All About Skin Lightening: Sunscreen Etiquette: Follow The Rules

Monday, November 16, 2009

Sunscreen Etiquette: Follow The Rules

If I was forced to use only one skin care treatment on my skin for the rest of my life, it would without a doubt be sunscreen. I'm sure most people know (and I've talked about so many times) that without sunscreen, NO skin regimen/routine will work, especially a skin lightening regimen. You could be doing all the right things, using Vitamin C serums, retinoids, lighteners - everything good, and it will be a complete waste of time and money if you are not wearing sunscreen in the daytime to protect your skin.

What a lot of people do not know is that there are several rules and methods to effectively use sunscreen. I learned the hard way, for years I would use basic SPF 15 sunscreens (that were unstable!) and I was getting little to no PPD (UVA protection) and I was doing more harm than good. I will explain in this blog what exactly I mean by that.

Rule: 1
The first thing about PROPER sunscreen etiquette is that you must find the right sunscreen. You can definitley use an SPF 15 sunscreen, just make sure it is stable. The golden rule is this: If the sunscreen you use contains Avobenzone, make sure it also does NOT contain octinoxate. Octinoxate should never be mixed with Avobenzone, they destabilize each other. And yes, there are some sunscreens that combine the two. That is wrong and stupid. Using an unstable sunscreen causes the skin harm, because after 1 or 2 hours, the sunscreen will break down and accelerate skin aging (increase free radical damage). THIS is the only rule regarding stability. Never use a sunscreen that has avobenzone and octinoxate together.

Rule: 2
Make sure you are applying 1/4 teaspoon for your whole face. Same thing for your neck, 1/4 teaspoon. This ensures you are getting the right amount on your skin to protect it.

Rule: 3
Tinted moisturizers with SPF do not count as valid sunscreen protection. Makeup with SPF does not count as strong sunscreen protection.

If you use a chemical sunscreen that contains avobenzone (avobenzone has a lot of limitations), do not wear foundation/powder on top that contains uncoated minerals (zinc oxide, titanium dioxide). It destroys the protection from the avobenzone. Unfortunatley most make up contains that, so either don't wear a sunscreen that has avobenzone or don't wear makeup. =P

If you use a physical sunblock (meaning it contains zinc oxide or titanium dioxide) than it is fine to wear makeup. It's also fine to wear makeup on top of chemical sunscreens that do not have avobenzone. So...avoid avobenzone if you want to wear makeup that has titanium dioxide or zinc oxide on top.

Rule: 4
Do not rub sunscreen into your skin. This is something that I have discovered recently, but I have learned from a research article here: http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=18055468

If you rub the sunscreen into your skin, you are not doing it right. Sunscreen has to form a protective film over your skin. If you rub vigorously you are disturbing the coating that is being formed on your skin. Instead, smooth and blend very gently across your skin. No intense rubbing!

Rule: 5
If you have pimples, whiteheads or any form of acne, you must still use sunscreen. A lot of people forsake sunscreen once they have a breakout. It is very important to use sunscreen on top because it will prevent a pigmented scar to form. This rule has really helped in preventing any new acne scars for me.

Rule: 6
Make sure you wait 15 minutes before heading outside. The sunscreen has to absorb and form a protective film over your skin.
=)

Picture: WebMD

Labels: acne marks, anti-aging, PPD, sunscreen

35 Comments:

Anonymous said...: hmmm, i use neutragena age shield sunblock with an spf of 90, is that good enough? the one thing i dont like about my sunscreen is that i kinda gave me a pimple or two. and it's INSANELY greasy. i would really like to find another sunscreen that is as reliable as the one i already have. what sun screen do you use?; November 16, 2009 at 11:16 AM
Mileena said...: The age shield is fine in terms of protection. Neutrogena sunscreens tend to always leave me greasy as well.

Personally I use Vichy Ultra Fast Drying Fluid SPF 20. It has a PPD of 8. I also like some Japanese sunscreens like Sofina UV perfect or Shiseido SPF 55. Both are very matte on my oily skin and don't cause breakouts.

