Ben Greenfield breaks down TikTok's sunscreen contouring trend, where people apply sunscreen selectively to create tan lines. The risks are real: uneven aging, skin cancer, pigmentation problems. But he notes sun exposure has benefits too—vitamin D, mood, better cardiovascular health from 10 to 30 minutes daily. His take: it's doable if you avoid peak hours, use protective clothing, and follow up with aloe vera and vitamin C.
We've got a new craze on TikTok sunscreen contouring. Let's see what sunscreen contouring looks like.
First, you brush on your shield.
Brush a little more.
It's great music. Brush, brush, brush.
And.
Not being much of a brusher myself.
I really have no clue half of what was going on in that video. However, it is a viral beauty trend. You strategically apply sunscreen only certain areas of your face. And this mimics the placement of what is called contouring makeup. And then you use the sun's tanning effect to contour your face. You create the highlights, which are protected by sunscreen. And then you have shadows that are left unprotected to tan. Now, it's interesting because a lot of people seem to have an issue with sunscreen contouring. Because you're intentionally leaving parts of the face unprotected. Exposing those areas to harmful UVB radiation. And that unprotected exposure, many people theorize, could result in damage to the skin. Now, there might be some issues with excessive UVA radiation. UVA rays penetrate deeper into the skin. Those are the ones that are primarily responsible for premature aging. As opposed to the UVB rays, which can assist with vitamin D production, for example. And when you unevenly apply the sunscreen to some areas of the face. That means those unprotected areas of the face would theoretically age faster. Excessive exposure to UV rays could also increase your risk of skin cancer. Melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer amongst those. So that would be something that could happen if these areas are burning. Uneven tanning from the sunscreen contouring could also lead to blotchy or irregular pigmentation. That could be difficult or even expensive to correct later on. Those are the issues that are typically raised about this concept of sunscreen contouring. The way sunscreen works is important to understand. You might know this. It absorbs or reflects UV rays to protect your skin from the sun. The the idea here is that many people. Because I've seen some folks poke fun at this or say that it could be really harmful. I have a different take, to be honest with you. You know the sun is bad for you argument primarily focuses on the risks of excess UV exposure. And it is true. Prolonged exposure to UV ultraviolet rays, Especially without protection, could damage skin cells. It could cause sunburn. It can cause premature aging and some DNA damage. And that cumulative damage over time. Could even increase the risk of skin cancer like melanoma. UV radiation in excess can also suppress the immune system. Unprotected exposure for long periods of time, specifically to the eyes, can lead to cataracts and macular degeneration and something called photokeratitis, which is sunburn of the eye. And then you can also get melanin overproduction with a lot of exposure unprotected to the sun. If you're out in the sun for a really long time and you're burning, yes, all of those risks persist. But I'm a huge fan of the sun. I use a little bit of natural spf. It's the SPF from a great company, it's called Young Goose. Like really, really great for radiation, et cetera. I've done a podcast with them you can find on my channel. I put that on my face and occasionally my neck. Right. Areas where I've got really thick, thin skin if I'm going to be out in the sun for a really long time. But the sun is for most people a very, very efficient form or source vitamin D. So you get calcium absorption and bone health and immune function support and mood regulation. And that can even occur with 10 to 30 minutes a day. Right. Nowhere near the amount that would cause. Burning sunlight stimulates serotonin production, that boosts your mood. It helps to regulate your circadian rhythm. Exposure to sunlight can increase nitric oxide levels in your blood. That's like Viagra for your whole body. That can lower your blood pressure, increase blood flow or reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease. And moderate sun exposure has even been shown to paradoxically alleviate a lot of skin issues like psoriasis and eczema and acne due to the anti inflammatory properties of the sun. I actually have no problem with this concept of sunscreen contouring under a few circumstances. So first, UV rays are less intense in the early morning or late afternoon. I would stay out of a lot of sun exposure between about 11am until around 3pm or so. Short regular exposures to the sun is better than a long time out there. And if you are going to be out there a long time. Yeah. Use sunglasses with UV protection for your eyes if you're skiing all day or out on a boat day on the weekend. Use wide brim hats, use light long sleeve clothing to cover the legs and the arms and stay in the shade when it's around that 11am to 3pm and sometimes 4pm ish time slot. If you're going to use a sunscreen, use something that is natural. Right. And there are a lot of good brands out there. Young Goose is just one that I named, but you can visit the Environmental Working Group website. Remember, I'll put a link in the description along with this video. After you get exposed to the sun, you can use aloe vera, you can use hyaluronic acid, you can use serums with things like vitamin C in them. Another shout out. They're not a sponsor of this video. It's just another company I like called Alitora. Right. And you can stay very hydrated to maintain your overall skin health. So if somebody, whatever, my daughter, my wife, my mom friend were to ask me about sunscreen contouring, I'd say it's not a problem. Do it within reason. Use a natural sunscreen, take care of your skin afterwards. But I don't know why everybody's freaking out about sunscreen contouring when I think it actually could be done in a pretty healthy fashion. So again, the dose is the poison with the sun. In most cases, I consider the sun to be a good friend. So that's my take on sunscreen contouring. I don't plan on doing it anytime soon because it's just not my thing. Said the guy who does a weekly clay mask. You get the idea. Make sure you subscribe to the channel like this video. Share it if you dig it. Thanks for watching.
