Choosing the right sunscreen
A short guide to choosing the healthiest option
Disclaimer: This is meant for general skincare advice and sharing of knowledge. This is not medical advice.
Welcome back! So we are back at it talking about the sun and sunscreen today. If you haven’t checked out my post about sunburn then you can find it here! I mentioned it briefly in that post about what to look for in a sunscreen but today I will deeper into the details and different types of sunscreens that can benefit you in order to avoid aging and skin cancer! Due to the controversial nature of this topic, I will keep it brief and I will keep it light. To dive into everything would likely take a book to write but lets just stick to the basics.
Big question of the day: What sunscreens are safe to use?
First thing is first lets dive into the types of sunscreen. There are two main types: chemical and physical. Before you ask, yes I will dive into the “does sunscreen cause cancer question” so just hang on with me.
Chemical sunscreens
These sunscreens use a combination of different ingredients that when applied get absorbed into the skin and will help convert UV radiation from the sun into energy before they can cause any damage. The reason why there are so many ingredients is because there are some ingredients that are not photo stable meaning they degrade from the sun so the trick is that they add more ingredients to increase stability. I prefer physical sunscreens over chemical because chemical sunscreens are less effective and the chance of having irritation or an allergy is higher due to the ingredients used.
Pros: applies invisibly so less product is needed
Cons: allows some UVA exposure, it takes about 20 minutes to be effective, and can clog pores causing acne breakouts
Physical sunscreens
The two most common of these are titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. Physical sunscreens work by blocking UV radiation from being absorbed into the skin. These sunscreens are great because they protect you from a wider array of UV light than others. The drawback of these sunscreens that used to exist is the white appearance that came with it. Think about the lifeguard who has a completely white nose. Luckily, today they have improved this issue and these sunscreens are much more cosmetically pleasing.
Pros: full protection from UVA and UVB, non-comedogenic meaning it will not clog pores, and it is effective immediately
Cons: frequent reapplication can be annoying
What are the benefits?
A lot of people do not see the benefit of sunscreen because of the misconception that if you build up a base tan or already burn then you are naturally protecting yourself. I am not saying to not tan or enjoy the outside. Do not get me wrong there but a tan or sunburn is a result of damage already happening to the skin and is darkening your skin for protection. The problem is that this protection is not enough. Going out with a base tan will give your skin approximately 3 to 4 spf meaning you can withstand 3 to 4x the amount of exposure so if you normally at 20min then you may be able to last 60-80minutes. A modest benefit at best but you simply need more.
The benefits of using sunscreen are simple:
Avoid painful sunburns
Reduction of skin cancer
Reduction of hyperpigmentation, wrinkles and overall aging.
All of these things are great. I know that I do not want to be 70 years old and have wrinkly, spotty skin. This is why you use sunscreen moderately.
What are the side effects?
The main side effect would be an allergic contact dermatitis due to an ingredient in the sunscreen. Most commonly these are things like fragrances, preservatives, or additives. Side effects are fairly uncommon but do happen. Finding things that are gentle and well tolerated is usually specific to the person. There is no blanket recommendation here.
Common questions asked
Are sunscreens waterproof?
The short answer is no. Most sunscreens in generally will rub off or become less effective when you get into water or if you dry off with a towel. Personally, I think this is likely just a marketing tool. Like most things that I talk about, marketing is designed to seek out your emotions and catch you with the buzzwords. Try to withstand these tactics.
What does SPF mean?
SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor. SPF is measure of how much UV radiation is required to sunburn skin that has sunscreen on it relative to the amount of UV radiation needed to sunburn no sunscreen skin.
SPF is not the amount of time you can expose yourself to the sun which is a common misconception. So SPF 30 does not mean that you are 30x less likely to get a sunburn. SPF is more of a measure of how much sun exposure you can get before a sunburn but there are several factors involved. The most important being the difference in strength of the sun meaning 1 hour at 9am would be relatively equal to 15 minutes at 1pm. Also taking into account the skin type also matters. Those who are naturally more pale are more likely to burn quicker.
Does sunscreen cause cancer?
This is similar to the question below. These topics can be pages and pages long but I will touch on this briefly. In short, the answer is possibly. In long, the answer is more complex than that. Benzene is the main chemical that they have found could be linked to cancer. I think this is likely a manufacturing issue where a known carcinogen was included in certain sunscreens.
The easy fix: stick to the physical mineral based sunscreens and you will be fine.
What about Vitamin D?
I will brief about this because it could take pages to truly encompass all that needs to be said. Vitamin D is important we all know that. Getting vitamin D from the sun is also important. Again we know that. There are tons of people who are Vitamin D deficient and I do agree that it is primary due to lack of sun exposure. Increased office environments, technology advancements, and pure laziness has contributed to this the most without a doubt.
At the end of the day there are many factors that can affect the question “how do I maximize Vitamin D while also preventing sun damage?”. Thanks to Grimhood for talking about these things:
Fitzpatrick Skin type (Picture)
Nutritional status
Latitude that you live in
% of skin exposed during sun exposure
Diving into a lot of these things is a little above my pay grade when it comes to free articles on the internet. Either way, my recommendations is to learn what your Vitamin D level is and check it regularly, understand that paler skin needs less time for vitamin d synthesis but also less time for photodamage to occur while darker skin needs more time to synthesize vitamin d and more time for photodamage, and to understand what nutritional sources you can use to help as supplementation.
Overall, find a balance where you can spend time outside unprotected to synthesize vitamin D while also protecting yourself from sun damage. Check out the D minder app that can help track your Vitamin D exposure based on where you live and what time zone. (thanks again Grimhood.)
How often should I apply sunscreen?
I think this is a common question because there is some subjectivity to it. I generally think the rule is to reapply roughly every two hours. If you are in and out of the water then reapply sooner. There is no hard and fast rule. Use your best judgment in this case.
What should I use for my children?
Infants 6 months or younger should generally avoid using sunscreen and try to utilize protective clothing as much as possible. Their underdeveloped epidermis could lead to increased irritation by sunscreen. 6 months or older would benefit from using gentle physical sunscreens or sometimes called mineral based sunscreens. Mainly because they contain less ingredients therefore less irritating.
What do you look for in a sunscreen?
I generally only use the mineral based sunscreens or the physical blockers myself. I found that these seem to prevent sunburn more efficiently for me. The other factors I look at are as follows:
SPF 30 or higher: SPF 30 is going to block 97% of the UV rays so this is a good place to start
Broad spectrum: this covers UVA rays which is responsible for aging, wrinkles, and dark spots. Also, it covers UVB which is responsible for sunburns and skin cancer.
As mentioned mineral based is generally going to be more gentle and less irritating for sensitive skin so you cannot go wrong sticking to these types of sunscreen.
What brand of sunscreen should I use?
I think this is all subjective and personal preference. I recommend sunscreens that fit the three categories above. In general, brands like Cerave and Cetaphil are easy to find and are good to use. Depending on your own price point and need is why this is personal preference.
So this was a lot of information today but my goal was to answer the big question and we did. There is a lot more information to be learned when it comes to UV exposure, Vitamin D, and sunscreens but we will save that for a later day. If you have any other questions then find me on twitter at The Skincare Provider and check out the rest of this sub for more skincare information.