I don't really like US brand sunscreens. If I was to choose an american brand sunscreen I would pick either Hawaiian Tropic Oil-Free Faces SPF 30 or Banana Boat Dri-Block. Two pretty good, non-comedogenic semi-matte sunscreens.
=); November 16, 2009 at 11:37 AM
Mileena said...: BTW if you want to calculate the PPD (UVA) factor of your sunscreen, go to my post here. There is a link to a site that calculates for you:

http://allaboutskinlightening.blogspot.com/2009/06/calculate-ppd-rating-of-your-sunscreen.html; November 16, 2009 at 11:39 AM
Anonymous said...: oh, what does matte mean? i keep on reading that everywhere.; November 17, 2009 at 5:57 PM
Mileena said...: Matte is the opposite of oily or shiny (dewy) skin. It is a smooth shine-free surface.

Contrary to most belief, there are sunscreens out there that aren't super greasy. Some sunscreens go on semi-matte or even fully matte on the skin. Mostly those are Japanese sunscreens like Sofina UV perfect which can be ordered through ebay. Some Vichy ones are good too.

Matte skin can also be achieved through oil-blotting or pressed powder (to remove shine). I personally prefer matte looking skin to oily/dewy. =); November 17, 2009 at 7:58 PM
Anonymous said...: same here. when your skin looks oily, it just makes you seem dirty. ya know. thanks so much!; November 18, 2009 at 3:08 AM
Mileena said...: Your welcome! =); November 18, 2009 at 9:58 AM
Anonymous said...: if u were using foundation also, do u sunscreen before or after the foundation?; November 28, 2009 at 12:12 PM
Mileena said...: Sunscreen should go before foundation, always. The sunscreen has to form a protective film over the skin. Also you should wait 10-15 minutes to allow the sunscreen to absorb and form that protection before applying anything (foundation, powder, blotting paper etc.) on top.

=); November 28, 2009 at 1:14 PM
Jess said...: I have been using Aveeno Positively Radiant Moisturizer with SPF 15. After reading this post I went to check the ingredients and SURPRISE, the two main active ingredients are Avobenzone and Octinoxate! Therefore, I'm going to switch to the Hawaiian Tropic Oil-Free Faces SPF 30 you mentioned. Thanks :); December 9, 2009 at 9:27 PM
Mileena said...: Yay for making the switch! I find the Aveeno sunscreens to be rather greasy anyway.

It always perplexes me when I find skin care companies that combine avobenzone and octinoxate together. I'm guessing they don't research extensively enough, or look into studies that show how unstable that combination is.

Hawaiian Tropics Oil-Free Faces is a great US brand sunscreen. I've used it before, and also the Banana Boat Dri-Block SPF 30 is quite matte. Well for US brand sunscreen terms. =); December 9, 2009 at 9:56 PM
Jess said...: You're right about the greasiness! Should I use a separate moisturizer in addition to the sunscreen? As I get closer to 30 I find myself concerned with preventing wrinkles.; December 10, 2009 at 12:17 PM
Mileena said...: Yes you can. But if you're making the switch to Hawaiian Tropics, you may (or may not) find that is hydrating enough on its own. Most sunscreens have some moisturizing effect (except for Japanese sunscreens which are really matte).

It also depends on your skin type. If you are dry, then sometimes wearing a light moisturizier or serum underneath does the trick and keeps skin replenished. My skin is oily and even in dead of winter here Canada, I only use moisturizer on my dry spots (chin, cheeks). Never on my entire face. Usually my Vichy Bi White serum and sunscreen (Sofina UV Perfect) are enough. But that's my crazy oily skin. You can most definitley use a moisturizer underneath, and sunscreen is the number one way to prevent wrinkles so you're on the right track =); December 10, 2009 at 2:35 PM
Anonymous said...: hey talking about sunscreen etiquette, how often should we apply sunscreen? i'm using the neutragena spf 90. should i apply it like 3 times day? what about at night?; December 17, 2009 at 12:49 PM
Mileena said...: Just once a day. The only time you need to re-apply more than once is if you sweat excessively (from a workout and it's still daytime) or if you are wearing an unstable sunscreen (unstable sunscreens have low inactive ingredients, or have the wrong mixing of ingredients like avobenzone and octinoxate together - that's a no-no).

