“The best sunscreen for someone is the sunscreen that person will use,” Mullans says. Try the EltaMD UV Clear Broad-Spectrum SPF 46 Facial Sunscreen or Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunscreen Broad-Spectrum SPF 100.Īfter that, the type of sunscreen you use mainly comes down to personal preference.

Barry Goldman, MD, an NYC-based board certified dermatologist, says both types of UV rays contribute to skin cancer development. “There’s a huge jump in terms of the rays blocked between a 15 and a 30, but above 30, there’s not much of a difference,” she says.Īnother phrase you’ll want to look for on the bottle is “broad-spectrum,” which means the sunscreen protects skin from both UVA and UVB rays. Mullans tells her patients to go a bit higher in the summer and use sunscreen with SPF 30. It also protects your skin against premature aging. The Skin Cancer Foundation says that daily use of SPF 15 can reduce a person’s risk of developing melanoma by 50 percent and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) by about 40 percent. We tend to spend more time outside when it’s warmer out, typically from June through September in the United States. It’s essential to apply sunscreen any time you are in the sun, including during the winter months. If you don’t do that, “your skin will age faster and increase your risk of skin cancer.” “The most important thing is that you need to protect your skin from the sun,” says Elizabeth Mullans, MD, a board certified dermatologist. If you do nothing else for your skin this summer, wear sunscreen.

Summer skin