Sunscreen And Why To Use One

I talk about skin ageing a lot and one of the main causes of collagen breakdown is the sunlight. Or more to the point, ultraviolet radiation.

Ultraviolet rays are emitted by light sources, such as sun. They are invisible to the naked eye although we feel the effects of it on our skin through suntan and sunburn. 
There are a few types of UV rays, but the ones of interest in skincare are medium and long waves or UVB and UVA. For simplicity I call them "burning" and "ageing" rays, although it's not entirely correct. UV rays are also responsible for production of vitamin D in the skin.

So, the rays are there, some are absorbed by the ozone layer, but a lot get to the Earth's surface. We do need them, but we also need to protect ourselves from overexposure. UV rays can also impact the DNA structure directly and indirectly, and cause skin cancer.

So how can we protect ourselves? Obviously by using sunscreen when planning a direct exposure - sunbathing. And that's when majority of people tend to use sunscreens when they can actually see the big bright sun in the sky. But they should be using them on a daily basis.

Sunscreens can be organic chemical compounds and physical (mineral). Chemical sunscreens absorb the UV rays and physical reflect and scatter them. The thing is whatever they are made of, they will break down in a couple of hours and you'll lose your protection. And that's why when we're sunbathing, it says to reapply liberally every couple of hours or more often if we're swimming, etc.

But how about when we are out and about during the day and in a city with full make up on? That's when it gets more complicated and confusing.

Lots of us want to save time so we'll buy a moisturiser with built in SPF. Most of them if mixed into creams are chemical ones and they will rarely offer my more than UVB protection, so it means that you're still exposed to the UVA radiation. 
But the biggest problem is that the chemical sunscreens can be a bit controversial. Some can cause allergic reactions, some interfere with DNA.

So that leaves us with mineral sunscreens. They are the ones that create a barrier on skin and leave us with a whitish tinge. They are the best we can get at the moment, a broad spectrum mineral sunscreen that we apply on top of our daily moisturiser. 

The key in choosing a good one is that there isn't one. Go for the maximum protection that you can. I tend to pick SPF50 and I go for the texture and smell that I like. Many of them can be greasy so try a few. My personal favourite is Sisley Broad spectrum facial sunscreen, but it is expensive. Shiseido does a good high protection UVA/B sunscreen and, while it's not exactly a bargain, it is cheaper. There are loads of sunscreens available, so get samples and try a few to pick the one you like.

But don't forget that even the best sunscreen will break down in strong sunlight and stop giving you protection, so cover up with a hat.

What makes mineral make up different?

 

After doing some research, apparently not much. 

Both the "mainstream" or regular make up and mineral ranges contain pretty much the same ingredients like titanium oxide, mica, zinc oxide, iron oxides, silica, talc, etc.

But what differs mineral make up from regular one is the lack certain allergens, like parabens, chemical dyes and mineral oil. And those are the reasons which make the mineral make up good for oily and acne prone skin. And sensitive skins. 

Oh and by the way, when I say mineral make up I mean foundation. 

People tend to think that mineral make up is more “natural”? Unfortunately that’s not quite the truth and there's nothing wrong with that. No one actually went to the mine, got your zinc oxide and titanium oxide, milled them and made make up out of them. It just doesn’t work like that. Both of those ingredients are processed in the lab as nothing in nature is that clean that can be used in cosmetics, especially zinc oxide has to be synthesised in the lab.

I wrote about zinc oxide in my previous post and indeed, its calming properties make it suitable for sensitive skins. Together with titanium oxide it also provides some sun protection.

One ingredient you should definitely scan the label for is bismuth oxychloride. While it gives the luminosity to the make up, it's also been reported that women would have acne flare ups and irritation when using make up with this ingredient.  

I’m not denying that mineral make up can look great, in fact some of my favourite products are products from the mineral ranges. But, the whole thing lost a bit of sheen for me when the cosmetics companies decided to jump on the bandwagon and brought up eyeshadows, lipsticks, liquid foundations and other things.

The beauty and the attraction of mineral make up was that the ingredient list was short. But now, once you start making liquid foundations, it became as long as the conventional foundation. Why? 

