“Sunxiety” Is Ruining My Fun In the Sun
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Step into my closet of beauty products and you'll find a sunscreen for any need. Mineral, chemical, tinted, non-tinted, glowy, sheer, travel-sized, family-sized, for hands, for lips—baby, we've got options. I know what you're thinking: "Why does this girl need so many different sunscreens?" And I'm right there with you. Ultimately, what I've concluded is that I feel incredibly anxious about being in the sun. Simply put: I have sunxiety.
What, exactly, is sunxiety? In June, behavioral research firm Veylinx conducted a study analyzing the purchasing behavior and attitude toward sun protection among 1,609 Americans aged 18 to 60. The study found that although the majority of participants cherish moments spent outdoors, 38 percent of them never feel fully relaxed while in the sun. More than 60 percent reported burning easily and 41 percent expressed concern about damaging their skin at the hands of the sun. The study observed a general increase in people’s concern about sun exposure and interest in sun care and its press release coined the phenomena as “sunxiety.” And while I’m not sure the questions that were asked of the study’s participants were reflective of actual mental illness, the word instantly resonated with the very real fear I have of the health consequences of excess sun exposure.
These days, practicing sun safety is on everyone’s radar and most of us are well aware of the harmful effects the sun poses to our skin and health. But after reading this study, I examined my own habits when it comes to UV exposure, and my feelings associated with the sun, generally. Here's what I've found: I own more sunscreen than toilet paper. I set phone reminders every two hours to reapply sunscreen when I'm by the pool or beach. I don't put my car in drive until every inch of my hands is covered in sunscreen (Supergoop Handscreen for the win). I wear protective gloves while getting gel manicures. I'm the haggler who forces friends and family to take their pick of sunscreen every single time they come over—really, they can't leave my home without a goodie bag of SPF. I also carry not one, but six (!) different types of sunscreen with me in my poolside toiletry bag: one specifically for my hands, one specifically for my lips, one for my body, facial and body sprays for reapplication, and an oil. Note: These are all in addition to the SPF-infused moisturizer and skin tint I apply in the mornings. Anecdotally I can confirm that, compared to those around me, my sun safety habits are considerably more extensive.
All of these factors independently may seem like nothing more than healthy sun safety behavior—and to other people who practice the same level of sun safety, it might mean nothing more than keeping good habits and following the sun safety recommendations of the FDA, CDC, and AAD. Don't get me wrong, being proactive about sun exposure is not a bad thing. But my problem is that my mind no longer equates the sun with fun or a natural source of vitamin D; it associates it with skin cancer.
Now that “sunxiety” is a word in my lexicon, I’ve realized that mine is related to a general need to exert control of my surroundings, the way in which I feel overwhelmingly nervous when I'm not in control, and my great fear of the unknown. There are some aspects of beauty over which we can never have control—for instance, our hair texture or the undertone of our skin. Cancer caused by sun exposure? Preventable, for the most part. Because I know I have some level of control over this facet of beauty that has serious health repercussions (unlike something trivial like forgetting to take off your makeup and finding a pesky breakout come morning), I would feel a sense of failure—a blow at my competence, if you will—if I wasn’t doing everything I could to prevent it. And all of this is causing me to think and act exceedingly frantically.
Over the past three months alone, I've mentally manufactured three "scares" over things that were completely benign—the biggest red flag that my sunxiety had escalated from self-protection to catastrophizing. One spot on my skin I thought suspicious was nothing more than a birthmark that had darkened after a spray tan. Another instance occurred when I noticed tiny red dots around my body that I later learned were totally normal spots that simply develop as we get "wiser" (my derm's words, not mine). The real kicker was when I noticed a dark line on my nail that I reflexively and inaccurately self-diagnosed as subungual melanoma, a rare but aggressive skin cancer that occurs underneath the nail. A dermatologist quickly diagnosed it as run of the mill trauma to the nail.
Here's the thing: It's good I got these spots checked out—in fact, Jeremy Brauer, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in New York, says it's always worth a call or visit to a dermatologist if you notice a spot that's new or changing. The issue is that in the time between noticing a spot and seeing my doctor, my mind conjures up extreme worst-case scenarios. I conduct Google search after Google search of my symptoms, almost like I'm hoping for the internet to validate my biggest worry. I guess you could say that throughout all of these "scares," I was feeding into confirmation bias; that is, I was honing in on pre-existing beliefs (in this case, my paranoia surrounding these spots) and choosing to process and interpret only the information I found that confirmed this paranoia. Quite frankly, it has become exhausting planning for the worst before even stepping foot into my dermatologist's office.
