Spot in the Sun?
If you have ever suffered from spots, and let’s face it most of us have at some stage, then you will know what a blessing the appearance of the sun can be in temporarily clearing up a break out. The temptation is to forgo any sunscreen because that just seems to add a layer of gloop to the skin and then just bake away until all the little blighters have dried up and disappeared.
28/6/18
There are however a couple of major drawbacks to that, the first one being that even a couple of years of baking your face unprotected in the sunshine will cause a huge amount of sun damage resulting in broken capillaries, brown marks and depleted supplies of natural collagen that give the skin it’s luscious plumpness. In addition, particularly in darker skin types, exposing acne to UV rays risk what is called post inflammatory hyper-pigmentation. This is when the inflammation in the acne spots triggers productions of melanin by the melanocyte so as the redness of the spot recedes it is replaced by a persistent area of unsightly brown pigmentation.
There is overwhelming evidence for the benefits of wearing Sun Protection Factor (SPF) on your face whatever your skin type and it’s really just a case of making sure that you find an SPF that suits your own particular complexion. The formulation and ingredients of the sunscreen are key in not exacerbating your spots. Look for a high quality brand that has been developed for the face and neck rather than one for the whole body, it will tend to have finer and lighter ingredients designed for the delicate facial skin.
SPF can protect us in different ways, firstly utilising physical UV blockers such as silicone and titanium which act like minute mirror particles to reflect the UV rays from our skin. Alternatively chemical agents can act as absorbers that dissipate UV radiation by way of a chemical reaction. The harmful effect of UV is mitigated by conversion of the electromagnetic rays into heat and that heat is released from the skin. Some sunscreens are a combination of both physical and chemical protection. If a sunscreen contains zinc and titanium then it is a physical block and if the ingredients end in ‘zone’ and ‘salate’ then it will be a chemical protection.
Epionce Daily Shield Tinted SPF 50 ticks so many of the boxes when it comes to minimising acne outbreaks. Firstly it is lightly formulated using the latest silicone technology that forms a mesh over the skin but still allows the skin to function normally. The oil that is naturally produced by the sebaceous glands and sweat can freely move through the mesh avoiding pore blockages thereby reducing the likelihood of breakouts. This product uses the physical UV blockers zinc and titanium. In scientific studies the Epionce Daily Shield SPF 50 was found to be highly water resistant and remaining active even after being subjected to 80 minutes in a whirlpool. This means that there is no need to keep adding layer upon layer of sunscreen throughout the day.
All of this is very good news for those of you who thought you had to make a choice between protecting your face from the ageing and harmful rays of the sun and keeping a clear and smooth complexion – now you can have both!