The Neutrogena Age Shield SPF 90 is definitley a stable sunscreen. You only need to apply it in the morning before you head out. Cleanse/remove it at night (or when the sun goes down) and apply your night products.

=); December 17, 2009 at 2:29 PM
Anonymous said...: oh that's awesome thanks. i've been applying it like 4 times a day. tisk tisk.; December 17, 2009 at 2:56 PM
Mileena said...: LOL I used to do that as well when I first started out using sunscreen daily. Was just over cautious.

4x a day application is a lot! I sometimes re-apply if I head to the gym, but I usually cleanse my skin and apply it over fresh skin. Never on top of my first application, only because I'm prone to clogged pores. =D But once a day is perfectly fine.; December 17, 2009 at 3:10 PM
Randy said...: Who is that guy using spf 90??? Sheez isnt that greasy? Some blogs said that high spf makes ur skin oily like hell so just use mild spf, say, 30 or 50 (15 is crazy)
I personally love Acnes Uv Tint from Mentholatum USA. That stuff is one of Acnes treatment series :); January 16, 2010 at 4:14 AM
Mileena said...: Hi Randy,

You know nothing really suprises me nowadays with SPF factors. I know Neutrogena just came out with an SPF 110! LOL which is beyond ridiculous since it is pretty much the same as their SPF 55 in terms of UVA protection.

And I agree, I find a lot of sunscreens with very high SPFs or even PPDs to be too greasy. I would much rather wear a less greasy sunscreen with a moderate SPF/PPD factor than really greasy one that breaks me out.

I've never heard of the Acnes Uv Tint from Mentholatum USA. Is it a Japanese sunscreen? If it's working for you and not causing any acne, that's awesome! It's hard sometimes to find a tolerable sunscreen to use everyday without risk of a breakout.

=); January 16, 2010 at 6:22 AM
Randy said...: Mil, so the only asian country u know is japan huh? :P im from indonesia (check d map, its really amazing-promotion :p) eh really its from mentholatum, a big company from usa!! Btw, i have a favor... Can u check the ingredients of these products? >> Pond's Clear Solution Acne Blemish Lightening Cream: water, stearyc acid, alcohol denat, ethylhexyl, methoxycinnamate, glycerin, tridecyl salicylate, isopropil myristate, silica, niacinamide, cetyl alcohol, potassium hydroxide, butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane, phenoxyethanol, perfume, dimethicone, triclocarban, aloe barbadensis leaf juice/maltodextrin/potassium sorbate/sodium benzoate, methylparaben, propylparaben, tetrasodium EDTA, BHT, CI 19140, CI 42090.

Clean&Clear Clear Fairness Moisturizer: oops i only know the active ingredients 0,5% salicylic acid, 0,5% ascorbic acid 2-glucoside
They're my only 'tools'
I need need need your help mil coz i don't know whether they'll trigger pimples or not :( please please take this request :( please lah mil, ok? :D
Oh do u need the address of em?
Ponds: lever.care@unilever.com

C&C: konsumen@jnj.com

Yeah you bet, they're indonesian care lines :) i dunno if those kinds of products are also produced outside indo...

Please yea? Please :)
Review em ok! Thanks i'll go to >>this page<< again. Pls post ur review here in the sunscreen etiquette. Thank you :D; January 25, 2010 at 9:20 AM
Mileena said...: Hi Randy,

I thought Japan was the only Asian country!! What a revelation! LOL I'm just kidding

What's your skintype? Are you oily or dry skinned? I'll try my best to analyze the ingredients to see if they are troublesome.

