1 ALWAYS START WITH A BASE LAYER
While sunscreens help protect against skin cancer and sun damage, they don’t repair spots and wrinkles you’ve already got. For that, dermatologists suggest layering an antioxidant under your SPF. “Some sunscreens are formulated with antioxidants, but they’re not as optimal as applying a separate antioxidant product first,” says Rachel Westbay, MD, a dermatologist at Marmur Medical in New York City. Try CeraVe Skin Renewing Vitamin C Serum ($26; ulta.com).
2 SKIP CHEMICAL SUNSCREENS
Why? Because the jury’s still out on their safety. “Chemical sunscreens act like a sponge, absorbing the sun’s rays,” Westbay says. Though the ingredients that do this absorbing—i.e., oxybenzone, avobenzone, octisalate, octocrylene, homosalate, and octinoxate—haven’t been officially deemed unsafe, says David Kim, MD, a New York City–based dermatologist, studies…
