Beauty
How Much Sunscreen Do You Actually Need To Use?
Photography, Nataliya Melnychuk, Unsplash.com
Beauty
How Much Sunscreen Do You Actually Need To Use?
If you want to be well-protected from the sun, it's important to know how much sunscreen you should apply to each part of your body.
The summer sun is at its strongest between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. every day. If you’re going to be spending any time outdoors, it’s essential to buy a new sunscreen (no, last year’s bottle isn’t going to work—here’s why).
Once you pick the right sunscreen, you should apply it all over your body to protect against UV rays and reduce skin damage, such as excess sebum, pigmentation spots, and in less serious cases, blemishes.
How Much Sunscreen is Enough?
The amount of sunscreen you need depends on the product and your age.
Generally, an adult needs about 7 teaspoons of sunscreen to cover their entire body. To simplify the process, you can use your fingers to measure the amount needed:
- Face and neck: two-and-a-half finger lengths
- Back: seven finger lengths
- Trunk: seven finger lengths
- Each arm: three finger lengths
- Both sides of each hand: one finger length
- Each leg: six finger lengths
- Each foot: two finger lengths
If you use a spray sunscreen, apply 15 sprays to each area of the body.
How Much Sunscreen Do Children Need?
For children aged 3 to 6, apply a thick line of sunscreen the length of your middle finger and half of your index finger to each area. For the face and neck, apply twice this amount. For children aged 6 to 10, apply a thick line of sunscreen the length of both your middle and index fingers.
For spray sunscreen, apply 5 sprays to each area for children aged 3 to 6, 7 to 10 sprays for children aged 6 to 10, and 10 to 15 sprays for children over 10.
Don’t Forget These Body Parts
We often overlook certain parts of our body that can be damaged by the sun. Have you ever experienced painful sunburn on your feet? Never again! To minimize risks, don't forget to apply sunscreen to your eyelids, hairline or parting, the soles of your feet, and your lips.
When to Apply Sunscreen
Apply sunscreen 30 minutes before leaving the house to allow it to absorb into your skin. If you're exposed to the sun for extended periods, reapply every two hours, or more frequently if you've been swimming, sweating heavily, or towel-drying yourself.
Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunscreen Lotion, Amazon, $16
Comments