I am fair-skinned and started getting skin cancer on my face, neck, and shoulders when I was 26. I'm assuming most of the damage was caused in my early 20's when I worked at a country club and got fried every single morning. I found this ruddy, freckly "tan" impressive, but I think most people looked at me like I was an idiot. I was.
My first basal cell carcinoma formed on my neck. I got it surgically removed via
Moh's surgery and have worn some form of sunscreen on my face every single day since. Here is my arsenal...
Daily Face:
http://www.cetaphil.com/daily-facial-moisturizer-spf-15
I apply this in the morning, rain or shine, summer or winter. Doesn't matter. This is also great as a daily moisturizer, which you should be using anyway to keep your face from looking like Iggy Pop. It is very light.
Outdoors Face:
http://www.coppertone.com/products/speci...otion.aspx
If I'm going to be outside 30 min or so, I will apply this to my nose/ears/moh's surgery scars (in addition to the Cetaphil). These are my most susceptible spots. If I am going to be outdoors longer than that (festival or long walk), I will apply this to my entire face and neck. I will reapply every few hours. This stuff goes on light, disappears, and doesn't get into the pores around your nose, which is the worst.
Body:
http://www.coppertone.com/products/adult...spray.aspx
I'll apply this to any exposed skin below the neck if I'm planning on being outdoors for more than an hour. You can easily apply it yourself, but you will run through bottles pretty quickly if you're going to the beach (I reapply liberally, especially after I have been swimming). It is not as light as the face-specific stuff, but it gets the job done.
This is a non-sunscreen-related rant, but for any guys that have fair skin and don't live in northern Europe, you should absolutely see a dermatologist every six months to get checked out for skin cancer. Even though I have tried to minimize any further damage, I still get superficial skin cancer spots, despite taking care of my skin for many years. These are easily treated with liquid nitrogen. Don't do what I did and let a small, stubborn pimply spot linger for many months (or shit, years). That's when you'll need Moh's surgery, which is a more risky procedure. All alabaster players should keep their mugs looking as healthy as possible. True - we age better than women, but there's no need to tempt fate.