If the dermatologists of TikTok and Instagram have taught us anything, it’s that sunscreen is one of the easiest and most effective ways to minimize UV damage. That includes wrinkles and dark spots, yes, but shielding your skin from the sun’s rays is also a must for preventing basal and squamous cell carcinoma (the most common forms of skin cancer) and melanoma (the deadliest). Simply put, everyone’s daily skin care routine should include SPF. To get the most protection, though, you need to wear enough—especially on the most exposed parts of your body, like your face.
So how much sunscreen should you use on this extra vulnerable area, exactly? “Quantifying the exact amount can be really tough because everybody measures things differently,” Susan Massick, MD, a board-certified dermatologist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, tells SELF. In other words, most of us aren’t digging into our wallets to measure a “nickel-size” dollop of sunscreen every morning (the amount the Skin Cancer Foundation recommends for your face alone).
The problem with winging it: “A lot of folks don’t realize they’re not using enough,” Dr. Massick says. That’s why we’ve put together this visual guide: To help you figure out the perfect amount of SPF to cover your entire face (and neck).
So, how much sunscreen should you use on your face?
Dr. Massick has a couple of handy pointers: The first (and easiest to measure, in our opinion) is two finger lengths’ worth of sunscreen. Basically, that means spreading a thick line along your entire index and middle finger. You can also aim for a quarter-size blob. (See pictures below.)
“I’ve also seen a lot of people suggest a nickel-size dollop, but I don’t think that’s enough,” Dr. Massick says. “We want to make sure people are covering often-missed spots, too, like the ears, along the hairline, and behind and in front of the neck.”
Maybe you’re wondering if these rules apply to makeup with SPF too: The short answer is that you’ll likely still need a separate, dedicated sunscreen, because you probably aren’t wearing two fingers’ worth of foundation (since that can feel heavy), according to Dr. Massick. You also may not apply it evenly across your face, especially if you prefer more coverage in certain spots versus others. Plus, some makeup-sunscreen hybrids don’t offer “broad-spectrum” protection (against both UVA and UVB rays)—a must to stay safe.
“SPF in makeup is an added benefit, but it shouldn’t be used as the primary or only layer of defense,” Dr. Massick says—which is why she recommends a base of regular sunscreen, then a quarter-size dollop of the SPF makeup on top. But if that feels too goopy, it’s okay to use less, she adds—as long as you have that base coat of sunscreen underneath.
Do your lips need sunscreen too?
“The fact of the matter is that the lips are probably even more susceptible to sun damage,” Dr. Massick says. Unlike the rest of your face, your lips don’t have as much melanin (pigment)—meaning “they don’t have that protective color to shield you from sun exposure,” she explains.
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