By now, it’s probably ingrained in everyone that sunscreen is the name of the game. Since day one, we’re lectured to never go to the beach without it, and some particularly health-conscious folks won’t even get the mail without a touch of SPF.

The reasons all mostly pertain to the prevention of skin cancer – beyond that, no one really wants to deal with painful sunburns. But did you know that wearing sunscreen can also have some benefits when it comes to minimizing the appearance of blemishes?

Spending time in the sun can actually make pimples more obvious-looking, according to Allure.com. “Be vigilant about wearing sunscreen,” the news source suggests. “Any kind of skin discoloration will get even darker if you go out in the sun unprotected.”

To tame the redness and general unsightliness of blemishes, resist the urge to pick, dab on some medication, spot it with concealer and of course, follow your daily sunscreen requirements (a bad sunburn can trigger acne, too).