Does wearing sunscreen slow down your tan?

Question:

Ok, my skin tans soooo easily and it often gets very dark. I know that sunscreen acts as a screen, screening the sun and sunblock blocks the sun. Right now i have Banana Boan Sport Advance Avotriplex UVA/UVB Sunblock. BUt on the back of the bottle it says it's a sunscreen. I know that sunscreen absorbs the UVA rays while sunblock reflects it. Doesn that mean that it tans your skin even more??So if i were to wear this particular sunscreen/sunblock would it slow down/reduce my tan?? Or should I just avoid sunscreen and only wear sunblock??

Answers:
Sunblocks (physical sunscreens) are opaque formulations which absorb, reflect and scatter up to 99% of both UV and visible light. Because they are messy and may stain clothing, sunblocks are often used on such sun-sensitive areas as the nose, lips, ears and shoulders. Examples of ingredients in sunblocks are zinc oxide and titanium dioxide.

Sunscreens (chemical sunscreens) absorb specific wavelengths (range of 200-400 nm) and are classified as drugs by the FDA because they are intended to protect the structure and function of the human integument against actinic damage. Sunscreens are considered more cosmetically refined due to their pleasing consistency and are, therefore, typically used over a prolonged time for effective photoprotection.

A tan must be maintained or it will fade. So using either of these products will deprive you of the sun required to maintain your tan, however, it won't reduce it any more than it would on it's own.

Does wearing sunscreen slow down your tan?

Health Resources