When you pack your bag for the beach or pool, you always throw a bottle of sunscreen in. You know how important it is to protect your skin from harmful UVA and UVB rays. However, you might be forgetting to apply sunscreen to a few key spots on your body. This puts you at risk for sun damage or worse, skin cancer. Here are the top spots you might forget to apply sunscreen to:

TOP OF YOUR FEET 
If you've ever had a sunburn on the top of your feet, you know how painful it can be.
Instead of stopping at the ankles, continue applying sunscreen to the tops and sides of your feet, as well as to your toes. Since the skin on the top of your feet is thin, use SPF 30 or higher. The Skin Cancer Foundation recommends applying sunscreen a half an hour before sun exposure. You should reapply every two hours, or more often if you spend lots of time in the water.


YOUR EARS 
It's easy to forget your ears, especially if you're wearing a sun hat. However, unless your hat is designed to block UVA and UVB rays, it isn't offering as much protection as you might think.
Use one type of sunscreen for your body and another type that's specially formulated for your delicate face, neck and ears. For those days not at the beach, try ELEMIS Pro-Collagen Marine Cream SPF 30. This anti-wrinkle face cream protects you from the sun's harmful rays while also moisturizing your skin daily.


THE FRONT OF YOUR ARMPITS 
Don't forget to thoroughly cover the skin between your shoulders and chest. Many women neglect to apply sunscreen to the "front-of-armpit" area, and it can be a painful mistake. In addition to forgetting to apply sunscreen to some spots, sun damage is also caused by another common issue: not applying enough sunscreen. As the American Academy of Dermatology pointed out, most people apply just a quarter to one-half of the recommended amount of sunscreen!

ABOUT THIS ARTICLE

Tags: sunscreen, sunblock, summer, skincare
 
Categories: Skin & Body Care, Wellness, How-Tos