We all know that it’s important to wear sunscreen every day, particularly on your Face. However, no matter how diligent you are about applying sunscreen regularly, there are bound to be some important areas that you miss…spots that you might not even consider applying sunscreen. Check out this list of the eight surprising spots that need sunscreen.
Scalp. If you are a female who parts your hair, chances are you have burned your scalp before. Not a fun experience. With sensitive skin that is very exposed to the sun, it’s important to remember to apply sunscreen there, especially if you plan to be out for a long period of time. While creams don’t work very well, spray sunscreens can work well, as do powder sunscreens that you apply with a brush (like the Colorescience Sunforgettable Sunscreen). Another option is a good old fashioned hat.
Ears. Dermatologists tend to find a lot of pre-cancer on the ears, since it’s often overlooked and often exposed to the sun. You may think that you’re not going to be out for long, but even just those daily drives to work subjects your left ear to a significant amount of sun exposure every day, which explains why more pre-cancer is found on the left ear than the right. Try to make a habit of applying sunscreen to your ears at the same time as your face.
Eyelids. Have you ever wondered if you should be applying sunscreen to your eyelids when you are applying it to your face? I know I have! The answer: yes! You might be surprised to learn that five to ten percent of skin cancers occur on the eyelids. This can be tricky for females who don’t want to mess up their eye makeup. The perfect solution, however, is to use a mineral powder sunscreen like the Sunforgettable SPF that allows you to apply and reapply to your lids without smearing your eye makeup.
Lips. The lips are an area that most of us know we need to protect but often forget. They’re also tricky because they require their own product. However, it’s incredibly important that you apply sunscreen to your lips because it’s a particular dangerous place for skin cancer. The rate of internal spread for squamous-cell cancers is one percent for most areas of the skin. However, it can be as high as 20 percent for the lips.
Neck and décolletage. The skin in these locations is extremely delicate, even more so than the face. Unfortunately even when many people apply sunscreen to their face, they neglect the area of exposed skin just south. Make sure that you’re liberally applying sunscreen throughout the area, especially if you are often wearing v-neck or scoop-neck shirts that expose this area of the chest.
Hands. It’s not uncommon to see adults whose faces look much younger than their hands. The reason? The tops of the hands are constantly exposed to the sun but rarely receive an application of sunscreen. Make sure you make applying sunscreen to your hands part of your daily morning routine. Better yet, keep a tube of sunscreen on hand and reapply during the day.
Feet. Most of us remember to apply sunscreen to our feet during trips to the beach; however, do you apply sunscreen here on a day-to-day basis? Living in Florida, many of us wear sandals year round, which expose the tops of our feet to the sun daily. Don’t forget to add some sunscreen to the top of your feet before you head out the door.
Are you guilty of any of these? Or all of them? Which area do you need to work on the most?