Moisturizing and Acne-prone Skin

Hate to use moisturizer or sunscreen because it feels so heavy? You don’t have to slather your face in moisturizer or sunblock  in order for it to work. If you find your moisturizer feels too thick or heavy, you may be applying too much. Just a pea-sized amount may be enough for the entire face. Try using less product. You may be pleasantly surprised to find it absorbs more fully and feels lighter.

Zinc Moisturizer

Also look for alternative combinations of moisturizers that combine two products in one - like a zinc moisturizer, that protects again sun damage and nourishes your skin at the same time.

If it still feels heavy, apply your moisturizer after cleansing to a still-damp face. Or mix your moisturizer with a small amount of water in the palm of your hand before applying to your face. But don’t ever add water directly in the bottle, or you’ll get unpleasant things growing in your moisturizer.

Question: Do I Need a Moisturizer?
I have oily skin that is prone to acne breakouts. Should I use a moisturizer?
Answer:   Even if you have oily skin, you can still benefit from the use of a daily moisturizer. And, no, moisturizers don’t have to leave your skin feeling greasy and looking shiny. The trick is in finding the right product.

If you are using drying acne treatments such as Retin-A, Accutane, or benzoyl peroxide. Using a daily moisturizer will help ease the uncomfortable dryness, peeling, and flaking that can be caused by many acne medications.

So, don’t be afraid to moisturize your oily skin! Take the time to choose the right moisturizer by reading ingredient labels and asking your dermatologist or esthetician for recommendations. Experiment with different products until you find the one that is perfect for you.

Natural Moisturizers

Even your oily, acne-prone skin can benefit from the daily use of good moisturizers. But choose the wrong moisturizer and it can be a skin care disaster: greasy feeling skin, blackheads and pimples. Obviously, choosing the right moisturizer is key. With a little know-how you can pick a moisturizer that will enhance your skin care routine without causing breakouts.

Cleansing and moisturizing are the key components to maintaining healthy, youthful skin. Cleansing removes dirt, grime, and dead skin cells, but cleansers also have a harmful effect on the skin by drying it out. Moisturizers not only increase the skin’s water content, but they also protect the skin and encourage an orderly desquamation (shedding) process that makes the skin appear more smooth.

The number of moisturizers on the market is astounding and most claim to have properties that no other moisturizer has. In this article, we will cover the key ingredients in moisturizers - humectants, occlusives, emollients, and miscellaneous ingredients - and discuss their effects on the skin. Imagine being able to read and understand a moisturizer ingredient label. Grab your moisturizer bottles, jars, and tubes and we’ll get started.

Zinc Sunscreen, Sun Protection and Suncare Tips

When you go to the HOT part of the country they have every kind of sunscreen, sunblock, And even pink & green zinc oxide. Here is some more information about sun protection.

Common questions about sun safety

During which months do I need to take sun safety precautions?
You should protect yourself from early spring right through the fall. People often get sunburns in late April and May because they don’t think the sun is strong enough to burn if they can’t feel its heat.

At what times should I use sun safety precautions?
Between 11 am and 4 pm. The sun’s radiation is strongest from 12 noon to 2 pm.  Why do I need to wear a hat in the sun?
Two of the three most common skin cancers appear on the face, head and neck.  Almost all of these tumours are caused by sun exposure over a long period of time.  Protect these areas, including the ears, by wearing a broad-brimmed (more than 8 cm or 3 inches) or legionnaire-style hat with a back flap.

Source: Canadian Dermatology Association. More information is available online at www.dermatology.ca.

Look for these four things in your sunscreen before buying and applying.

1. Check the label to make sure your sunscreen offers UVA and UVB protection. Both UVA and UVB are part of the sun’s ultraviolet radiation (UVR) emission, and both are linked to sunburns and long-term skin damage.

2. Your sunscreen should offer a high sun protection factor (SPF) for UVB protection.  More and more consumers now are looking for higher SPFs than ever before. For example, a sunscreen that offers a SPF 15 allows you to stay out in the sun about 15 times longer without burning. Banana Boat Suncare has just introduced two excellent products with SPF 50 in a convenient spray format. Banana Boat Kids’ products are also available in sprays and lotions with a SPF range of 30 to 50, and as a bonus, the products are tear free. And no, applying a sunscreen with SPF 8 in the morning and SPF 15 in the afternoon, will not add up to SPF 23. Choose the SPF that offers your skin type the best protection.

3. Ideally, it’s best to re-apply sunscreen every one - two hours, especially if you’ve been swimming. As a rough guide, the average adult should use one ounce (about the size of a golf ball) of sunscreen over his or her entire body for each application.

4. Your sunscreen should enhance your skin, not irritate it. If you have sensitive skin, it’s best to test a small patch for 48 hours (before your vacation) to see if you develop any kind of reaction.

Adverse reactions to sunscreens

Contact dermatitis, both irritant and allergic, and phototoxic and photo allergic reactions have been reported following the use of chemical sunscreens. The most common sunscreen that cause contact dermatitis is PABA and its esters. However, reactions to the newer generation sunscreens, especially those with broader spectrum of UV coverage such as benzophenones, cinnamates and methoxy dibenzoylmethane, have also been reported.

Contact dermatitis and photoallergic contact dermatitis to different sunscreens can occur at the same time and should be explained by a combination of cross-reactions and coupling allergy.  Cross-sensitization reactions with other sunscreens and with chemicals with similar chemical structures do not occur routinely. Patients who are sensitized to p-phenylenediamine, aniline, procaine, benzocaine, sulfonamides may develop cross-sensitization to a PABA sunscreen. It is also interesting to note that cross-sensitization between padimate 0 and padimate A which are esters of PABA do not occur but patients sensitive to PABA derivatives can also be sensitive to p-amino benzoic acid.

Zinc oxides and titanum dioxide used in physical sunscreen formulations do not produce contact sensitization, phototoxicity or photoallergy. Should such adverse reactions occur, the excipients in the physical sunscreen should be suspected.