Color Me Bonita - Healthy Summer Skin from Head to Toe

Our skincare expert Daniela is here today sharing her strategy for head to toe healthy summer skin. It is the first day of summer (and we're finally getting summer temperatures here in Chicago) and not too late to get your skin in tip top shape. Daniela broke this into two parts; today is all about sunscreen.

Summer is finally here!  Took long enough...  So it's time to get to the beach.  You're more aware of skin health and overall wellness than you've ever been before, but you're not about to stay out of the sun, you just got invited to a BBQ at the beach!  So, you go to your closet, you get undressed, you're about to put on your new fab bikini and whoops!  Ingrown hairs!  Not only that, you forgot to buy sunscreen, and even if you had it, you have no idea how often you're supposed to apply it, or how much at a time.  Ok.  Let's take a few steps back in time, and go to the store.  We'll talk about what you'll need from head to toe.  First, let's talk sunscreen.

Head

You know your body skin is not the same as the skin on your face.  If you suffer breakouts or have even slightly oily skin, most sunscreens just feel gross.  They're either goopy or greasy, and even the ones that say oil free sometimes don't feel so great.  

The most important thing you need to know about sunscreen for the face, is that for a long time manufacturers thought that since the sun does have a slight drying effect on some skin types, and because consumers want to have moisturizer and sunscreen in one, too many SPF moisturizers are formulated as though everyone has super dry skin.  Watch out for labels that talk too much about moisturizing.  The skin needs water, not lubrication.

The second thing to remember is sometimes "oil free" can actually be a red flag.  Many base ingredients meant to replace oil are waxy substances that clog pores like crazy.  Make sure the brand is known for catering to sensitive skin, and that the label says "non-comedogenic".  You'll cover all your bases that way. Although "non-comedogenic" is an unregulated term (yes, companies can lie), it's more likely that products from national brands will be formulated well enough to be able to back up that claim.  If you like natural or organic brands, check in with a knowledgable Esthetician first to make sure the ingredients are ok.  People email me all the time with ingredient lists.  Some of the most pore clogging ingredients are natural raw materials, like cocoa butter and coconut oil.  Both are known to be very pore clogging.  Shea Butter is another one (unless it's completely raw).

So what's the best SPF lotion for your face?  One that has an SPF of at least 15, and is **hydrating** as well as non-clogging.  Not an easy combo to find.  The link below will take you to my favorite choices.  Mark Lees Skin Care sunscreens are my favorite because they are the most comfortable and most hydrating sunscreen lotions I have ever come across.  Other good choices are PCA Skin, Peter Thomas Roth, Murad and CeraVe.  If your current lotion has never made you break out and you've been using it for more than six months, you're probably ok. Remember, it takes 2-6 months for a pore clogging ingredient to cause a breakout.  If your sunscreen doesn't make you break out within days of using it, that doesn't mean it's necessarily ok.  Also, the only type of sunscreen that will protect against premature aging and skin cancer is one that says it's "broad-spectrum."   As of next year, rigorous testing will be required to win the right to put this on a label, so if a sunscreen is not formulated to be broad-spectrum, it will only protect against sunburn and will not be able to claim it does anything to help fight fine lines and wrinkles or cancer.

And what about antioxidants in sunscreens to give added protection?  I love the idea, but I much prefer an antioxidant serum you can apply separately beneath sunscreen.  Why?  Practicality.  Even though it may seem practical to have an all-in-one product, I rather like the idea of being able to apply an broad-spectrum, multi-vitamin antioxidant serum at night, too.  Yes, it's two products, but why apply SPF at night?  If you have oily skin you can apply toner and serum after washing and let your skin moisturize itself, and if you have dry skin you need a nighttime lotion for extra hydration anyway.  Antioxidants need to penetrate the skin with special vehicles to aid penetration.  It's much better when these can get into the skin first.  Then sunscreen on top and you're golden.

How much sunscreen do you need for the face?  From your forehead down to your collarbone, your entire neck including the back, and the tops of your ears, you need a 1/4 inch strip down the length of each of your first and middle fingers.  That's about dime size.  Seriously.  Yes, you need that much.  MUST REMEMBER :  SPF is dose dependent!  If you use too little, you won't get the protection you think you're getting.  

