Litvinov

"These combined findings suggest a sunscreen paradox, whereby individuals with higher levels of sun exposure also tend to use more but not an adequate quantity of sunscreen or other sun-protection measures, providing a false sense of security," said Litvinov.

"This gives them a false sense of security," said Litvinov.

To understand the factors between varying incidence rates of melanoma in the Atlantic provinces of Canada, a group of researchers including Litvinov and Peláez conducted 23 focus groups.

Similarly, in a second study of the United Kingdom Biobank by Jeremian, Xie and Litvinov, the researchers documented that sunscreen use was surprisingly associated with a more than twofold risk of developing skin cancer.

"Sunscreen is important, but it is also the least effective way to protect your skin when compared to sun protective clothing, rash guards, and sun avoidance. People can and should enjoy the outdoors, but without getting a sun burn or a suntan," said Litvinov.