Doctor Explains Why You Don’t Need Daily Sunscreen!

[SeanORaigh]

One of the obscene things about the weather apps is that in the Australian summer, the UV index will frequently end up at 11+. Those apps all say stuff like "consider wearing a hat" when the actual medical recommendations for that high of a UV index is to outright avoid sunlight

[benjaminnhlam]

Photo"aging" may sound superficial and aesthetically biased. But aging of the skin affects more than appearance alone. Skin has an important barrier function and this also gets affected by excessive photoaging. If you want longevity for the rest of your body, why not take care of the largest organ?

[jtlove]

I looked this up and here in Alabama US, the up index is 10! 10! Holy moly, I never really think about sunscreen as a black person

[shavedhomersimpson]

As a person with a lot of tattoos, I am wearing sunscreen on very regular basis anyway, because the appearence of tattoos suffers greatly from prolonged sun exposure.

[megas]

You’re right, I’m white and live in New Zealand. I noticed when I’ve been abroad to Europe or even in Cuba the sun was not nearly as burning as it is in NZ.

[honeyhrt]

A big part of why it's recommended so much to wear sunscreen every day is to get into a natural automatic habit that will save you on the bad UV index days

So, depending on the kind of person you are (i have ADHD i need to do it everyday otherwise i will forget it on bad days, and i live in australia.. we can get a uv index of 8-10 in the middle of winter) you can just go by the UV index

It's also incredibly important to take your environment into account!!!
If you're at the beach.. you're also getting a lot of reflected light off the sand too,
So even if you're in the shade the whole time, there are a lot of reflected UV rays that will reach you

[JaniceMcKay]

I didn't start wearing sunscreen until after my Dad had skin cancer removed from his cheek. I would spend hours at the beach without any form of protection. Now I wear it, but my face has definitely aged faster and now I have dark spots.

[izumiruki]

Living in Japan, I am constantly checking the UV index!
Sunscreen and umbrellas (to block the sun rays) are my best friends.

[sscdj]

I have dark skin but I can't go out in the sun in Europe or anywhere without sunscreen. Not even for five mins. My skin literally burns and results in rashes and red spots. Sun allergy apparently. It's very irritating. So I end up living with sunscreen everyday and almost throughout the year. My Caucasian friends use less sunscreen than I do!

[gilliankirby]

As an Australian we're pretty aware of this. Most of the year by lunchtime it'll be in the range of 6-13. Only in winter does it get down to maximum of 3.

[libbylandscape]

I rarely use it unless I plan to be outdoors for a long time, and my skin is very pale, almost translucent in places like my hands. Part of the reason is that I can’t stand how it feels and how it holds in heat which is really uncomfortable. I’ve also never spent much time out in the sun.

[ReyOfLight]

I'm Swedish and very pale. Here in Sweden it's usually UV 5 in mid day in like May to July or so, on extreme days I've seen UV 6 on my phone. I very rarely use sunscreen, for the simple reason that I just can't stand how it feels on my skin, and it's especially bad on my face even though I have a sunscreen specifically for face. I also have a moisturizer for face with a slightly lower SPF and that one is awful as well (while I do just fine with the night cream from the same series)
I generally don't like to use any lotions or creams on my skin unless I feel it's needed at that given time.

I only use SPF when I'm going to be outside for a prolonged amount of time during the (usually only a handful of days) high risk time of the year.

If I'm traveling, like during my trip to Greece in 2015, I do use SPF 50+ religiously because the sun is so much stronger there than at home. I was in Crete in August 2015 and even then, I regularly saw UV 8 in daytime there, so late in the summer!

But here at home? Nah, only if I'm going to be outside for a long time in daytime, especially in May to July.

My best defense though is to just limit how much time I spend outside in direct sunshine during the dangerous times of day during the dangerous time of summer.

If my skin didn't absolutely despise sunscreen, I'd use it more. I've tried so many different types of sunscreen (almost exclusively SPF 50+ ever since it became easily available in Sweden) and there just isn't any that works well for me both with application and how it feels on the skin.

[isisny]

I’m in Arizona in the US. The UV today is 9 and the temperature today is not even close to our highest. I wear sunscreen everyday and reapply. I am sure where you live, how much melanin you have and how much sun or UV-UB rays can reach you inside make a difference.

[laur]

daily sunscreen use isn’t just about the UV index, it’s about creating a habit that people can maintain.

[Matt-uvyg]

It is NOT UV index 3 for most of the year in the UK! At midday it is still very often high enough that you need sun protection. Just because it’s cloudy doesn’t mean you don’t need the protection.

[Fiona_P_]

Hi from Sydney Australia. If you live here or you’re holidaying, doesn’t matter the time of year, wear that sunscreen. Even if you have darker skin. Put sunscreen on …… ⚛️☮️🌏

[jones]

As a Caucasian covered in moles with a family history of multiple skin cancer diagnoses living on the tropic of cancer uhhh I'm wearing sunscreen every day no matter what.

[Lea-Anne]

I am very aware of sun/uv damage. My dad had skin cancer which I'm convinced spread to his lung (he had melanoma) I wear spf daily, in the form of sunscreen in the summer/ warmer months, and stay cover up with cotton/linen clothing. In the colder months i just make sure my moisturiser has spf/uv filters in, which i wear during the colder months daily. I wear sun glasses whenever it's bright, whatever the season, sometimes even when its overcast, to protect my eyes from sun/uv damage, especially since i was diagnosed with a Chorodial Neavus in my right eye. I also wear hats to protect my scalp and head. I practice sun safety mostly as I'm worried about skin cancer, but also because i don't want to look like a grubby old leather bag 😄

[TheLeannansidhe]

Yup. Gotta protect my pasty vampire skin hehe

[fatiq]

Great points! I stopped wearing daily sunscreen about 4-5 years ago and it saved my face. I have thick, oily, acne-prone skin, and I used to get cystic acne because my face always had a layer of sunscreen on it. I live somewhere hot and sunny, so I wore sunscreen daily and reapplied religiously every 4-5 hours from age 30 to 35. Now, I just turned 40, and despite rarely wearing sunscreen for the past 4-5 years, I have zero photo-aging, no hyperpigmentation, no fine lines, and NO MORE cystic acne breakouts. Ofcourse, I don’t go out in the sun much (especially at noon) and I’m mostly indoors, I don’t go tanning, and I still DO put on SPF 50 sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat when I absolutely have to (if I have to be under the sun for more than 5 minutes).