Don’t Let Acne Problems Stop You From Wearing SPF
Sun protection is one of the most important things you need to provide for your skin. On a daily basis, we should all be applying sun-protective lotion to avoid irreparable damage from the sun’s rays.
The issue you might find, if you have acne-prone skin, is that many products that contain SPF also cause acne breakouts. Finding the balance between a safe and effective product, and one that doesn’t cause skin problems to flare up is possible!
Depending on your skin type in conjunction with your acne type, there are different things you need to keep in mind when looking for SPF products.
How To Tell If Your Acne Is Caused By Products
There are a handful of main causes of acne, and much of the time it has nothing to do with what products you put on your skin.
If you experience hard lumps under the skin (nodules), white or green bumps that can burst (pustules), or soft lumps under the skin (cysts), it’s likely that your acne troubles are biological rather than caused by a skin product.
It’s even possible to have a yeast overgrowth on the skin that can cause acne-like presentations but requires a special anti-fungal protocol to cure.
If your acne consists of only smaller whiteheads and blackheads, it’s possible that you are having a reaction to an ingredient or that your skin products are creating blocked pores. Again, these types of acne can be caused by other sources as well, but can sometimes be the result of the product.
When you use a product, observe carefully to see how your skin reacts over the next few minutes and hours.
Allergic Reaction
Make sure to watch your skin carefully to see how it reacts after you put on a skin product. Does it sting or burn? Does the skin turn red? Does it look puffy? Do you get hives or become itchy? These are signs of an allergic reaction, meaning you should not use that product anymore.
Allergic reactions can cause acne-like spots to appear on the skin. It can take a few days of use or a few applications for an allergy to reveal itself. Even if you weren’t allergic to something the first 4 times you used it, the 5th time might cause a reaction, and you should stop using the product right away.
Comedogenic Ingredients
Ingredients that clog pores and hair follicles are known as comedogenic.
These ingredients include “heavy” ingredients like shea butter, beeswax, lanolin, cocoa butter, mineral oil, many nut and seed oils, high-concentrate vitamin e, and many kinds of alcohol common in skincare.
Non-comedogenic, that is, non-pore-clogging, ingredients include sunflower oil, safflower oil, jojoba oil, squalene oil, castor oil, and essential oils.
Comedogenic substances can cause acne by clogging hair follicles and pores in the same way that skin oils and dead skin does, which leads to black and whiteheads.
Expired or Contaminated Product
Another factor to watch for when using any skincare product is to ensure that it is clean and fresh.
Make sure that products you purchase are not expired and that the packaging has not been tampered with. After opening, make sure you keep it sanitary. Especially if the product comes in a jar or pot where you need to scoop some out, make sure your hands are always clean before diving in. You might even consider using a scoop or applicator.
Introducing bacteria or fungus spores (like yeast, which exists everywhere as part of a healthy environment) to your skin product can lead to contamination. Especially in lotion-type products which are full of moisture and are typically a dark, room-temperature environment, these microbes can grow very well. And you certainly don’t want to rub them into your skin and cause bumps!
How SPF Products Can Worsen Acne
There are two main kinds of SPF products: mineral and chemical.
Mineral SPF
Mineral sunscreens utilise zinc oxide and titanium oxide to physically block the sun from hitting the skin. A thin layer of these minerals coats the skin like a transparent, liquid umbrella.
Zinc oxide and titanium oxide are non-comedogenic, so acne from mineral sunscreen is caused by other ingredients or factors listed above.
The pore-clogging ingredients that may be in mineral sunscreen are the oils and butters listed previously.
Chemical SPF
Chemical sunscreen absorbs into the skin, allowing the UV rays into the skin, and then transforms the UV rays into heat which is then dispersed from the skin. The main ingredients for this kind of SPF are avobenzone, octinoxate and oxybenzone.
These ingredients may be comedogenic but are more likely to cause acne because they cause irritation, especially in sensitive skin and skin that already has acne.
It’s also important to note that many, if not all, chemical SPFs have been studied and found to be rather unsafe for the human body, causing hormone disruption and other damage. They can also react with chlorine in pools to create an unsafe chemical reaction and can be harmful to the environment.
Sunscreen For Acne-Prone Skin
Finding the right sunscreen for acne-prone skin is easy once you know what to look for.
It is most recommended by dermatologists to use mineral sunscreen. The reasons for this are
Provides a physical barrier for the skin, versus chemical sunscreen which allows the rays in
Gentler on all skin types, especially sensitive and acne-prone
Safer for the body due to the non-toxicity of titanium oxide and zinc oxide (as long as they are not inhaled)
Mineral sunscreens are safer for the environment
Ingredients to look for in an acne-friendly mineral sunscreen include: hyaluronic acid, lactic acid, niacinimide, sunflower oil, safflower oil, and squalene.
Ingredients to avoid in SPF when considering acne are: nut and seed oils (besides sunflower and safflower), shea butter, cocoa butter, fragrance, oxybenzone, and octocrylene.
The one thing to remember about any SPF products is to wash them off well at the end of the day! No matter if you have mineral or chemical sunscreen on, leaving them on overnight will most likely lead to the formation of some acne, even if you are not acne-prone. So be sure to follow your cleansing and moisturising regimen before bed!
No matter what skin type you have or what kind of sunscreen you decide to use, make sure it is broad-spectrum, meaning it blocks UVA and UVB rays. You also want it to be at least 30 SPF for the best level of protection!
