2020 Edit: This was written in 2009 and is accurate as per 2009. Recent articles now suggest that for the face alone, 1/4 teaspoon of product is sufficient protection. 1 teaspoon would then cover approximately your face, neck and arms. My application method has also changed to approx 2-3 finger-lengths of sunscreen for application to the face.
When I last wrote about the proper way to apply moisturizer and how much moisturizer you really need, reader Sarah left a comment asking if I apply my sunscreen using the same method.
My answer is, “No, I do not use the same method to apply sunscreen.”
The reason is that the recommended amount of sunscreen or sunblock to use is about 1 teaspoon just for your face. How much is 1 teaspoon? Here’s a visual reference.
1 teaspoon is about 5ml by a measuring spoon. That is a lot of sunscreen – believe me! But you see, in the labs where sunscreen is tested, they use up to 2mg of sunscreen per sq inch of skin, so what we use in real life is really not quite enough. However, a teaspoon is a reasonable estimate to use. For the body, its 1 teaspoon each for each arm. Its really way thick so not even I can abide by this requirement.
Since I can’t possibly measure out a teaspoon of sunscreen every morning like baking a cake, what I do is squeeze out my sunscreen on my fingers and then apply to my skin, spreading as I go on my face.
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