When one speaks of daily sunscreens use, the first area that comes to mind is the face. This is primarily because the face is one of the most important aesthetic areas of the human body and hence a focus for prevention of premature aging and skin cancer formation. As a skin cancer surgeon, I have found the ears and lips to be areas where skin cancers often form, presumably because of the lack of attention to sun protection in these areas. These areas are also one of the more difficult places to reconstruct once the skin cancer is removed.

The ears, especially in men, are one of the most prominently exposed areas to sunlight. The lips, in both men and women, are also prominent areas of direct sun exposure. Application of sunscreen to the ears is just as important as application to the rest of the face. For the lips, numerous lip products (gloss, balm, lipstick) have built in sun protection. Substitute your current lip product for a lip product with built in sunscreen.

Even though the face may receive more direct sunlight exposure than other parts of the body, all sun-exposed areas of the body should be covered with sunscreen as well. Depending on your usual attire, this may mean the back of the hands, the chest, and the lower legs.