The one anti-aging habit with a randomized trial
Daily sunscreen is the one skin-aging habit we found with a randomized trial behind it. In a 2013 trial of 903 Australian adults under 55, skin aging after 4.5 years was 24% less in people told to use sunscreen daily than in people who used it at their own discretion. [1] The American Academy of Dermatology says to choose broad-spectrum, SPF 30 or higher, water resistant. [2]
What did the sunscreen trial actually test?
The trial is Hughes and colleagues, published in Annals of Internal Medicine in 2013. It was a randomized, controlled, community-based trial in Nambour, Australia, which sits at 26 degrees south. [1] The participants were 903 adults younger than 55 out of 1,621 adults randomly selected from a community register. [1] People were randomly assigned to daily use of broad-spectrum sunscreen or to discretionary use, meaning they used it as they chose, and separately to a beta-carotene supplement or a placebo. [1]
The outcome was change in microtopography between 1992 and 1996, graded by assessors blinded to treatment allocation. [1]
How much less skin aging did daily sunscreen users have?
The daily sunscreen group showed no detectable increase in skin aging after 4.5 years. [1] From baseline to the end of the trial, skin aging was 24% less in the daily group than in the discretionary group, with a relative odds of 0.76 and a 95% confidence interval of 0.59 to 0.98. [1] The authors concluded that regular sunscreen use retards skin aging in healthy, middle-aged men and women. [1]
Read that sentence carefully. Retards means slows. The trial measured how much skin aging developed, not whether existing wrinkles went away, and we found no source in this research that says sunscreen removes existing wrinkles. [1] The authors also listed limitations: some outcome data were missing, and the power to detect moderate treatment effects was modest. [1] And the beta-carotene supplement had no overall effect on skin aging. [1]
Does this apply to women in perimenopause and menopause?
It is relevant, but it is not a menopause study. The participants were adults younger than 55 from one Australian community, and the abstract does not break results down by sex or menopause status. [1] The FDA notes that greater solar intensity occurs at lower latitudes, and Nambour is at 26 degrees south, so how closely the result maps onto where you live is a fair question. [3] What the trial does show is that, among healthy middle-aged adults, the daily habit made a measurable difference over a few years. [1]
Why this matters at midlife: the National Institute on Aging says your skin could become thinner and drier around menopause, and that researchers are still exploring how such changes relate to hormone changes and growing older. [4] Sun protection is the part of skin aging you can act on with a trial behind it. [1]
What kind of sunscreen should you use, and how often?
The American Academy of Dermatology recommends broad-spectrum protection, which covers UVA and UVB rays, SPF 30 or higher, and water resistance. [2] It says such a sunscreen helps protect against sunburn, early skin aging and skin cancer, and that sunscreen alone cannot fully protect you, so it also advises seeking shade and wearing sun-protective clothing. [2] It says to apply sunscreen every day on skin not covered by clothing if you will be outside, not just in summer, and to reapply approximately every two hours when outdoors, or after swimming or sweating. [2]
Two details are worth knowing. The academy describes UVA as the aging rays, which can prematurely age your skin and can pass through window glass. [2] And its advice on choosing is practical: the best sunscreen is the one you will use again and again, in whatever form you prefer. [2] We do not recommend products, and the trial used a broad-spectrum sunscreen, not any particular brand. [1]
The FDA, which regulates sunscreens as over-the-counter drugs, sets a lower floor: it says to use broad-spectrum sunscreens with an SPF of 15 or higher regularly and as directed, and to reapply at least every two hours. [3] It also says a sunscreen that is not broad spectrum, or has an SPF below 15, must carry a warning that it has been shown only to help prevent sunburn, not skin cancer or early skin aging. [3] That is why the academy's SPF 30 and broad-spectrum advice is the one to follow for skin aging. [2]
A sun-protection checklist, from the sources
Broad-spectrum, SPF 30 or higher, water resistant. [2] Every day on skin not covered by clothing if you will be outside. [2] Reapply approximately every two hours outdoors, and after swimming or sweating. [2] Add shade and sun-protective clothing, because sunscreen alone cannot fully protect you. [2] Sunscreen with SPF is not a substitute for those steps, and the FDA says other sun protection measures should always be used alongside it. [3]
When to talk to your clinician
The American Academy of Dermatology says anyone can get skin cancer, regardless of age, gender or skin tone, and estimates that one in five Americans will develop it in their lifetime. [2] If you have a sunscreen reaction or a spot that worries you, ask your clinician or a dermatologist. We do not tell anyone which product to buy.
Sources
- Hughes MC, Williams GM, Baker P, Green AC. Sunscreen and prevention of skin aging: a randomized trial. Ann Intern Med. 2013;158(11):781-90 (PubMed abstract, PMID 23732711). Published June 4, 2013. Retrieved 2026-10-18.
- American Academy of Dermatology, Sunscreen FAQs. No revision date shown on the page. Retrieved 2026-10-18.
- US Food and Drug Administration, Sunscreen: How to Help Protect Your Skin from the Sun. Content current as of 10/16/2026. Retrieved 2026-10-18.
- National Institute on Aging, What Is Menopause? Content reviewed October 16, 2024. Retrieved 2026-10-18.
Every statement above was checked against the linked source on the date shown. This article is education, not individual medical advice. Related: What causes hair loss in women? Signs of perimenopause