“Don’t Forget to Protect These Often Overlooked Body Parts from Sun Damage”

When the sun is shining and the temperatures are rising, sunscreen is essential. Because we rub ourselves, we protect our body against the UV radiation of the sun. The face, neck, arms and legs are part of the standard ritual. But do you know that other parts of your body deserve at least as much attention?

Lips

So says dermatologist Renate van den Bos, who works at Erasmus MC Dragonfly about the fragility of your lips. When you come out in the sun, the lips are less well protected than the rest of your skin. “The horny layer, a layer of dead skin cells on the surface, which normally provides protection against the sun, is not or hardly present on the lips,” says Van den Bos. And this can eventually lead to sunburn or even skin cancer. The dermatologist therefore recommends that you take your lips with you when you apply sunscreen. There is also a special UV-resistant lip balm, but it wears off quickly. So you have to reapply this balm often. Van den Bos has an extra tip for men. “They can grow a big mustache to protect their lips,” she winks in her conversation with Dragonfly.

Hair and scalp

Your scalp is at the top of your body and is therefore most susceptible to UV radiation. Your hair protects a large part of the scalp, unless of course you are bald or balding. But pay particular attention to partings or other places where your scalp is exposed. You can also protect these areas, possibly with spray or powder sunscreen. If you have long hair, it is advisable to put it up. Or wear a cap or hat, because your hair can also be damaged in the sun. You can find more tips to protect your hair from the sun in this article.

Ears and side of neck

When rubbing the face, the ears are also often forgotten body parts. Wrongly, because it is risky to expose your ears to the full sun. The skin and subcutaneous tissue are thin, while you cannot easily protect the ears by wearing a cap. This allows them to absorb a lot of UV radiation. So make sure you don’t forget your ears when rubbing in. And feel free to immediately take the part below that, the side of your neck, with you.

Eyelids

Not only the ears, but also the eyelids are thin and therefore sensitive parts of the body. It can be annoying to smear so close to your eyes, but it’s still important to take your eyelids with you. This can be done with a special sunscreen for eyelids. But wearing sunglasses is of course the most obvious solution.

Hands and feet

With your hands you apply the sunscreen to all these parts of the body. And then you wash them off. But are you still thinking about protecting your hands? The top of your hands in particular can get badly burned. In addition, think about your ankles and feet, especially if you wear flip flops. And if you go to the beach and sunbathe lying on your stomach? Then feel free to lubricate the soles of your feet.

(Source: Archive, Libelle, Jetske Ultee Skincare, Skin-surgery.nl, Beautify. Photo: Shutterstock)