Sometimes people forget that complete sun protection includes scalp and hair protection. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I can never say it often enough — sun protection is absolutely one of the most important things you can do to take care of your skin.

You may not be able to easily see the skin of your scalp and ears, but it’s there and it needs sun protection. Anyone who’s experienced sunburn along his or her part line knows how painful it can be. The same is true for the ears — especially if you have fair skin. And while your hair provides some protection, it gets damaged in the process.

The skin on your scalp, neck, and ears is sensitive, much like the skin on your face (Sensitive skin is not limited to the face). So it’s important to protect it from the sun with the same effort you put into your face. But what can you do to best keep yourself from getting burned in these tricky areas?

How much does hair protect my skin from the sun?

It does offer some protection, mostly relative to the length of hair, style and density of hair on the scalp, but it’s not enough. Skin cancer on the scalp and ears is more common than you’d think. I don’t just find it on bald men; I find it commonly on women who have thick heads of long hair too.

Baseball hats may be stylish, but they don’t protect ears and neck well from the sun. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In a study published in Cancer Causes & Control that focused on how hair covering impacted the amount of sun that ears received (Hypothesis: Hair cover can protect against invasive melanoma on the head and neck). They found that hair offered up to 81 percent of coverage against the sun exposure on the ears — but take note, 81 percent is not total protection and does not mean that your skin under your hair is safe against the sun.

In this same study the authors noted that the rates of melanoma on the ears had gone up for women in Australia. They suggested the popularity of baseball caps over hats with a wide brim left ears vulnerable to the sun and contributed to higher rates of melanoma. I think this is a very plausible explanation. I see a lot more sun damage on the ears, temples, and side of the face and neck in my patients who wear baseball caps. I call baseball caps ‘job security;’ I never recommend them, but sadly they’re still popular.

And remember, if your hair is thinning, it provides even less coverage, which means your scalp could end up with liver spots and dark patches. If you should decide to go completely bald, you’ll want lovely skin on your newly exposed scalp, so start protecting it now.

What happens to my scalp and hair in the sun?

Dark hair is more, but not totally, protected from the sun. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Even if your hair does offer some protection, it comes at the price of your hair’s health and appearance (Photoaggravation of hair aging). The pigment in your hair is used to absorb and filter radiation from sunlight that would otherwise harm the hair’s protein. In the process of doing this, the pigment becomes degraded and bleached. This leads to loss of color, softness, and shine, among other things. Black hair is most protected against UV light because of its high melanin content, but again, that doesn’t mean total protection. Light hair means more sensitivity. Gray hair turns yellow due to the sun (not blond but a grayish yellow color).

The more time spent unprotected in the sun, the more damage your hair and scalp receives, so it’s important that in addition to applying sunscreen to your face and body, you also wear a hat when you’re in the sun. To ensure full protection, the hat should have a 3-5 inch brim the whole way around and completely cover your scalp. As one study from the Queensland University of Technology found, those exposed to high levels of UVA/UVB rays saw a decrease when armed with a hat (Annual reduction of solar UV exposure to the facial area of outdoor workers in Southeast Queensland by wearing a hat).

What can I do to protect myself?

A sun hat with sun protection is the best way to protect your scalp and hair from the sun. (Photo credit: Tetra Pak)

On days when you just can’t wear a good sun hat, you can consider applying a hair sunscreen such as Bosley Professional Strength Suncreen with an SPF of 20 ($12.99, Amazon.com). If you use hair sunscreen, be sure to spray your roots and then rub it into your scalp so that your hair doesn’t absorb the entire product without getting any on your scalp.
My favorite and, in my opinion, the best sun protection for your scalp, hair and ears is a really good sun hat. Clothing plays a big part in protecting skin from sun and that includes wearing a hat (Role of clothes in sun protection). This is particularly true of hats made of UV-blocking materials. To get the best protection, skip the mesh and look for a hat with a UPF of 50, like the Coolibar UPF 50+ Marina Sun Hat ($35, Amazon.com) or the Etsis Day Escape Women’s Sun Hat ($49.95, Amazon.com).

Bottom Line

The skin on your scalp, ears, and neck is sensitive, so bec sure to protect it. (Photo credit: mil8)

Your hair does offer some protection of your skin from sun damage, but gets damaged in the process and doesn’t shield you from 100 percent of the sun’s rays. The skin on your scalp, neck, and ears can and is just as sensitive as the skin on your face, and skin cancers in these areas can be particularly serious. It means that you need to be sure to sun protect your skin with either hair sunscreen and/or a sun hat.