Hello ladies! As I mentioned in my previous post, good skin care consists of effective cleansing, moisturization and protection. Today I want to talk about the third part of that routine: skin protection.
When I was younger, the only time I'd slap on some sunscreen is when I'm about to hit the beach. I hated that heavy, greasy feeling that made me break into sweat, not to mention that thick white cast it leaves making you look like a kabuki lady.
Nowadays, though, sunscreens are a requisite to delay aging and to protect my extra sensitive skin, since I have been using retinol and AHA's.
UVA and UVB
So what do you look for in a good sunscreen anyway? To answer that, you have to understand what it's meant to do. Sunscreens should keep the sun's ultraviolet radiation (or UV rays) from reaching your skin. There are two types of UV rays, UVA and UVB. Both cause premature aging and increase the risk for skin cancer.
UVB rays are the ones that cause sore, red skin after prolonged sun exposure, or what we call sunburn. Most sunscreens offer only UVB protection. UVA on the other hand penetrates the skin more and cause wrinkles and leathering of the skin, predisposing to premature aging due to prolonged sun exposure. They also cause sun spots and photosensitive skin allergies.
Sun Protection Factor (SPF)
Another important consideration is the sun protection factors or SPF. What do these numbers mean anway? That number tells you how long it protects your skin from turning red, which also depends on how fast you react to the sun. For instance, if it only takes you 10 minutes to get sunburned, multiply that with the SPF and that's (theoretically) how long you can stay in the sun before getting red, in this case, 150 minutes or about 2.5 hours. If it takes longer for you to get burned, then the protection lasts longer.
You can also think of SPF as percent of UVB rays filtered. SPF 15 filters 93%, SPF 30 97% and SPF 50 98%. If you notice, we're talking UVB rays here, and SPF says nothing about UVA protection.
Picking your sunscreen
Knowing all these things then, you need to pick a sunscreen with BOTH UVA and UVB protection. If it just says SPF, then you're not getting enough UVA protection, which as I mentioned is the culprit causing skin aging. You may not be getting red, but your skin cells are definitely still affected by that sun exposure.
If you're just staying indoors most of the day, experts say an SPF of 15 is usually enough. Primers or moisturizers sometimes contain this amount of SPF, so you may not need an extra layer of sunblock. For longer periods out in the sun, pick sunscreens with a higher SPF.
Do you need sunscreen even if you're just in the office all day? Experts say yes, you do. Glass windows usually filter only UVB and let UVA rays through. Even fluorescent lights emit a considerable amount of UV radiation. So unless you're working in complete darkness, don't skip the sunscreen.
Of course, there are also other considerations when picking sunscreen, including sheerness or finish, hypoallergenicity, fragrance, water resistance and staying power. These factor differs between brands, and it could be frustrating to find a sunscreen which fits all your preferences.
La Roche-Posay Sunblock
Now I want to talk about my favorite sunscreen, sometimes described as the holy grail of sunscreens, made by La Roche-Posay. This one is La Roche-Posay SPF 50 Antihelios XL Melt In Cream. This company hardly spends on advertisement because the product really speaks for itself. Since it's made in Europe (France) it adheres to stricter standards in terms of product safety, and is not tested on animals.
If you visit their website, here is their product description:
Very high, broad, photostable UVA/UVB protection.
Optimal SPF 50+ protection reinforced against UVA rays (stricter than the European recommendation) thanks to patented filtering system Mexoplex® combined with La Roche-Posay Thermal Spring Water, soothing and antioxidant.
In a new, more minimalistic dermatologically-tested formula: fragrance-free, paraben-free, lighter in chemical filters*, nickel tested (nickel levels guaranteed lower than the threshold for allergic reactions in sensitized subjects), non-comedogenic.
- Luxurious, moisturizing, ultra-comfortable texture. Easy to apply. Suitable for dry skin.
- Very high water resistance.
And here's the list of ingredients:
AQUA / WATER |
C12-15 ALKYL BENZOATE |
GLYCERIN |
ALCOHOL DENAT. |
BIS-ETHYLHEXYLOXYPHENOL METHOXYPHENYL TRIAZINE |
TITANIUM DIOXIDE |
PENTYLENE GLYCOL |
BUTYL METHOXYDIBENZOYLMETHANE |
STYRENE/ACRYLATES COPOLYMER |
CAPRYLIC/CAPRIC TRIGLYCERIDE |
PENTAERYTHRITYL TETRAETHYLHEXANOATE |
PROPYLENE GLYCOL  |
The color is whitish with a very pale beige tone. It's very light, glides and spreads very smoothly, and is not oily. I saw one blogger test the product by placing an drop over a blotting paper, and no oil "bled out" into the edges. Like all sunscreens, it still had that "clay like" smell, but was very mild. No other fragrances added.
After spreading it out evenly and letting it set, you can see that it's very sheer, and no white cast is left. My skin just looks moisturized. It leaves a matte finish, non greasy like other sunblocks, and serves as a decent primer.
On hot and humid days, this sunscreen doesn't increase my sweat like other brands. Because it is water resistant, it stays in place even when I perspire and doesn't "run".
I love that it is very sheer and goes well with my makeup. It is also hypoallergenic and doesn't clog pores. This is a big plus for me since a lot of my previous sunscreens tend to cause me to break out. It just lets the skin breathe. It's also probably because of this that it doesn't cause my face to sweat more than usual.
What are the cons of this product? In itself, I'd say it's almost perfect and I am definitely sticking to this brand. Unfortunately, it's quite expensive and isn't widely available. Mine came from a french pharmacy when my boyfriend did a European tour. It's available online though, and I hear some dermatologists sell it in their clinics, so you can ask yours.
What is your favorite sunblock? Have you tried other products from La Roche-Posay? I'd love to hear your thoughts :-)
Thanks for reading this!
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