It’s impossible to know whether other people, even the ones who told Veylinx they are “never relaxed” when exposed to the sun, are feeling the same type of consuming doom and gloom as I do about sun exposure or if they’re simply just increasingly concerned and attentive about sun care. Either way, I’m not the only one booking more frequent trips to the dermatologist. Geeta Yadav, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in Toronto, and other doctors are seeing an uptick in fearful patients such as myself. "Patients are coming in more concerned about their skin and wanting skin checks," she says, noting that those with a history of previous skin cancer are usually (and rightfully) more vigilant and nervous, adding to their anxiety about even minimal levels of sun exposure.
It’s not hard to see where this increased vigilance stems from. Skin cancer rates have been on the rise for quite some time, something Dr. Brauer has observed in his own practice. "The number of patients I’m seeing in their early 50s, 40s, and even 30s for skin cancer surgery is significantly greater than it was at the beginning of my career," he says. While there are genetic factors that can contribute to the disease, he says that the overwhelming majority are directly related to sun exposure. According to the American Academy of Dermatology Association, there was a 31.5 percent increase in melanoma cases between 2011 and 2019. What's more, it’s estimated that the number of new melanoma cases diagnosed in 2024 will increase by a whopping 7.3 percent, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation.
Because I know I have some level of control over [skin cancer]… I would feel a sense of failure if I wasn’t doing everything I could to prevent it.
For some, it can be hard to parse this fact (that too much sun can kill you) with the the truth that some sun exposure is necessary to help our bodies synthesize vitamin D, an essential nutrient that impacts important parts of our body like the brain, bones, muscle, and pancreas. Dr. Yadav says it also happens to be one of the most commonly deficient in North American people. And while this deficiency is often credited to a lack of exposure to sunlight, the good news is that there are things you can do to decrease the risk of developing sun damage and skin cancer while still achieving healthy levels of vitamin D (and being able to relax and have fun in the sun year-round). "Choosing to participate in outdoor activities before 10 am or after 4 pm, seeking shadier areas, and wearing sun protective hats, sunglasses, clothing are all simple ways to accomplish this goal," Dr. Brauer says. As Allure previously reported, research that shows some UV exposure might be beneficial only recommends spending five to 30 unprotected minutes in the sun. A chemical sunscreen takes 15 to 30 minutes to start working, so this just means applying sunscreen right before you walk out the door.
Sunxiety like mine is a slippery slope, and finding the right balance to sun exposure is key. "There is quite literally no way to avoid 100 percent of UV damage other than staying indoors with the curtains drawn during daylight hours, so those experiencing sunxiety need to trust that their sun care regimen is thorough enough for them to be able to go outside and enjoy themselves," Dr. Yadav says. "Those who take sun protection seriously know that they must reapply every two hours for adequate protection, and be sure to cover up more during peak periods of sun exposure." (And make sure to wear the dermatologist-recommended SPF 30 or higher.)
Self-awareness is a beautiful thing, and I feel slightly more at ease simply being more in tune with my sun safety habits. While it's important for me, as a beauty writer, to educate people on the risks of UV exposure and the benefits of consistent sunscreen use, it's also crucial for someone who has the tendency to overthink (ahem, me) to balance my behavior with positive but still realistic thoughts. I'll still continue to do regular skin checks, but I need to learn how to do so without harboring any feelings of anxiousness or feeding into my natural reflex to jump to a definitive conclusion. I plan on giving myself more grace when I'm in the sun—as in, not telling myself I’m a failure if I’m a few minutes late on my sunscreen reapplication—and adopting a sense of confidence knowing I'm doing my part to protect my health. I'll make concerted efforts to recognize that some sun exposure is necessary to help our bodies and brains function and that, to Dr. Yadav's point, I literally can’t avoid it without sequestering myself away and sacrificing my mental health in the process.
Finally, I plan on reframing my thinking: I can be vigorous with sun safety and not have skin cancer perpetually on the mind, just like I can apply a heat protectant to my hair and not be paranoid my ends are going to fry off when I take a flat iron to them. As it goes for any form of anxiety, none of these things will be easy to do—but at the end of the day, I can’t and won't let my fear of excess sun exposure prevent me from enjoying life.
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Originally Appeared on Allure