Shereene IdrissBoard Certified Derm, Founder and Chief Nerd

If I Use a High SPF, Do I Need to Reapply? #shorts

27 Jul 2021 · 1 min

Watch on YouTube

0:33

Short YouTube video (Shereene Idriss) giving brief sunscreen advice: warns that very high SPF (e.g., SPF 100) can create a false sense of security and emphasizes that sunscreen must be reapplied—about every two hours at the beach because of sweating, swimming, and rubbing—and otherwise around midday (noon–1:00 pm) when the sun is strongest.

Chapters

It doesn't matter how high your sunscreen usage is. So I actually tell people all the time, higher SPFs, like SPF 100, actually stresses me out because it gives people a false sense of security, thinking, Well, I used SPF 100. I don't need to reapply. No, you definitely need to reapply, especially if you're at the beach, because you're going to be sweating through it, swimming through it, and probably rubbing your face. So definitely reapply every two hours or so when you are at the beach. And if you're not at the beach, then I say you reapply at the peak of your day, which is usually around noon or 1 o', clock, when the sun is at its most intense.