Due to my ongoing battle with Melasma I’ve become pretty knowledgeable about sunscreens. One of the key weapons in keeping Melasma at bay is sun avoidance. I’m not about to give up my water sports though, so you would think the logical solution would be to apply sunscreen, thoroughly and often, right? Not necessarily. Two of the most common ingredients in chemical sunscreens are Octinoxate (octyl methoxycinnamate) and Oxybenzone (benzophenone-3). The first has estrogenic effects and the second is associated with photoallergic reactions — exactly what you want to avoid if you have Melasma. Not only do these chemicals trigger melanocytes to produce more melanin (i.e. make more spots), but they often don’t live up to their sun-protection claims, and beyond that, over time you can do real damage to your skin. So even if you’re not worried about Melasma, it’s worth your while to find out which ones are safe and effective. Products with Mexoryl XL work well, but unfortunately are not yet approved in the States (although Mexoryl SX, which is water soluble—as opposed to oil soluble like XL—was recently approved and can be found in Lancome products).
The alternative is to go with a physical sunscreen — zinc and titanium being the two most common elements, and zinc being the safer of the two. Until recently though, these left a ghastly white hue on your face and were super greasy. Not very practical for those who use sunscreen every day of the year.
Happily, things are starting to change here in the U.S. Using nano-technology they’ve found a way to make zinc particles smaller, which, although somewhat controversial in itself, allows for the product to go on smoother and be less greasy. Fortunately (and really, the point of this whole post), the EWG has released the first-ever sunscreen rating system which takes into account UVA protection and the ingredient list, in addition to UVB. Definitely worth a look.
I’m currently using Badger 30 (zinc-based, greasy but effective) and La Roche Posay Anthelios 50+ (chemical), and have since ordered UV Naturals Sport 30+ and Keys Solar Rx Broad Spectrum SPF 30+ Sunblock, both of which are zinc-based. I’ll let you know how well they worked after my upcoming sailing trip.