Pond's Clear Solution Acne Blemish Lightening Cream:

The alcohol denat in here is actually good for acne-prone skin types since it can have a matifying (drying) effect, so that ingredient is fine as well as the silica which makes skin less oily. The only ingredients that MIGHT cause a pimple (if you have very sensitive, acne prone skin though) are the silicones in it (dimethicone etc.). Most people can tolerate silicones as they are in many many skin care products. Other than that, it's fine. There are some salicylic acid derivatives in there which probably won't do much, and a small amount of niacinamide.

For the Ponds one, if you are interested to know if that product actually lightens skin I wouldn't count on it. The only 'skin lightening' ingredients in it is niacinamide and it is way down the ingredient list which means it is not very potent, so it has a strength lower than 1% (it has to be a strength of 4% of above for pigmentation lightening). If you are using it for other reasons like as a basic moisturizer or matifier than I guess it's fine. But it's not a good lightener.

For the Clean & Clear Fairness moisturizer, I e-mailed them for the inactive ingredients. Judging by the actives I can imagine it's not going to give you a pimple but that's not saying much without knowing the inactive base ingredients. It has ascorbyl glucoside which is a stable form of Vitamin C. It's not as strong and effective as L-ascorbic acid so it won't lighten much but it's very stable and has some effect. It also has a small amount of salicylic acid as well which helps exfoliate and treat pimples.

I'll post the ingredients once I get them.

=); January 25, 2010 at 10:25 AM
Randy said...: My skin's helly-oily. I want want want to fade my red acne marks! Oh thanks, you could analyze the ingredients :D
Btw this product is used to lighten post acne blemishes just like they wrote on d package: formulated with proven skin ligthening agent vitamin b3 n natural aloe vera to help lighten spots n post acne blemishes n give skin a clearer, even tone. 100% oil free with double sunscreens.

Yeah! Hope i can lighten the spots from red to pink, from pink to cream... i hope :); January 29, 2010 at 3:01 AM
Randy said...: I'll share my acnes uv tint's ingredient :D

Mentholatum Acnes UV TINT SPF 30 PA++

-Prevents acne
-For daily use
-Protects the skin from uv ray radiation
-Keeps skin moisturized
-Can be used as fondation.

Shake well before use.

Isopropyl methylphenol 0,1%, stearyl glycyrrhetinate 0,05%, vitamin E & B6, magnesium L-Ascorbyl-2-phospate, rosemary extract, siliconized micro particle zinc oxide 10%.

Whew!

Analyze yea! :D; January 29, 2010 at 3:15 AM
Mileena said...: The good thing is sunscreen plays a huge role in fading acne blemishes, so you are on the right track. I made a post on Fading Acne Marks if you haven't checked it out yet, and ofcourse sunscreen is the number one rule.

http://allaboutskinlightening.blogspot.com/2009/11/how-to-get-rid-of-acne-marks.html

=); January 29, 2010 at 8:45 AM
Mileena said...: Looks good to me Randy!

Isopropyl methylphenol has some antibacterial components to it so it's good clearing up p. acne bacteria on the skin.

Stearyl Glycyrrhetinate is a derivative of licorice extract (a popular skin lightening ingredient) and it is very gentle. It does have anti-inflammatory properties just like pure licorice and Glycyrrhizic acid (another derivative of licorice extract). Especially at a low percentage of 0,05%

Magnesium L-Ascorbyl-2-phospate is a synthetic form of L-ascorbic acid (pure vitamin c). Much, much more mild and more stable but not as effective at building collagen/lightening skin like L-ascorbic acid. Still it is a form of Vitamin C so it's good.

The Zinc Oxide is the physical sunblock ingredient and the rosemary extract is just a botanical extract (not a lightener). Rosemary extract, though it sounds like it would be anti-irritant can trigger some irritation in very, very sensitive skin types. But majority of the time it is a very tolerable ingredient.

