How to Maximize Your Microneedling Session Results
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Sunscreen for Acne-Prone Skin: How to Navigate Ingredients
You likely understand the importance of wearing sunscreen to reduce your risk of skin cancer and to ward off premature aging. But if you have acne, choosing a sunscreen that won’t cause breakouts can be challenging, especially if you don’t know what to look for.
As a leading provider of patient-centered acne therapies, our team at Metroderm DC: Medical, Laser, and Aesthetic Dermatology Center helps patients enjoy clear skin with medication and lifestyle guidance to keep their skin its healthiest and clearest.
In this post, Edward Stolar, MD, Todd Perkins, MD, and Adrianna Gonzales, MD, FAAD, offer some tips to help you choose the best sunscreen so you’re ready when warm weather finally returns.
What to avoid
Sunscreens can vary a lot based on their ingredients, and if you have acne, you need to know which ingredients can lead to irritation, clogged pores, and breakouts.
Chemical sunscreens
These sunscreens use chemicals to absorb the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays, converting them into heat released through your skin. Chemical sunscreens include octisalate, avobenzone, oxybenzone, and octinoxate.
While they can be effective in preventing sun damage, the chemicals tend to soak into your skin where they can cause irritation and clogged pores, leading to increased breakouts.
Heavy oils
If you have acne, maintaining your skin’s natural barrier is essential, and moisturizing is one way to do that. Many sunscreens moisturize, but the way they do it can vary.
To reduce breakouts, avoid sunscreens with heavy oils that can clog pores and trap acne-causing bacteria. In general, avoid products with chemical oils, like mineral oil or petrolatum (the key ingredient in petroleum jelly), or heavy natural oils, like coconut oil or cocoa butter.
Alcohol-based products
While you don’t want a heavy, oily sunscreen, you don’t want one that’s too drying, either. Alcohol-based sunscreens break down skin oils, irritating your skin and leading to overproduction of oil that can clog pores and cause breakouts.
Products with fragrance
Also avoid fragrance and other added ingredients, including pigments to provide a glow or tan. Products that contain chemicals that can irritate your skin and sometimes make skin more prone to sun damage.
Look for fragrance-free sunscreens to reduce the risk of skin irritation, especially if your skin is very sensitive.
What to look for
While plenty of sunscreens can cause irritation or clog pores, many products are safe to use on acne-prone skin, providing you with UV protection while minimizing side effects that lead to breakouts.
Mineral sunscreen
Also called physical sunscreens to differentiate them from chemical sunscreens, these products rest on top of your skin to block UV rays and reflect them away from you.
These products typically use either zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. Zinc oxide has anti-inflammatory properties that may even be helpful for acne-prone skin, reducing irritation that causes redness and breakouts.
Oil-free formulas
If you have acne, you probably know to look for the word “noncomedogenic” when choosing skin care products. This term means the product won’t clog your pores, and you should look for it on sunscreen labels, too.
Light moisturizers
Many sunscreen products do double duty by moisturizing skin while protecting it from sun damage. Products containing glycerin or aloe vera can be good choices.
Niacinamide
Niacinamide is a byproduct of niacin (a type of vitamin B). It’s widely used in skin care products, thanks to its potent anti-inflammatory properties. If you have acne-prone skin, niacinamide may help reduce redness and breakouts.
SPF
Finally, regardless of which product you choose, consider SPF — the sun protection factor that the sunscreen provides.
The American Academy of Dermatology recommends that everyone use a sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher. An SPF of 30 blocks 97% of harmful UV rays. While a higher number is fine, the added protection is minimal.
Custom skin care: The key to healthy skin
If you have acne-prone skin, maintaining a healthy complexion can be challenging. Our team is ready to help with a custom treatment plan based on your skin’s specific needs.
To learn how we can help you enjoy healthier, clearer skin, request an appointment through our online portal or over the phone with our team at Metroderm DC in Washington, DC, today.
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