If you’re thinking, “How can you screw up sunscreen? Just slap it on.” Well, let me tell you. If you’re still getting sunburned, you’re definitely using sunscreen wrong and you’re likely making at least one of the mistakes below.
1.You’re not using enough.
According to the American Academy of Dermatology, most people should be applying around a shot glass (1.5oz) worth of sunscreen to their entire body and about a nickel size worth to the face. Most people use about 25–50% of that which means they are not getting the protection that’s labeled on the bottle. So if you’re using an SPF 30 sunscreen and only use half of the recommended dose, you’re only getting half of the protection.
2. You’re skimping on SPF.
SPF stands for “Sun Protection Factor,” which is the amount of UVB rays that you’re protected against. A lot of people think that the number on the bottle is the number of minutes that you’re safe out in the sun. Not true. SPF only accounts for UVB and the number is not correlated to the length of protection time.
An SPF of 30 and an SPF of 50 will protect you for the same amount of time but will block different amounts of UVB rays. SPF 30 blocks about 97% and SPF 100 blocks about 98%. No sunscreen can block 100% of UVB rays.
If in doubt, choose the higher SPF because you’re probably not using enough and by choosing the SPF that blocks 97% of UVB rays over 98%, you’re letting double the amount through.
3. You’re not reapplying.
Sunscreen starts to work as soon as you put it on if it’s a mineral sunscreen (has zinc oxide or titanium dioxide in it) or 15–30 minutes after application if it’s a chemical sunscreen (all other sunscreens). This may seem obvious but if you put your sunscreen on in the morning before you go to work and then take a walk at lunch, you are no longer protected. Time for another layer. And to the same effect, if you apply sunscreen while you are out in broad daylight, you could still burn before your chemical sunscreen becomes “active.” No matter what SPF or what UV filter, your sunscreen is completely useless after three hours. So to be safe, reapply every two hours.
4. You’re not applying the right type of sunscreen.
Since SPF only measures UVB protection, you need to make sure that you look for “broad spectrum” on the bottle or that it protects you from both UVA and UVB rays. This is important since UVB is what burns and tans your skin — and burnt or tan both mean skin damage. UVA rays penetrate deeper into the skin and cause signs of aging and cellular mutations and can ultimately lead to skin cancer 😱.
5. You’re missing critical spots.
Make sure to apply sunscreen to the spots that are easy to miss: ears, neck, hands, scalp. These are spots commonly missed and sun damage is cumulative, meaning it builds up over time. Or if this seems like too much of a hassle, protect yourself by wearing clothes, hats, sunglasses, and seeking shade during peak sun hours.
Sources:
Pratt, Harry & Hassanin, Kareem & Troughton, Lee & Czanner, Gabriela & Zheng, Yalin & McCormick, Austin & Hamill, Kevin. (2017). UV imaging reveals facial areas that are prone to skin cancer are disproportionately missed during sunscreen application. PLOS ONE. 12. e0185297. 10.1371/journal.pone.0185297.
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