“Nothing decreases the aging process as powerfully as sunscreen,” says Zenovia Gabriel, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in Newport Beach, Calif. Plus, sunscreen prevents skin cancer, the most common form of cancer, which is especially key now that skin cancer rates are on the rise. Between 1994 and 2014, nonmelanoma skin cancers in this country increased by 77 percent, and in the past decade, the number of new melanoma cases diagnosed yearly increased by 47 percent, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation.
While vanity might make it easy to remember to put sunscreen on your face (which you should do daily year-round, using a nickel-sized amount, Dr. Gabriel says), there are some not-so-obvious spots on the body that can be easily overlooked when you’re applying sunscreen, leading to sunburn and increasing your risk of skin cancer. Here are six spots to put on your sunscreen radar—just be sure you’re not using expired sunscreen. Fortunately, most sunscreens are safe to use around the eyelids, but because this area of the body is so sensitive, you want to use a little more caution. For that reason, Dr. Gabriel recommends using mineral sunscreens made with titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, as they won’t cause the eyes to sting as much as chemical sunscreens—and if you’re confused about all these types of sun protection, study up on the difference between sunscreen and sunblock. You can also use mineral SPF powders that serve as double duty for protecting the eye area. And if you get sunscreen in your eyes? “It’s not dangerous, but you should flush the eyes with water as soon as you can,” Dr. Gabriel says. RELATED: We Put 50 Different Sunscreens to the Test—These Are the 10 That Really Work As you age, this will lead to leathery, sun-damaged chest skin that’s hard to repair. And although skin cancer is possible on any part of the body, it’s common in the chest, especially in women, and if you need any type of surgery, the results are often not pretty. “This is an area known for making pretty bad scars after surgery,” Dr. Krant says.