FIND A SUNSCREEN YOU LOVE

WHEN I WAS doing my neurology rotation as an intern in the hospital, I had a patient I’ll never forget. They were a young person about my age whose malignant melanoma had metastasized to her brain. It’s been so many years since, but I can still remember the family members’ faces and the little details they shared with me about how healthy the patient had been in all other areas of her life before getting skin cancer.

That same summer, I had a precancerous mole excised from my chest. You learn the difference between getting something cut off and getting something cut out when it involves sutures. I was doing my cardiac rotation by then, so walking into patients’ rooms with a big mess of gauze and tape over my own heart (a lab coat can only hide so much) made for quite the icebreaker.

While I never used a tanning bed or intentionally tried to tan growing up, I definitely got a little bit lax about applying and reapplying sunscreen. Sure, you could say genetics play a role (I’m super pale and, like my dad was, prone to growing all manner of suspicious moles), but being mindful about sun exposure and regularly applying sunscreen are your best defenses.

If you’ve ever had to have a mole biopsied or removed, you know how the stress and anxiety swirl around in your brain. In the weeks waiting for test results, I lost a lot of sleep worrying about just how bad the situation was. The recovery time after the procedure was brutal too. I hadn’t thought to ask about what to expect and whether I would need pain medication, and I was so sore and bruised. Even the smallest movement was excruciating. I also kept having to go back because the supposedly dissolvable sutures kept popping out to the surface of the skin and needed to get plucked away.

Why am I telling you this? I could probably have saved myself so much worrying and pain if I had just worn my freaking sunscreen. I still have a big scar on my chest that serves as a daily reminder to apply it.

I have the sunscreen conversation with pretty much all of my clients at some point. Protecting your skin from the sun is one of the most important things you can do for your health, and it takes almost zero time. Aside from protecting you from cancer, it can also help you avoid wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, and all that stuff you don’t think about until it’s too late. And for anybody who wants to argue that we get vitamin D from the sun, I would say that we can still get what we need from food and supplements. Yes, sunlight allows us to synthesize vitamin D, but at what cost?

One of the biggest barriers to wearing sunscreen as a regular part of your self-care routine, though, is hating the way it feels, looks, or smells. The goal is to find something you can wear comfortably and even enjoy applying every day. What works for one person may not be the magic fit for someone else, and that’s okay.

To help make it easier to solve that problem, I spoke with Mandi Nyambi, the author of Fresh Face and cofounder of Baalm, a service that matches users with their dream skincare products through skin testing and preference tracking.

Take the Time to Get to Know Your Skin

We spend so much time focused on getting our skin to behave the way it’s “supposed to” according to societal standards that prize a perfectly smooth, even-toned complexion, Nyambi explains. Part of her company’s mission is to help women “understand the science of what our skin is trying to tell us, as opposed to trying to attack” those things we don’t like. “There’s nothing ‘wrong’ with a pimple or hyperpig-mentation, but there is something wrong with ignoring what your skin is trying to tell you.” Is your skin sensitive? Acne-prone? Oily? Combination? Does it change with the seasons or—a common one for women—throughout your menstrual cycle? These are just a few of the things to become familiar with.

Identifying which products you like and which ones your skin reacts poorly to will also give you valuable information about the ingredients and qualities to look for in a sunscreen. “When you find products that do work, compare ingredient labels and see if there are similar ingredients in there,” says Nyambi. “Even if it’s just starting with the first ten ingredients in the bottle and trying to understand, it will go a long way” in helping you find your match.

She adds, “Using labels like acne-prone, oily, and dry skin can help, but don’t be afraid to dip into the other categories. Just because it’s not marketed to you doesn’t mean it won’t work for you.”

Choose Your Class

There are two main classes of sunscreen, Nyambi explains: physical and chemical. “Physical sunscreens work to reflect and scatter UV radiation,” she says, “and chemical sunscreen absorbs it and then releases it as heat off your body.”

Physical sunscreen contains active mineral ingredients such as zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide (both of which are naturally broad spectrum) and because it works by sitting on the skin and deflecting radiation, it starts to work as soon as you apply it.

Chemical sunscreens, because they have to penetrate the skin before they can start working, take about 20 minutes to sink in after you apply. Some people may find these more irritating than physical sunscreens, as different ingredients have to be combined in order to achieve that full spectrum coverage.

Physical sunscreens have been gaining in popularity over recent years as research has continued to highlight the benefits of physical sunscreen and product innovation has led to more approachable options. Nyambi explains, “Physical sunscreen may be good for people with sensitive skin, acne, or rosacea. They also tend to be a bit more mattifying,” so if you don’t like chemical sunscreens or how they make your skin look, it’s a good alternative.

Choose the Right SPF—and Apply Smartly

SPF stands for “sun protection factor,” which measures how long the sun will protect you from ultraviolet B rays, which cause skin reddening, sunburn, and skin damage and can contribute to skin cancer. You can find SPF levels ranging from 4 to 100 (probably higher), but Nyambi says that research has shown 30-50 is the most effective. “Anything above that is unnecessary, but you do need to reapply.”

How much you need isn’t always clear, but health experts recommend that to cover your entire face and body, the amount that would fill a shot glass is a good guideline. Don’t forget areas like your hairline, scalp, behind the ears, your nose, lips, hands, the back of your ears and neck, and the tops of your feet.⁷⁰

One area where there has been a lot of innovation, Nyambi says, is in applicator types. The most common ones you’ll see are still the creams, sticks, and sprays, but there are other options now like brushes and compacts. Nyambi is also excited about new products like clear sunscreen and gels.

Other Sun Protection FYIs

Apply sunscreen thirty minutes before sun exposure and reapply at least every two hours—more frequently if you’ve been sweating a lot or swimming. Waterproof sunscreens are also available.

Making your sun protection routine as convenient and enjoyable as possible to stick to is well worth the effort. Finding your dream sunscreen is an important step, but you’ll need to invest in a few other essentials as well, such as a wide-brimmed hat. Train yourself to be smart about when you go in the sun and when you reapply sunscreen. If you need to, setting an alert on your phone or asking a friend to remind you—whatever works—can help keep you covered.