Q: I start breaking out once we hit warm weather and sunscreen only seems to make it worse. Do I really need to wear sunscreen every day on my face? I’m not worried about wrinkles – my boyfriend says that my laugh lines make me look sexy.

A: Yes, sunscreen is an everyday essential! While laugh lines are sexy, UV-induced sun damage and skin aging isn’t.  UVA/UVB rays not only cause dark spots and wrinkles, but they can also make the skin tone and texture uneven.

Wearing a broad-spectrum sunscreen with a high SPF (of 45 or higher) should be a daily habit – it is the single most important thing you can do to protect the health of your skin.

According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, 90 percent of skin aging can be prevented with daily sunscreen use. Look for ultra-lightweight, oil-free textures, and make sure that the rest of your regimen is rebalanced for summer also – meaning that if you tend to have oilier skin, don’t only use products that are oil-free – it will completely dry your skin out and lead to overproduction of oils.

I’d recommend that you use formulas with gentle exfoliating ingredients like Micronized Shells and oil-absorbing ingredients like Amazonian White Clay. They work best for me during the hottest summer days and nights.

Chris Salgardo was appointed president of Kiehl’s USA in 2006. Salgardo, who started his career in the cosmetics division of Chanel and as sales director for Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, also served as president of shu uemura and Giorgio Armani Beauty.