Acne Magazine : Skin Care, Tips, Treatment Reviews

I think I’ve talked about this before, but I wanted to reiterate that wearing sunblock, noncomedogenic, of course, is still important even in the winter months when it may seem like you go weeks without seeing the sun.  Sun block is important for those of us with acne, because as mentioned even in the previous post, sun damage may actually cause or spur acne on the skin, not to mention make for an ultra bumpy surface instead of the smooth, even skin we all crave. 

I really wish I would have known this when I was younger, or at least not have doubted the importance of sunblock, as I believe I would probably have much smoother skin today with less age spots and discolorations, but we won’t cry over spilt milk, we’ll just try to fix our misgivings going forward!

Many people with acne are worried about putting sunblock on.  Heck, many people with acne are worried about even picking the wrong moisturizer for their skin, for fear it will exacerbate their acne or bring on a breakout.  However, both moisturizing and blocking the sun is still a necessity, even for those of us that suffer the most severe forms of acne.  If the skin becomes too dry, this can actually spur more oil (sebum) to be produced by the skin, which leads to more acne breakouts.

Likewise with sunblock.  I was so worried in my teens about putting sunblock on my face for fear that it would make me break out.  Of course, there were limited selections of sunblock back then too, and I was actually allergic to a common ingredient in sunblock back in the day as well, called PABA, so I had already had a bad experience with horrible breakouts from sunblock, which made me all that much more weary of trying new ones. 

So, because of this, I let my face burn more times than I even care to admit, foresaking my skin’s health because I was too afraid to try a good sunblock.  Today, what you want to look for in a sunblock for winter is one that is perhaps a bit more emollient, so it can double as a moistuizer, but one without mineral oil, which can block pores. 

Any noncomedogenic-labeled sunblock should be fine.  Also, if you wear foundation, pick one with a sunblock in it – there are tons now that have sunblock in them.  The sun’s rays are just as damaging in the winter, yet we don’t think about it because it’s not as obvious.  Just sitting in the car you get exposed to UV rays that can damage the skin, so it’s important to just make it part of your daily routine to apply some sort of sunblock.