An Ode to Sunscreen
No question about it, my number one , non-negotiable, daily skincare product is sunscreen. Not just for my fair-skinned self but for all skin shades. Even if the sun isn’t out. Even if you’re indoors or driving all day. It may sound excessive, but if you’re committed to achieving your healthiest, happiest and most beautiful skin, sunscreen is the one topical product that will make the most difference.
Why is this? We all know that sunburns can lead to skin cancers, but even in the absence of post beach-day lobster-red angry skin, chronic sun exposure really ages us. It causes wrinkles, crepiness, brown spots, redness, the list goes on and on. No matter how much you're spending on in-office injectable and laser treatments, if you’re not also protecting your skin from UVA “aging” and UVB ”burning” rays, treatment benefits are limited. The very good news is that this all is preventable and can even be treatable with strategic use of high quality, broad spectrum sunscreen!
I have a few lesser known UV and sunscreen FACTS and easy tips to help you level-up your sunscreen game. These are tricks of the trade that I learned during my five plus years working in medical dermatology, and that I love to share with family, friends and patients.
Sunscreen needs to be reapplied throughout the day. Once applied, sunscreens are only effective for about 2 hours. So if you’re taking that 12pm lunch walk outside, know that the sunscreen you applied at 7am this morning isn’t protecting you anymore. It’s time to reapply.
SPF level only refers to the level of UVB protection, NOT UVA. What that means is that a sun protection factor (SPF) of 30 is able to filter out 97% of the ultraviolet rays that cause sunburns, which is essential, but does not give us insight to how well the sunscreen protects against the UVA rays that cause skin aging. In the USA, unfortunately the FDA does not require sunscreens to specify UVA protection beyond it being present, with a broad spectrum label.
The protective difference between an SPF 30 and SPF 100 is negligible. Because the SPF curve is non-linear, when you increase the SPF number, it does not provide a proportional increase in UV protection. As such the highest SPFs offer only marginal additional protection. For example, SPF 30 blocks 97% UVB versus SPF 50 blocks 98% and SPF 100 blocks 99%. There is absolutely nothing wrong with choosing a sunscreen with a SPF of 100, but I completely agree with the American Dermatological Association that an SPF 30 is sufficient and a higher SPF shouldn't be the primary deciding factor between sunscreens. Frankly, it is more of a marketing ploy to upcharge customers.
Mineral sunscreens with 21% zinc oxide concentration are ideal for the highest UVA/UVB . As I mentioned earlier, in the USA, there is no required label for the label of UVA protection. Luckily, we know that 21% zinc oxide provides fantastic UVA protection and is my go-to if I will be in the sun for an extended period of time.
UVA rays come right through glass. Have you ever noticed that the left side of your face may have more brown spots or wrinkles? If so, it could absolutely be from the sun exposure while commuting. That said, it’s definitely worthwhile making sure you have your sunscreen on when in the car or working next to your office window. Just because you’re “inside” doesn’t mean you’re not exposed to UVA rays.
Europe, Asia and Australia have the world’s top UVA filters for their sunscreens. Not surprisingly, as a francophile, I am partial to French sunscreens , and the ones that contain the chemical filter Mexoryl are fantastic.
Tinted sunscreens are key to managing skin hyperpigmentation. If you are prone to melasma and/or sun spots, choosing a tinted sunscreen will be extra helpful. Virtually all tinted sunscreens, both chemical or mineral (physical), use iron oxide as the prime ingredient to provide the skin-matching pigment. Iron oxide is very effective at blocking visible rays of light (especially blue light, which our computer screens emit) that induce melasma and hyperpigmentation.
Hopefully, you just went to put on more sunscreen. :) Next step - more details on how to use sunscreen more effectively on a day-to-day basis.
-Tess