I'm a doctor - these are the four body parts people forget to apply sunscreen which puts them at risk of skin cancer

If you're just applying sunscreen like most people, you might not be doing enough. 

Dermatologists have taken to social media to warn that many people are forgetting to apply lotion to four key body parts that are prone to skin cancer.

These are the backs of hands, ears, scalp and neck.

Dr Neera Nathan, a Harvard-trained skin cancer surgeon, shared a TikTok with over 680,000 views, saying she removes cancers from these areas daily.

Many people who apply sunscreen regularly forget areas that are directly exposed to the sun, like the ears, neck, scalp and hands, experts say

Since these areas are often exposed directly to sunlight they're particularly dangerous places to overlook. 

'Most people apply sunscreen to their face but don't realize these, and these are often in direct sunlight,' Dr Nathan told Newsweek. 

Dr David Kim, a New York City based dermatologist who was trained at Stanford, agreed, saying the number one place people forget to apply sunscreen is on the ears - followed closely by the scalp and hands. 

He said while completing his medical degree, he regularly found skin cancers on the ears of outdoor athletes who practiced without sunscreen. 

Social media users flooded the comment section of the dermatologists' videos.

'I'm just gonna jump in a pool of sunscreen' TikTok user gabybee said on Dr Kim's video. 

'Scalp!??? Oh my goodness I didn’t know that!' TikTok user Britt.will7 said on Dr Nathan's video. 

'Oh I just don’t go outside' user SparkeZ said. 

Skin cancer can occur on any part of the body, even spots not exposed to the sun.

Frequent, direct exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays, which damage cells, increases your likelihood of developing a cancer-causing mutation steeply. 

Over 80 percent of skin cancer are caused by sun exposure, according to Worldwide Cancer Research. 

There are three main kinds of skin cancer -  basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma. 

Each ranges in severity and fatality, but many can be treated successfully through surgery if they're caught early enough. 

Still, skin cancer kills an estimated 20 Americans each day - and is expected to kill over 8,000 people in 2024, according to the American Academy of Dermatology.  

Approximately 13 percent of skin cancers occur on the scalp, according to a 2018 study from Paracelsus Medical University in Austria. 

Of those, only one to two percent develop into malignant skin cancer, spreading to other parts of the body. 

Common symptoms of skin cancer include an area of discolored skin, an itching or bleeding spot, a pink lump with a hard surface and a sore that won't go away, according to Cleveland Clinic. 

Another way to be on the lookout for skin cancer is to monitor your moles and freckles for the 'ABCDE's of melanoma. 

This includes looking out for asymmetrical moles, moles with poorly defined borders, moles with odd coloring, moles that have a large diameter and that are evolving in shape or size. 

The best way to defend yourself against this condition is to wear sunscreen and protective clothing when you go out in the sun, especially during midday, when the sun is at its peak, Dr Nathan said. 

A spray sunscreen should be effective particularly for the scalp, able to get around the hair follicles, she said, adding: 'I recommend a broad-spectrum (UVA/UVB) SPF 30 or higher that is water-resistant. Sunscreen should be reapplied every two hours'.