Everyone’s relationship with the sun is a little different. Some of us are the co-dependent types, needing hours basking in it just to feel alive. Some of us have a love-hate thing going on: We love the warm rush and the sun-kissed glow, but are terrified (and rightly so) of melanoma and premature crow’s feet. Others, still, are the on-again, off-again types — the diligent sunscreen users who start every vacation with scorching burns. If we’re all so different, why then should we all be protecting ourselves in the exact same way?
We asked two dermatologists to give us some no-BS advice — not the scare tactics, not the patronizing lecture you've heard a billion times — on how each and every one of us can both stay safe and enjoy the sun based on our personal sunscreen habits. With one blanket exception: Every one of us should be wearing at least an SPF 20 on our faces every single day. That's non-negotiable, friends.
Read on to get your personal sunscreen prescription, and get ready to have your safest, sunniest summer yet.
The Heliophobe
She’s a rule-follower and an article-reader, and by God she knows the dangers of the sun. Summer is a time for hiding indoors, for proudly wearing scary sun shirts and hats with built-in UV protection, and for buying SPF 80 in bulk from Costco.
Illustrated by Sydney Hass.
Doc’s advice: “Look, there’s no need to fear the sun,” says Steven Wang, MD, dermatologist and director of dermatology at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in Basking Ridge, NJ. “The sun is good for your mood, for your exercise habits, and for vitamin-D levels.” Rather than participating in the SPF arms race, Dr. Wang suggests shifting the focus from higher numbers to more frequent application. “Reapplying every two hours is really the best way to get the most from your sunscreen,” he says.
MD Solar Sciences SPF 30 Daily Anti-Aging Moisturizer, $68, available at Nordstrom.
The Cave Dweller
She leaves the house before sunrise, and the subway delivers her to the office building, where she sits at her desk way past sunset. She’ll tell you she doesn’t need sunscreen — she needs a raise and a better assistant.
Illustrated by Sydney Hass.
Doc’s advice: “She’s not entirely wrong,” says Dr. Wang, noting that if a person literally doesn’t spend one second outdoors, they’re not going to get any sun damage. That being said, most of us see the sun more than we think. “UV rays penetrate office, car, and airplane windows,” says New York City dermatologist Francesca Fusco, MD. It’s the incremental exposure — running out to get lunch, dropping off a package at UPS — that adds up. At the very least, try a foundation, tinted moisturizer, or BB cream with SPF. We like Beautycounter Dew Skin Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20, which comes in five nuanced shades. “That way, you’re not even adding a step to your routine,” says Dr. Fusco.
Beautycounter, $42.00, available at Beautycounter
The Reformed Heliophile
In college, she had the best time in Cancún, Boca, Cabo, and Key West — and she didn’t wear sunscreen once. She loved the way a tan looked with a tube top and French mani; she had a frequent punch card at Sun City Tanning. Heck, maybe she even worked there for the discount. Now, she’s older, she knows better, and she’s got the sun spots and fine lines to prove it.
Illustrated by Sydney Hass.
Doc’s advice: “Don’t be too hard on yourself,” says Dr. Wang. “You can’t go back in time.” But, what you can do is prevent any of that damage from getting worse. A retinol-based night cream like RoC Smooth Perfexion Instant Line Corrector can help restore saggy collagen and fade dark marks. During the day, an SPF with antioxidants like La Roche-Posay Anthelios AOX Daily Antioxidant Serum SPF 50 will scrounge wrinkle-causing free radicals and block rays. If you really want to get serious about repair, an antioxidant serum like SkinCeuticals CE Ferulic will stop photoaging in its tracks.
La Roche-Posay, $42.50, available at Drugstore.com
The Lizard
Has she told you she loves the sun? No really, she LOVES the sun. If she doesn’t live in Miami, she lives in L.A., and if she lives anywhere north of the Mason-Dixon, she’s constantly plotting her next trip to sun and sand. You’ll never hear her complaining about being hot; to her, humidity is a way of life. She may not admit it, but linguistically speaking, global warming sounds pretty darn appealing.
Illustrated by Sydney Hass.
Doc’s advice: Here’s the thing: Unsurprisingly, we couldn’t find a doctor in a 100-mile radius of New York City who would endorse sunbathing. What we did find were doctors very eager to validate a sun obsession. “When the body senses UV damage, it triggers a cascade of neuropeptides to stop it — one of those being endorphin,” says Dr. Wang. “That explains the good feelings you have in the sun.”
If you must lay out — something neither we nor any of the doctors we spoke to recommend — then do us all a favor and reapply, reapply, reapply. There is no excuse not to wear sunscreen, especially if you are actively seeking the sun. This isn't 1979 — we know what kind of damage the sun can do to our health and skin.
Dr. Fusco likes spray-ons, like Neutrogena CoolDry Sport Sunscreen Spray SPF 30. And, please no oil — even ones with SPF. The shine factor just attracts rays and magnifies damage. A better, safer option: seeking other kinds of endorphin floods. Sichuan food? Sky-diving? A Robyn x Nicki Minaj mash-up spin class?
Neutrogena, $9.49, available at Neutrogena
The Genetically Blessed
Oh, she has great skin? She hadn’t noticed, she’ll say with a shrug as you gaze at her poreless complexion, crease-free lids, and furrow-free forehead. It must be genetic — you’ve seen her mom and grandma, and you agree. Sunscreen just hasn’t crossed her mind. After all, why would she mess with a good thing?
Illustrated by Sydney Hass.
Doc’s advice: “Genetics are nature’s biggest game of roulette,” says Dr. Fusco. While your mother might look great, who knows if you got that rosacea gene from Uncle Robert, or the thin-skin one from your father’s sister? “Why would you not want to preserve what you’ve got, or do even better?” She makes a good point. A gentle SPF 30 moisturizer never hurt anyone. CeraVe Facial Moisturizing Lotion AM SPF 30 is cheap, non-irritating, and contains anti-aging niacinamide and hydrating ceramides. “Even just makeup with SPF is better than nothing,” says Dr. Wang. “At this point, you’d almost have to go out of your way to find makeup without SPF — so, she might be getting more protection than she knows.”
As for the dark-skinned girl who claims not to get burned? “True, she won’t burn as easily,” says Dr. Wang. “But, people with darker skin [can] have uneven skin tone — that’s exactly what UVA rays will do to you.” Just because your skin isn't burning doesn't mean it isn't sustaining damage. And, that doesn't just mean fine lines and uneven pigmentation — melanoma affects people of all skin tones.
CeraVe, $14.99, available at Ulta Beauty
The Skin-Cancer Survivor
She’s had a cancer scare — benign or malignant — and is petrified it will happen again. Even when she’s fully lathered in broad-spectrum protection, beach days, park walks, and car rides make her nervous. When she sees seven days of sun on her iPhone weather app, she feels a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.
Illustrated by Sydney Hass.
Doc’s advice: “I’ll have people schedule a check-up after a long weekend in the sun,” says Dr. Fusco. “You’ve got to be educated. Cancer grows slowly, and it takes a little longer than a week to develop.” If you've suffered a melanoma, schedule appointments every three months for the first few years after it. Then, scale back to every six months.
Other than that, use best practices. Apply SPF every day — even on the cloudy, rainy, or hazy ones — and reapply frequently. Start your day with an SPF 30 lotion, and pack a powder sunscreen in your bag for convenience. Colorescience Sunforgettable Mineral Sunscreen Brush SPF 50 goes right over makeup, making workday reapplications easier than ever.
Colorescience, $64.00, available at Colorescience
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