How often should you reapply?  Well, the answer can be found in the SPF#.  Let's say you go out in the sun with no protection at all, and you burn in 10 minutes.  This means if you apply an SPF of 15, you can now go out in the sun without burning for 10 minutes times 15 = 150 minutes.  Same with SPF30.  10 minutes times 30 = 300 minutes.  In my professional opinion, it should stop there.  With sweat, skin cells falling off all day and wear and tear, there's really no way you can count on being protected for much longer than that.  450 minutes is just too long to wait to reapply, even if you use an SPF45.

Is there a difference in protection between the numbers beyond time?  Yes, but so little it's almost meaningless.  The difference in actual protection between 15 and 30 is 2%.  Two percent!  This is why the FDA is banning the higher numbers; they're giving people a false sense of security. Application is in the AM and that's all she wrote.  Not a good way to protect yourself from the sun.  

So, the best way to protect yourself from the ravages and dangers of sun damage is to reapply an SPF 15 or 30 (whichever feels more comfortable to you) every two hours and be done with it.  If you have makeup on your face and you don't want to apply a lotion on top of it, this is the time to use a makeup that has SPF.  I'm not crazy about powder or liquid foundation being your only means of protection; the ingredients that filter out UVB rays need to penetrate the skin.  Makeup is designed to sit on top.  Use both.  Bring a little sunscreen in your purse so you can reapply to your neck and, if your hair is up or short, the tops of your ears.  The top or back of the ears are among the most common places skin cancer is found. Make sure you don't skip that.  Mineral makeup is perfect for reapplying an SPF to just the face when out all day, or at lunch when you're at work and you want to go out.

By the way, the best way to prevent crow's feet ?  Nice, large, Jackie-O style UV protection sunglasses. Nothing like 'em.  Wear these 365 days a year and you won't need an eye cream for years, I promise you.  Just make sure they say UV protection on them - don't assume they'll protect you just cuz they're dark.

To Toe

Again, I cannot state enough, the SPF # in your sunscreen is dose dependent.  For the entire body, from head to toe, dermatologists are of the consensus that the minimum amount needed is one full shot glass.  Yup.  One full shot glass for your whole body.  Now, since we have established that the skin of your body is different from the skin of your face, it's likely you'll to want a separate lotion for your body, especially since it's also likely your SPF face lotion will be too expensive to use on your body.  The only exception is if you suffer with body acne, like chest and back, or if you experience a condition called Keratosis Pilaris, where you break out in tiny red bumps on your upper arms and thighs.  You can still find non-pore-clogging SPF lotions for body, like Peter Thomas Roth, Cetaphil and CeraVe.  So, being that the lotion on your face and neck will be different, you can fill the shot glass three quarters of the way. :)  

Reapplication follows the same rules on the body as on the face.  Another major cancer center?  The back of the lower leg!  I'm sure you can imagine it - how often does it get missed?  Application must be thorough.

Is there really such a thing as waterproof?  Sort of, but it's so unreliable, I always tell my clients to reapply anyway.  Besides, regulations are changing on that, too.   As of next year, the FDA will no longer allow a label to say "waterproof" or "sweatproof" as these are too misleading.  They will now have to say "water resistant" up to a proven number of minutes, like 40-80.

But what if I want color?!  What would you rather have? Color now from the actual sun instead of from a spray or lotion, or leather face later?  Back in the early 90s I worked two summers at a Merle Norman.  The owner of the location where I worked was a bleach blond smokin' hot Texan.  She had a tanning bed IN HER HOME.  One look at the back of her you'd say the same thing I did at the time - I hope when I'm 50 I look that good.  Then she'd turn around.   Everyone at the mall called her "Dragon Lady". Need I say more? 

You know what a tan actually is?  Your skin putting on sunscreen for you.  This creates DAMAGE.  If you're tan, your skin is damaged.  It's part of an intricate mechanism your skin employs to repair and protect itself from Ultra Violet radiation.  Wrinkles happen when the skin can't keep up with this mechanism and the proteins that hold the skin up get destroyed and the top layers of the skin buckle in.  Skin cancer happens when the mechanism goes haywire.  Don't let your skin have to repair and protect itself.

For personalized help with how to choose the best sunscreen for your skin type, please email Daniela atskin911@daniela.com.  

For her fav sunscreens you can go straight to http://www.daniela.com/Day_Creams.html and use discount code CMS to get 10% off your first order.

Daniela specializes in acne, sensitivity and Rosacea.  For a complete analysis of what's happening with your skin and why it's giving you trouble, please fill out the Eval by Email Skin Care Consultation Form at http://www.daniela.com/Eval_by_Email.html.  When you write in Color Me Styled in the Referred By field, you will receive 10% off your first order.