When you use an SPF 15, about 95 percent of UVA/UVB rays are blocked, which is pretty good, and with an SPF 30, closer to 100 percent of UV rays are shielded, says Lancer. So what's up with SPF 31-100 then? It's similar to speedometers that go up to 200 mph in a car, he says. You're never going to be able to go that fast — well, without getting a serious speeding ticket anyway. So basically, SPFs over 30 are a bit superfluous. And all sunscreens must be reapplied after swimming or sweating anyway, so you should be fine with an SPF 15 or 30. See other sunscreen mistakes you might be making.
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Facial Masks
While facial masks are fun to do during an at-home beauty night to de-stress while you're taking a bath, Lancer says that, like serums, masks are really only necessary to use after facial procedures to soothe sensitive skin, and so they're considered a "fluffy" skin care product. Not one that needs to be used regularly.
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We live in the infomercial era. As vulnerable consumers, we are lead to believe that something is wrong with us if we don't resemble a celebrity or supermodel, but that there is something we can buy to fix whatever is "wrong" with us. And worldwide, there are probably over 10,000 skin care companies trying to convince us that we need a different cream for each body part — from our pinky toes to our upper lip. But hey, we're not saying these skin care products are total hogwash and that you should stop using them stat, we're just saying that less really is more, and if you want to keep it simple, you can by ditching superfluous products and just using a few key items.
We gave dermatologist Dr. Harold Lancer a ring to help us figure out which skin care products (general product types, not necessarily specific products) for our face or body are totally unnecessary. With so many gimmicky things out there, we should at least be able to knock a few off our list, right?
Other than just buying and using his entire line (kidding), Lancer says that what most people really need is a good face and body wash and moisturizing sunblock — that's it. In fact, he says that the method of how you use a skin care product is actually more important than the actual product.
