Slathering on sunscreen? Make it count!

May. 7, 2025

By Mary Wade Burnside

A couple of years ago, my incentive to wear sunscreen increased exponentially.
Previously, I have to admit, vanity was my primary motivation, in spite of the fact that my father, fair-skinned and freckled like me, had to get pre-cancerous lesions removed during his lifetime.
I knew that the sun contributes to aging and wrinkling skin. With a few painful sunburns under my belt from childhood, I figured it wasn’t worth it. Plus, the burns didn’t even ever turn into a tan. I just looked beet-red.
But in December 2022, I was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma on my calf. As someone who has been covering health topics for 15 years, I immediately knew that of the three types of skin cancer, this wasn’t the least harmful one, basal cell carcinoma. (Nor, luckily, it wasn’t the most dangerous kind, melanoma.)
My dermatologist performed a curettage and electrodesiccation procedure to burn the cancer off of my skin, taking what looked like a car cigarette lighter to create a perfect red circle on my calf that took a few months to heal.
The scar was starting to look a lot better in March when I noticed that there was a pizza sliced-shaped mark inside the circle.
Once again, it was squamous cell carcinoma. This time, I had Mohs surgery, coincidentally two years ago on May 1, the day which Skin Cancer Awareness Month commences. During the surgery, the doctor peeled back layers of skin to remove the cancerous cells and conducted lab testing in real time to see if he would need to continue until the margins were clear. Luckily, he only had to do this once.
The surgery left a scar that is much larger than the original small circle burn, because the calf is a difficult area to stitch up, and, as I found out, to heal.
Now I really try to keep myself safe from the sun. I’ve bought some serious sun hats. And I’m really making sure to get good sunscreen and apply it correctly.
Still, I had some learning to do when I found out that just randomly applying sunscreen is not the optimal way to proceed. Here are some tips I learned:
Use a lot. Studies have shown that people use much less sunscreen than is needed to effectively protect them, so use more than you think you need.
Make sure the sunscreen has a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 50.
When it comes to selecting sunscreen, coconut oil is NOT a good ingredient. But a mineral such as zinc is and will help keep the lotion on your body longer.
Apply sunscreen 15 minutes before you go outside and reapply every two hours, or more frequently if you are sweating, in water, etc.
Sunscreen quality has improved in recent years and it doesn’t have to be greasy. Nor does it have to be a thick paste that is difficult to smooth into your skin.
When I switched to mineral-based sunscreen a decade or so ago, it was like putting on kabuki makeup, which was self-defeating in the mornings when I was getting ready for work. But now there are several on the market that go on more easily and are absorbed more quickly.
And finally, take other precautions. Remember, the sun is at its most direct between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. There are clothing options you can choose that also can deflect the sun. A straw hat is not one of them! The holes created by the weaving pattern allow the sun to shine on your head.
Sure, I get it. All of this sounds like a hassle. But take it from me, it’s much preferable than having painful procedures and surgery, and visiting a dermatologist every six months to have her look you over for any potential strange growths on your skin. Which anyone can do periodically even if they haven’t had skin cancer, just to be sure.
Mary Wade Burnside is the public information officer at Monongalia County Health Department.