Skin care

The 15 Sunscreen Mistakes You're Making

These skin care tips will show you how not to be a repeat offender of sunscreen slip-ups

by Molly Roemer

2 of 16

Mistake: Thinking you're exempt because you have dark or olive skin Solution: You're not; you still need sunscreen. We live in a different environment now -- the ozone layer is not as strong as it used to be, says Evans. And while your ancestors might have gotten away with not wearing sunscreen, things have changed environmentally, so you need to make sure you're applying and reapplying. The myth about dark skin not needing protection is just that -- a myth. In truth, it's actually harder to tell when dark skin has developed cancerous moles, since it has usually progressed significantly by the time they can be detected. One more reason to slather up!

SEE NEXT PAGE: Mistake: Not wearing a high enough SPF while outdoors

EDITORS' BEST OF

12 Best Acne Products for Your Clearest Skin Yet

11 Best Tinted Moisturizers for Easy, On-the-Go Coverage

products mentioned

Peter Thomas Roth Instant Mineral SPF 45

8.0

BUY NOW

Baby Blanket Kids Sport Sunscreen

0.0

Neutrogena Fresh Cooling Body Mist Sunscreen

9.0

Neutrogena Hand Cream

8.8

Fresh Sugar Icon Tinted Lip Treatment Sunscreen SPF 15

8.2

BUY NOW

Shiseido Sun Protection Eye Cream Broad Spectrum SPF 34

8.8

leave a comment

Older comments

I usually wear sunscreen on my face everyday, but now I guess I should start incorporating hats.

by Lili04 Sunday, February 24, 2013 at 03:27AM Report as inappropriate

ouch!

by LittleBunny Thursday, January 10, 2013 at 09:58AM Report as inappropriate

Great tips! I never wear sunscreen on my drive to work in the morning; I need to start doing it!

by Karica4 Wednesday, May 23, 2012 at 12:03PM Report as inappropriate

gotta start using sunscreen

by mayra_alonzo Saturday, April 28, 2012 at 06:48PM Report as inappropriate

As being sunscreen conscious is the best defense we have against the signs of aging it is important that we learn all we can and use the information!

by ShanthiDevi Monday, March 19, 2012 at 12:32AM Report as inappropriate

More people need to read and follow these instructions!!

by tallredamanda Wednesday, January 11, 2012 at 05:21AM Report as inappropriate

I agree that sun protection is very important, but is sun really THAT bad? I live in a cold place where it's hardly ever sunny and I usually don't wear any protection. Let's be realistic, everybody is making these mistakes. There are so many rules that we are just not able to follow all of them.

by patricia89 Wednesday, January 4, 2012 at 04:09AM Report as inappropriate

Ughh, I do lots of these wrong oops

by sportimonki13 Friday, December 30, 2011 at 12:28AM Report as inappropriate

Great info, thanks!

by grass Monday, December 5, 2011 at 05:54PM Report as inappropriate

ughh i do these sometimes

by Nicole2814 Thursday, November 24, 2011 at 10:11AM Report as inappropriate