6 Body Parts You Must Protect from the Summer Sun

You might be accidentally ignoring areas that need sun protection the most!

-PJ Gach

You’re smart. You know to apply sunscreen on your body before you put on your bathing suit. When you hit the beach, you’ve got a pair of polarized sunglasses to protect your eyes from harmful UVA/UVB rays, and more sunscreen to reapply later on during the day.

But, you might have missed the most obvious parts of your body to protect from the harmful rays of the sun. Dr. Sandra Lee, a board certified dermatologist, has created a checklist to remind you to protect the (sometimes) obvious but delicate parts of your body before you hit the flea market, pool, hiking trail or lake.

6. Feet

Oh, you make sure you’ve got on cute polish and you have a pedicure now and then. If you don’t apply sunscreen on the tops and the sides (yes the sides too) of your feet if you’re going to be out all day, your feet might be too sunburnt to wear those killer sandals that night.

5.  Back of your hands

You carry anti-bac in your bag, so you can eat safely after touching chairs, car doors, what have you. And I bet you wash your hands after applying sunscreen on your body, right? The next time you start to apply sunscreen, remember to apply it to the back of your hands. Not only will you prevent sunburn, but you’ll also be able to slow down those UVB/UVA rays that can start prematurely aging  your mitts.

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4. Ears

You don’t have to have ears as big as Ben Stiller’s to whip out the sunscreen. The skin on your ears is both sensitive and delicate. The tops of your ears are exposed to the sun every time you leave the house. You can protect them by wearing a cute summer hat and/or lightly applying a sunscreen to them.

 3.  Chest/Neck

Your neck and delecottage are very delicate and sometimes very neglected parts of your body. Just as you’d put moisturizer on your neck and chest, do the same with sunscreen. Those brown dots you’re getting? They’re not freckles, they’re signs of sun damage. Oh yeah and not using sunscreen in those areas could create “breases,” vertical lines or wrinkles. Try that with a halterneck dress!

2. Lips

Your lips  have only three to five cellular layers, the rest of your face has about 16 layers. So the lips are extremely delicate. Remember to use and reapply lip balm, lipstick or lip gloss that contains SPF to not only keep them soft, but to keep them healthy.

1. Scalp

You know that hats are good for protecting your face and hair from the sun, but did you think you could get a sunburn on your scalp? You can! The sun bouncing its rays off your noggin can give you headaches. If you’re not a hat or scarf gal, try using a sunscreen spray. Spray the sunscreen on your fingers and gently massage it into your scalp. Or look for sunscreens for your hair and don’t forget to reapply if you’re going to be out all day.

PJ Gach is Senior Editor: Style + Beauty at BettyConfidential.