With sun protection, it often comes down to consistency, and not just the SPF number on your sun protection bottle. Even people that apply sunscreen regularly can end up with uneven coverage, as a few areas are easy to miss during rushed mornings, outdoor workouts, or beach days.
These overlooked patches are the areas tend to burn first, end up feeling irritated and rack up more cumulative sun exposure over time. Here’s a rundown of the most forgotten spots for sunscreen application…
Eyelids And Under Eye Area
The skin on your eyelids and the under eye area is very thin, and burns easily. About 5 to 10% of skin cancer appears near the eyelids, so always be careful when applying sunscreen around your eyes.
Use a facial sunscreen that’s labeled for the face and delicate eye area. You can gently pat a mineral sunscreen containing zinc oxide, or titanium dioxide along your orbital bone, to reduce any stinging.
If you prefer to use spray sunscreens for quicker coverage, spray it into your hands, and gently press the lotion around your eyes. This will stop the lotion from drifting into your eyes, and will ensure you don’t miss any small, delicate areas.
I know we all hear it a lot, but you really do need to remember to reapply your SPF every two hours, when you’re outdoors. Apply it every single morning, even on cloudy and overcast days, and reapply after swimming, sweating or toweling off.
If you wear makeup, like myself, look for tinted facial sunscreen, or a makeup primer with SPF, so you get sun protection, without the heavy layers.
Lips And The Skin Around The Mouth
Your lips have thin and delicate skin, which burns easily and lacks the same sun protection as the rest of your face. Sun exposure can cause dryness, chapping and increase the risk of skin cancer on your lip line.
Apply a lip balm with SPF 30 or higher, every time you go outside. Apply it before you go outside, and reapply after eating, drinking, or wiping your mouth.
Don’t forget the skin immediately around your lip liner. This area can darken or develop fine lines, from repeated sun exposure. So, apply a lightweight facial sunscreen around your lip border.
Tops Of The Ears And Behind The Ears
Your ears stick out, and catch sunlight from many angles, so the tops of your ears, and the skin behind the ears, gets more sun than you might think, especially if you wear your hair up. The skin there is thin, and can burn easily, raising the risk for sun damage, and skin changes.
Apply a broad-spectrum with at least SPF 30, and apply it to the tops of your ears, your earlobes, and behind each ear. Rub the product into the folds and creases, so you’re covering the whole surface.
Solid sunscreen sticks are best for a neater application around the tops of your ears, and behind your ears, and still reapply every two hours.
Tops Of The Feet And Between The Toes
The tops of your feet often get direct sun, whenever you wear sandals or go barefoot, but many people skip this area when applying sunscreen.
Apply your sunscreen generously to the upper surface of each foot, using a broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher, and rub it in until the skin looks evenly coated.
Another forgotten area, is the space between your toes. UV can reach these narrow gaps, and the skin there can also burn, or develop dark spots over time.
Spray sunscreens or stick sunscreens are good for the feet, and wearing closed shoes, water shoes or UV protective socks to give you extra protection from the sun’s rays.
Hi, my name is Gemma, and I’m the owner of MakeupMuddle.com. I’m a true beauty obsessive, and love writing about anything to do with beauty – I have been a beauty writer since 2012.