Wear sunscreen every day
Put broad-spectrum SPF 30+ on exposed skin each morning and reapply every two hours outdoors.
- How often
- Daily
- Time
- 2 min
- Recommended for
- 33 factors
How to do it
- Use a broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen. The AAD recommends SPF 30 or higher, and the CDC's minimum is SPF 15.
- Apply about 1 ounce, roughly a shot glass, to cover exposed skin, and about a teaspoon for your face. Do it 15 minutes before going out.
- Don't miss your ears, neck, tops of your feet, scalp where hair is thin, and lips (use an SPF 30 lip balm).
- Reapply every two hours outdoors, and right after swimming, sweating or toweling off.
- Wear it on cloudy days and in winter. Protect your skin whenever the UV index is 3 or higher.
Why it helps
UV rays damage skin cells every time you are exposed, and that damage adds up. UV exposure is the most preventable cause of skin cancer. Driving, outdoor work and lunchtime walks add more exposure than people expect.
Be careful
Sunscreen is not recommended for babies 6 months and younger. Keep them in the shade and in protective clothing. Check the expiration date on your bottle.
Recommended for
Alabama
Long, humid summers, strong sun, and ticks most of the year.
placeAlaska
Months of low sun, deep cold and summer smoke from big wildfires.
placeArizona
Extreme desert heat, intense sun and a lung infection that lives in the dust.
placeArkansas
Tick country with humid summers and a strong southern sun.
hobbyBirdwatching and photography
Long walks outdoors with binoculars or a heavy camera around your neck.
placeCalifornia
Wildfire smoke, valley fever dust, inland heat and year-round sun.
placeColorado
Thin air, stronger sun, high-radon soil and summer smoke.
occupationConstruction worker
Heavy loads, heights, noise, dust and weather, every day.
occupationFarmer
Dawn-to-dusk physical work outdoors, around machines and animals.
hobbyFishing
Long hours by or on the water, in the sun, with hooks and knives.
placeFlorida
Heat and humidity most of the year, high sun, and mold after storms.
hobbyGardening
Kneeling, digging, lifting and pulling weeds for hours in the sun.
placeGeorgia
Humid heat, strong sun, southern ticks and radon around Atlanta.
hobbyGolf
A twisting swing repeated hundreds of times, plus hours in the sun.
placeHawaii
Tropical sun, volcanic smog on the Big Island and leptospirosis in streams.
habitIndoor tanning
Tanning beds, booths and sunlamps for a year-round tan.
occupationLandscaper
Mowing, digging and lifting outdoors in every kind of weather.
placeLouisiana
Gulf humidity, a long mosquito season and mold after floods.
placeMississippi
Long, humid summers, southern ticks and a strong Gulf sun.
placeNevada
Desert heat, high-elevation sun, and a soil fungus kicked up by dust.
placeNew Mexico
Thin air, intense sun, and well water that deserves a test.
hobbyPickleball
Quick lateral steps, sudden lunges and plenty of falls on hard courts.
occupationRideshare and delivery driver
In and out of the car all day, on a clock, chasing the next order.
hobbyRoad cycling
Hours bent over the bars, legs spinning thousands of turns per ride.
hobbyRunning
Thousands of footstrikes a week, mostly through your shins, knees and feet.
hobbySkiing and snowboarding
Speed, twisting falls and long days in cold, bright mountain air.
placeSouth Carolina
Steamy summers, strong southern sun, and lone star ticks.
hobbySurfing
Paddling, cold water and hours of bright sun reflecting off the sea.
hobbySwimming
Thousands of overhead strokes, chlorinated water and wet ears.
hobbyTennis
Thousands of swings, serves and sprints, mostly on one side of the body.
placeTexas
Long, dangerous summer heat, strong sun, and mosquito season.
placeUtah
High elevation, intense sun on snow, and winter inversions.
placeWyoming
High, windy, sun-blasted country with radon under nearly every county.