Whether you are headed for the beach or enjoying a pre-summer midday outdoors, it is important to protect your skin at all times. It doesn’t matter whether you are thick-skinned or onion-skinned, your outermost, first-line of defense is not impervious to harmful rays of the skin. Don’t let your fun in the sun get interrupted with painful bouts of sun burn. Here are ways you can get the most protection from your bottle of sunscreen:

• Do know your SPF. The P in SPF doesn’t stand for proofing, but for protection. This means you are only shielding your skin and delaying damage for as long as you can with the appropriately numbered SPF, and not completely blocking off the sun’s rays.
• Don’t rely on sunscreens alone. Today, topical sun protection lotions and sprays are considered the best way to protect skin from sun burn and UV rays, but there are more ways to get protected. Darker colors and heavier fabrics naturally offer more sun protection versus light-weight pastels outfits. You can wash your clothes in SunGuard to increase their sun protection. Don’t forget to wear sunglasses to protect your eyes.
• Do slather on a shot glass amount. Your sunscreen will only work if you put enough to protect your skin. Sunscreens work by creating a protective physical film on the surface of your skin, so if you put too little and spread it out too thinly, sun rays would still be able to penetrate.
• Don’t use expired sunscreen. They put an expiration date on these products because the ingredients that protect you from the sun don’t last forever. They become less efficient and effective over time, and if you use them, you are pretty much slathering stuff futilely. If you have an unopened sunscreen purchased a long time ago, check the expiration date before applying. If you have an old, opened sunscreen that has been out in the heat but isn’t expired yet, toss it.
• Do remember to cover all the spots. When you wear a top going to the beach, it’s easy to slather on some sunscreen on your arms, legs and neck and forget all about your chest and back when you take your top off. You may also be missing other spots like the top of your ears, which by the way burn like barbecues. Remember to apply sunscreen on your feet, nape and your hands.
• Don’t put sunscreen while you’re already out. Many of the ingredients in sun protecting lotions and sprays take some time before they work. A good guide is twenty minutes before going outdoors. This gives your product a lot of time to get deep into your skin for maximum effect.
• Do choose your sunscreen carefully. It’s not just about its sun protecting factor. Tear-free or sting-free sunscreens can be safely applied on the face to protect that thin skin around your eyes. Choose waterproof sunscreen if you will be swimming. Ones with protective vitamins typically have vitamin E to fight off free radicals. Finally, those that feature continuous protection so reapplication is less frequent.

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4. Get that Perfect Skin Glow with Skin Antioxidants
5. Getting Rid of Oily Skin