 

Well microbes love breeding in the water and without a suitable  preservative the product will not keep. Apart from going “off” it can also infect the skin. So in order to prevent the product being spoiled they put back the same ingredients that they got rid of in the beginning…. Confused?

So when picking mineral product read the ingredients. The shorter the list, the better the product for you, especially if you have sensitive skin. Especially look out for added mineral oil and fragrance. 

If you want to buy liquid foundation, eyeshadows, lipstick etc from the mineral range, by all means go for it, but be realistic. Chances are that you’re buying the normal stuff that is no different from your mainstream make up.While there's nothing wrong with those products, as long as you know you are buying into the hype, all is well.

Sudocrem and Keratosis Pilaris

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I absolutely love Sudocrem.

Apparently it’s licensed as a medicine, which means it has proven efficacy in soothing and treating nappy rash.

But I don’t really care about nappy rash here. Why I’m actually interested in Sudocrem (the original) is its use in treating keratosis pilaris or those nasty little spots on top of the arms 

and on occasion, thighs and legs.

Keratosis pilaris is a completely harmless condition that occurs in loads of people. Some affected people have bumps which are red and inflamed and therefore, more noticeable (and can be confused with spots) and some have just raised, rough skin coloured bumps. Beauty pages in magazines will normally advise dry body brushing to get rid.

Why does it happen to us? 

Our body produces keratin, which is a protein that makes the outer layer of the skin (epidermis). Keratin is also the major player in making of the hair and nails.

But, for some reason, our body can sometimes produce excess of the stuff. The overproduction can be either genetic or hormonal – after all, it does occur mostly in women and adolescents.

So when our body produces excesses of keratin, what it does is wrap around hair follicles forming a “plug” – a bit like a blackhead. So that’s your keratosis pilaris. It’s not a serious “condition”, or not serious enough that you rush off to your doctor asking to be cured.

Enter Sudocrem.

I don’t even remember how I ended up using it on my arms – I was probably trying to soothe an irritation (I get allergic to things). But what I have noticed that the nasty bumps on the top of the arms disappeared! My skin just got very smooth instead. Eureka!

So what’s in Sudocrem that makes it amazing?

According to its website, the main actives are zinc oxide, benzyl benzoate and benzyl cinnamate.

Zinc oxide (in skincare) is widely used in deodorants, antibacterial creams and also sunscreen. It’s mainly an antiseptic.

It’s a white powder and that’s why some sunscreens can appear white on our skin. And it’s one of the ingredients in mineral make up.

Sudocrem claim that “zinc oxide reduces the loss of tissue fluid”, which translated into plain English would be that zinc oxide helps in creating a barrier, so the moisture does not evaporate from skin – slightly confusing as zinc oxide is not really an emollient? I’d be more likely to say that emollient in Sudocrem is lanolin, which is also listed as one of the ingredients.

Benzyl benzoate is used for treating parasitic conditions on skin such as scabies (lovely!). Present in “Balsam of Peru”.

Benzyl Cinnamate is mainly used in fragrances as it smells….of vanilla apparently.

This is another one of the ingredients found in “Balsam of Peru” – which comes from a resin of the bark of balsam tree. It is also an antiseptic and helps in minor wound healing.

Now this is where it gets a bit funky as Benzyl Cinnamate and also “Balsam of Peru” are listed as major allergens and should not be used in large quantities or prolonged time.

Maybe that’s why there’s a warning on Sudocrem that it should not come into contact with eyes and mucous membrane?

Anyway, I really don’t know how Sudocrem works on keratosis pilaris. I imagine that it is probably a combination of all ingredients that are mainly different antiseptics, who knows! Sudocrem don’t list keratosis as one of the conditions it treats.

Maybe one day a proper scientist will do a research on the topic and come up with a good answer.

So give Sudocrem a try. It’s not the prettiest of creams, actually it has quite a horrible consistency. Thick and white, best be used at bedtime and when alone. But it does work. Try it and let me know how you get on!

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Full list of ingredients available here http://www.sudocrem.co.uk/technical-product-information

 

Get your Sudocrem here