Nine out of 10 Australians don’t know how to apply sunscreen correctly

For fifty years, we've been bombarded with the sunscreen safety messages.

Most television commercials had a jingle to help us remember – "Banana boat, fun sun protection” comes to mind.

But somewhere along the way, the message has become muddled.

Australians, believe it or not, are doing it wrong when it comes to sunscreen.

A new Cancer Council study reveals nine out of ten of us don't understand how often to apply sunscreen or how much to "slop" on.

Almost a quarter – or 24 percent – of us wrongly think you can only get burnt if it's a hot and humid day, while 23 percent believe their skin is protected when it is raining or cloudy.

"Those things don't have any bearing on your sunburn risk. It's just the UV rays from the sun which you can't see or feel," Heather Walker, Chair of Cancer Council Australia's National Skin Cancer Committee said.

The surprising lack of know-how has led to Australia's first ever ‘Sunscreen Summit’ in Brisbane this week.

Experts want to bust the myths as well as the fears.

“From the data that I've seen, there's no evidence people who use sunscreen regularly have different Vitamin D levels from people who don't use sunscreen regularly but that's one of the concerns that's been expressed,” Professor David Whiteman from the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute said.

Just how much to apply has also confused an overwhelming 85 percent of us.

Experts say the rule of thumb is seven teaspoons for a whole-body application, reapplied every two hours.

"It should always be used in combination with clothing, hats, shade and sunglasses as well," Ms Walker said.

But if you're ever in doubt, just sing the song: "Slip on a shirt, slop on sunscreen and slap on a hat!"