I think one of the biggest misconceptions about taking care of your skin is that you only need to wear sunscreen when the sun is out or when you are directly in the sun. This couldn’t be further from the truth. UVA and UVB rays are always present even when it doesn’t appear to be a sunny day. The constant sun exposure can age the skin earlier than you may like. Sunscreen should ultimately be worn 365 days a year rain or shine. We recommend a minimum of an SPF 30 or higher on a regular basis. People often say, “I stay inside all day long. Do I still need to wear sunscreen?” This is a great question and the answer is, Yes. Ultraviolet rays can penetrate through your window which means if you’re in your bed or sitting by a window with the sun shining through the window you are ultimately getting damage from the sun on your skin.

Another common question is, “How much sunscreen should I wear to cover an area?” For the face and neck area, We use the two-finger rule, it can be a bit tricky to measure out so the estimated amount required for the face and neck including the back of the neck is two-finger strips of sunscreen for an application. Reapply your sunscreen every two hours to make sure you are getting the protection that is stated on the bottle at all times. And lastly relying on your makeup with SPF is not the best idea. In order to apply the correct amount of makeup with sunscreen to get the SPF that is stated on the product, it would result in leaving your skin very thick layer of makeup. For best protection use separate sunscreen products. Our office carries the full line of Elta MD sunscreens for all of your SPF needs.