Myths

False True
A sun tan is healthy. A tan results from your body defending itself against further damage from UV radiation.
A tan protects you from the sun. A dark tan on white skin only offers an SPF of about 4.
You can’t get sunburnt on a cloudy day. Up to 80% of solar UV radiation can penetrate light cloud cover. Haze in the atmosphere can even increase UV radiation exposure.
You can’t get sunburnt while in the water. Water offers only minimal protection from UV radiation, and reflections from water can enhance your UV radiation exposure.
UV radiation during the winter is not dangerous.  UV radiation is generally lower during the winter months, but snow reflection can double your overall exposure, especially at high altitude.
Sunscreens protect me so I can sunbathe much longer. Sunscreens are not intended to increase sun exposure time but to increase protection during unavoidable exposure. The protection they afford depends critically on their correct application.
If you take regular breaks during sunbathing you won’t get sunburnt. UV radiation exposure is cumulative during the day.
If you don’t feel the hot rays of the sun you won’t get sunburnt. Sunburn is caused by UV radiation which cannot be felt. Most of the heating is caused by the sun’s visible and infrared radiation and not by UV radiation.