: 80% of the UV radiation manages to get through the clouds. In winter, snow reflects the sunlight, thus you can become sunburnt even in the cold season. It is recommendable to always be aware of the UV index: it indicates the UV values per location.

If you think: "Oh, come on, what damage does a sunburn here and there", you are mistaken: skin never forgets.