Don’t forget to use sunscreen even in autumn and winter

۷ Body Parts People Always Miss with Sunscreen

Which body parts are easiest to miss with sunscreen?
There’s always that one pesky area of skin you miss when it comes to applying sunscreen in the summer. And unfortunately, by the time you notice, your skin might be beyond rescue and you’re left to deal with the aftermath: a stinging, peeling sunburn.
While the goal is to ultimately prevent a painful sunburn from happening, thinking more long-term, the goal of proper sun protection is to prevent skin cancer. Here are some of the most common areas that we miss and how to protect them:

Spot #1: Sides and back of the neck

“People may be good with applying sunscreen to their face, but an area that often can be neglected is the neck,” says Dr. Kassardjian.

While the entire neck needs SPF — including the front part that’s usually in the shadow of your jaw — the sides and back of the neck are particularly vulnerable to the sun’s damaging rays.

“The sides of the neck, especially in cities like Los Angeles (left side more than the right typically) can be affected over the years from driving, as this is a common location that the sun hits day in and day out.”

Spot #2: The upper chest

We’re talking about the area of the chest right above where your T-shirt stops covering you, right beneath the start of your neck — or where your collarbone is located.

Spot #3: Lips

“Lips are often an area that are missed when protecting from the sun, and are chronically exposed to UV rays,” says Dr. Kassardjian. If you’ve ever burned your lips before, you know it’s a painful, annoying recovery.

“Unfortunately, we do see quite a bit of skin cancers on the lip, and these skin cancers can become more aggressive [and] require surgical treatment, so prevention is key,” says Dr. Kassardjian.

Fortunately, there are many sun

screens or lip balms that are made specifically to go on the lips — and some of them taste good, too!

Spot #4: Tops of hands

“The tops of the hands are especially susceptible to long-term UV damage and risk of skin cancer and premature aging due to driving,” says Dr. Kassardjian. Even on a cloudy day, it’s important to protect your hands, especially while doing activities outside.

Protecting your hands can prevent damaging sunburns and also prevent developing signs of premature aging like sun spots and freckles.

Spot #5: Tops of ears

A popular accidental burn spot, the tops of your ears are especially vulnerable.
“This is an area that we unfortunately see many skin cancers develop and is an area that is forgotten when applying sunscreen,” says Dr. Kassardjian. “Not only the ears themselves, but behind the ears as well, especially behind that left ear for those people that are commuting long distances daily (as mentioned with the neck) as they will have constant exposure to those UV rays.”

Spot 6: The tops of the feet

You’ve either been this person or seen this person with toasted feet. It can make wearing any kind of shoe painful, or even impossible.

Whether you’re relaxing on the beach or spending the day out on a boat or hiking trail, it may be easy to forget to protect the tops of your feet — especially if you already have on flip flops or other sandals. But this area of skin is important to protect just like any other part of the body.