Sunscreen and Your Guy: How to Get Them Together

Sunscreen, as you know because we keep telling you, is an indispensable part of keeping your skin healthy, beautiful, and younger-looking. And the reason we keep repeating the sunscreen message is that it’s literally a matter of life and death. Unprotected exposure to UV rays is the leading contributor to skin cancers of all kinds, but particularly to melanoma, the deadliest form of this common cancer.

But another thing we know and you know is that men fight using sunscreen even harder than they fight asking for directions — which is why rates of skin cancer overall, and melanoma in particular, are generally higher in men than in women.

Recently at the lifestyle website Aleteia, a man dared to cop to this deadly habit, and to offer some suggestions about how to get your guy to use sunscreen. Carey Dyer ‘fessed up this way:

It’s not the concept of sunblock that we don’t like. We realize (on some level) that avoiding skin cancer is actually a really good thing, after all. The truth is, we men aren’t fond of the slathering. Women rub all manner of goops and creams all over their bodies on a daily basis. For guys, even if it’s for safety reasons, rubbing something greasy on our skin feels like we’re putting on makeup. So instead of acquiescing to the invisible protection of sunscreen, some men choose the fashionable summer outfit of long-sleeved shirts, complete with a wide-brim head covering that rivals the one worn by Curious George’s “Man with the Yellow Hat.” Or we go without.

Dyer got some advice by crowdsourcing female friends, and came up with these 7 tips to make a better match between sunscreen and your guy:

• Offer to apply it for him.
• Remind him of the benefits.
• Place the product where he won’t forget it.
• Find a non-greasy option.
• Ask him to consider others.
• Recommend a multi-use product.
• Finally, there’s the “ask forgiveness, not permission” option, as a last resort: “I use a spray version with which I can catch the back of his neck before he can say no,” says Mary Ball. “It’s like shooting at a wasp’s nest. Spray and run!” (Read more about each suggestion here.)

At Comprehensive Dermatology Center of Pasadena, we see the results of UV damage to unprotected skin every day, as our physicians diagnose and treat skin cancers of all types with specialized tools such as Mohs’ surgery. But we’d much rather head off skin cancer before it begins, with intelligent sun protection. We carry a full line of the most effective sunscreen products, formulated to meet the needs and preferences of every woman — and man. Contact us today for a recommendation, or stop by and bring your guy!