Whether your summer adventures are bringing you poolside, oceanside or just to the sidelines of a sports game, sun protection should be top of mind. “Practicing sun safety can help prevent painful and damaging sunburn and protect your skin from premature aging and potential skin cancer,” says Dr. Joel Schlessinger, LovelySkin CEO and board-certified dermatologist, Mohs surgeon and cosmetic surgeon. “We all love to be out and about during sunny weather, but it’s important to do it safely.” In this blog post, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know about sun protection—and sunburn care in case of an accidental burn—with the help of SkinCeuticals.

• How to prevent sunburn

• How to prevent sunburn from peeling

Sun protection 101: How to prevent sunburn

When it comes to how to prevent sunburn, using a high-quality broad-spectrum sunscreen is one part of your sun-protection strategy. “Try to find shade outside as much as possible and wear sun-protective clothing and wide-brimmed hats, as they are effective methods of sun protection, along with sunscreen,” Dr. Joel Schlessinger says.

To prevent sunburn, it’s important to apply enough sunscreen and also reapply it as needed. “For your face, ears and neck, you’ll typically need about a half-dollar-sized amount of sunscreen,” says Dr. Daniel Schlessinger, board-certified dermatologist as well as Mohs surgeon and cosmetic surgeon. “For your body, most people will need an ounce to an ounce and a half of sunscreen—picture a full shot glass.” Bring your sunscreen with you when you head outside, as Drs. Joel and Daniel Schlessinger both recommend reapplying your sunscreen every ninety minutes or sooner if you’re swimming or sweating.

All SkinCeuticals face sunscreens are broad-spectrum, meaning they help protect your skin from both UVA and UVB rays. Though UVB rays are responsible for sunburn, both UVA and UVB rays can cause cancer. “There are also UVC rays that are only present in high altitudes above the clouds, like Colorado or other mountainous areas,” Dr. Joel Schlessinger says. “These are especially important to protect against.”

SkinCeuticals Clear Daily Soothing UV Defense Sunscreen SPF 50 is a hydrating, soothing sunscreen that helps improve the appearance of redness, making it a great option for sensitive skin. It’s untinted and fragrance-free, and also contains calming ingredients such as 2.5 palmitoyl tripeptide-8 and 0.5% bisabolol. It protects your skin from UVA and UVB rays with a combination of 8% homosalate, 5% octisalate, 5% octocrylene and 7% zinc oxide.

For a daily face sunscreen with brightening benefits, consider SkinCeuticals Daily Brightening UV Defense Sunscreen SPF 30. In addition to broad-spectrum protection from a blend of chemical filters (3% avobenzone, 5% homosalate, 5% octisalate and 7.2% octocrylene), it features a blend of brightening ingredients such as tranexamic acid and niacinamide that help improve discoloration over time. It also has a touch of mica for a subtle radiant finish.

If you prefer an all-mineral formula—which Drs. Joel and Daniel Schlessinger both recommend for their patients who are pregnant or breastfeeding (or for children)—SkinCeuticals also has a few options.

SkinCeuticals Sheer Physical UV Defense Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50 is a lightweight face sunscreen with a fluid texture and a matte finish. It provides broad-spectrum protection with 5% zinc oxide and 6% titanium dioxide and also contains artemia salina, a plankton extract that helps boost your skin’s natural defense to UV-induced stress. This sunscreen also comes in a tinted version.

If you have oily skin and are looking for an all-mineral face sunscreen to wear under makeup or solo, consider SkinCeuticals Physical Matte UV Defense Tinted Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50. This matte-finish sunscreen has an oil-absorbing formula that helps minimize the look of large pores and control shine throughout the day. It helps prevent sunburn and sun damage with 9% titanium dioxide and 4% zinc oxide.

Sunburn care 101: How to prevent sunburn from peeling and more

Despite your best efforts, it happened: You ended up with a sunburn. Now what?

Peeling skin after a severe sunburn is your body’s way to get rid of the skin cells that have been damaged, so it can be an inevitable part of the healing process. If you do happen to get a sunburn, Dr. Joel Schlessinger recommends that you immediately take ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) or aspirin (not Tylenol) as this will reduce inflammation in the skin and can decrease the chances the burn will be severe. “Though ibuprofen won’t undo the effects of a sunburn, it has an anti-inflammatory effect that can potentially keep your skin from peeling and blistering and reduce your misery to some degree,” Dr. Joel Schlessinger says.

Peeling skin after a sunburn can feel itchy and uncomfortable, but it’s important to leave it be to minimize the chance of scarring or other issues. “You’ll want to avoid picking at peeling skin after a sunburn, as you could cause further harm to your skin, causing a scar, increasing the risk of residual pigmentation or introducing infection,” Dr. Daniel Schlessinger says.

Applying a hydrocortisone treatment, such as FixMySkin 1% Hydrocortisone Healing Body Balm, can help soothe dry, flaky skin after a sunburn and keep it well-moisturized, so you’re less likely to pick at spots that are peeling. SkinCeuticals Epidermal Repair Soothing Cream was designed to help reduce irritation after in-office procedures such as chemical peels and can also provide some comfort for sunburned skin. A blend of antioxidants helps expedite the healing process while centella asiatica helps prevent scarring and sodium palmitoyl proline helps calm irritation.

For a sunburn on your face, SkinCeuticals Biocellulose Restorative Sheet Mask provides immediate cooling relief and hydration to compromised skin. If your sunburn feels hot and tender to the touch, a cooling product such as SkinCeuticals Phyto Corrective Mask Hydrating & Calming Mask can help bring you relief with calming dipeptides, hydrating hyaluronic acid and skin-soothing botanical extracts.

For use on the go or throughout the day, SkinCeuticals Phyto Corrective Essence Mist can be spritzed onto sunburned skin. It helps reduce visible redness and increase hydration in your skin with a Phyto Botanical Blend, glycerin and hyaluronic acid, and its touchless format ensures you won’t introduce any dirt or bacteria into your sensitive sunburned skin.

Have you ever wondered what actually happens to your skin when it's sunburned? You can read more on the LovelySkin Blog.