Despite being a major part of our daily lives, too many people don’t know the truth about the sun. These misconceptions can result in the excessive exposure to the sun’s UV rays, which increases your chance of developing skin cancer. We have uncovered the most common sun myths and get right down to the truth. Once you’re armed with this knowledge, you can properly protect yourself and your family from those harmful UV rays naturally produced by the sun.

Myth #1: You don’t need sunscreen on a cloudy or cold day.
One of the most common myths about the sun is that sunscreen isn’t needed in the winter or on cloudy days. This just isn’t true. In fact, you can actually get burned worse on these days. Those dangerous UV rays can pass through the clouds, and snow will reflect up to 80-percent of them, which increases your chance of exposure. What’s even more is that the higher the altitude, such as when you’re skiing, the greater the chance of UV exposure. Most experts recommend applying sunscreen of at least 30 SPF any day you’re going outside, no matter what the temperature or weather condition.

Myth #2: Wearing sunscreen will cause a vitamin D deficiency.
This myth comes from the misconception that your body needs the sun rays to obtain vitamin D. While this is true, the Skin Cancer Foundation and the American Academy of Dermatology both say that adults and kids alike get more than enough vitamin D from foods, such as fortified orange juice and dairy, rich in this nutrient, as well as the daily sun exposure. Furthermore, sunscreen doesn’t prevent 100-percent of the UV rays from penetrating your skin, and the ones that get through provides the vitamin D needed for a healthy body. Discuss UV exposure with your dermatologist with Saturday hours to help better protect yourself.

Myth #3: Windows will protect you.
Far too often people assume that the sun’s rays cannot penetrate windows. And while glass does filter radiation, it is only UVB rays. Those harsh UVA rays will still get through the glass. Look at your left arm compared to your right arm. Does the left have more freckles? That’s because that is the arm that is exposed to UV rays via while driving a vehicle. You can reduce your UV ray exposure by applying sunscreen to your arm before leaving the house, as well as tinting your vehicle’s windows.