After a day spent collecting good vibes and vitamin D, you return home to rinse off for the evening’s festivities, only to realize that maybe you missed a few spots when slathering on sunscreen. Though the easy-to-see parts of our body—like our arms, torso, legs and backs—get plenty of UV protection, those that are out of reach tend to be out of mind.
From our scalp and the back of our knees to our ears and the bottom of our feet, these areas can suffer from sun damage too. As board-certified dermatologist, Dr. Papri Sarkar says, our skin is the largest organ on our body and any place where it is exposed to the sun can get sunburned. “Other often missed areas are the ears, hands and the area under clothing that gets exposed when you move. Every year I see a patient in the summer who wore jeans with holes in them with sunburns where there was no material or wore shorts and the burn is right around the hemline,” she explains.
If you happen to have an awkward sunburn, here’s how to protect those hard-to-reach areas this summer.
Your Scalp
Dermatologist Dr. Rachel Nazarian says that the scalp is notoriously one of the most difficult areas to protect with sunscreen. Even though our hair offers a tad of protection, our head still receives the most directed amount of exposure to ultraviolet radiation, since it is the closest point of our body to the sun. Dr. Nazarian recommends using sunscreen powder to protect your noggin. Much like dry shampoo, it can be applied to the hair and scalp to protect this delicate area. If your scalp is currently sunburned, be extra careful when washing your hair by using a gentle shampoo and apply a bit of non-fragrant, natural moisturizer at night post-shower. Read more