Judging by the sun protection in it, the 10% zinc oxide - the PPD (UVA blockage) is very low. Probably around 4 or 5. That's okay if you don't spend time in the sun or are indoors a lot.

Ideally I go for sunscreens that have a PPD of at least 8. CIBA is a PPD calculating site (it's free) and you can calculate your PPD rating there (it's not 100% accurate but a good site nonetheless).

=); January 29, 2010 at 6:43 PM
Randy said...: Oh so you wanna say uv tint could lighten face though takes takes takes takes time?
Ok at least though i've been using Mediklin (and i cant use my clear fairness) i can 'lighten' my face with uv tint! 'Lighten'. Anyway the uv tint's texture is nice! Perfect lah :D ! But there's a kind of liquid substance there so we gotta shake it first. Yeah but it can 'lose' its liquid so it becomes dry but still moisture (what's the term?) and it will be similiar with fondie!! Ahh but i already love my uv :); January 30, 2010 at 12:00 AM
Randy said...: Mil i heard that lightener can (not could :D) cause pimple. Is that true? That makes me scared of usin my ponds anti blemish!
Hope it won't coz i want to start using lightening products yay! I'll start with some whitening masks maybe from Mustika Ratu (queen's charm) coz mustika ratu uses natural ingredients that were used by the first first Indonesian Royal Family :)

--

Yeah i've read ur post! Ahhh you suck :D !! I still want to lighten my face... and body! You know, indonesian ppl have a term Sawo Matang which means the lighter lighter brown skin tone. My skin's whiter than sawo matang but i still want to lighten some more :); January 30, 2010 at 12:12 AM
Mileena said...: You can probably see *some* skin lightening with the UV tint, just don't expect miracles since it's active ingredients aren't the most potent or best.

=); January 30, 2010 at 9:44 AM
Randy said...: Oh yeah haha! :D eh, my question about skin lightener could cause pimples isn't answered yet :p cmon ahh!!; January 31, 2010 at 3:42 AM
Mileena said...: It would probably only break you out if you are incredibly sensitive to silicones (dimethicone) or cetyl alcohol (the base). Those 2 ingredients are generally very tolerable for most skin types. Only very sensitive, reactive skin types have any breakouts from them. Plus they are at low concentrations (not high on the ingredient list).; January 31, 2010 at 8:53 AM
Randy said...: oh yeah thanks!!; February 1, 2010 at 4:15 AM
Anonymous said...: God bless you i've just added this informative blog to my favorites; April 20, 2010 at 4:06 PM
Mileena said...: Thank you so much Brownshuga!! That means a lot, and makes all of this worth it.

<333; April 20, 2010 at 4:25 PM
Anonymous said...: Puneeta said...

I am particularly allergic to SPFs, even the mild concentrations of it. And hence, I use a sun-block that has Titanium dioxide. Is there anything i should check about the concentration of this compound in my sunscreen, or is it that since this is a sunblock, just about any concentration or quantity of the compound, should work well for me.

To top it up, i have an extrmely freckled up skin here. So, any valuable suggestion you could provide, Mileena, will be a great help to me. Thanks!; June 26, 2010 at 6:30 AM
Mileena said...: Hi Puneeta,

Like chemical sunscreen filters, the concentration of physical sunblock ingredients like titanium dioxide and zinc oxide do vary and effect the strength of sun protection.

Usually companies list the % of the active ingredients on the package - unfortunatley some don't. A lot of matte Japanese sunscreens like Sofina and Kanebo use high concentrations of sunblock like zinc oxide (14%) which makes up the bulk of the protection.

Have you heard of the Devita SPF 30? It's a great zinc oxide/titanium dioxide based sunscreen that doesn't leave a harsh white cast and is pretty cosmetically elegant on the skin. It's worth looking into IMO.

=); June 26, 2010 at 1:15 PM

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Monday, November 16, 2009

Sunscreen Etiquette: Follow The Rules

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