Ask any respectable dermatologist or esthetician about the best thing you can do to maintain healthy, beautiful skin, and they will tell you to protect your skin against sun damage. UV rays from the sun are the leading environment factor that cause wrinkles, fine lines, and brown spots to appear on the skin.
Knowing how important sun protection is more and more high end cosmetic brands are incorporating SPF into their products. But is this hybrid of SPF and makeup enough to protect your skin from the damaging UV rays?
Beauty Columnist, Caitlin Miller, of Mimi Chatter interviewed leading NYC dermatologist, Dr. Hadley King, of SKINNEY Medspa to find out. Is your SPF makeup protecting your skin? You might be shocked by the answer found in Miller’s article “How Does the SPF in Your Makeup Stack Up to Normal Sunscreen?”
Are You Really Protecting Your Skin Against Sun Damage?
Dr. Hadley King coments that many patients use sunscreen, but still do not get adequate protection because they are not applying enough sunscreen. She offers the readers of Mimi Chatter an easy way to ensure they are applying enough sunscreen to their face: “With sun block, the general guideline is to use a nickel to quarter sized amount to cover the face,” she says.
But Dr. King warns that sunblock with SPF 15 is far different than a cosmetic product with an SPF of 15: “It’s fine to have SPF in your makeup, but consider it an extra layer, not your main safeguard—unless you plan to wear a whole lot of it.”
Dr. Hadley King explains How Sun Exposure Causes Skin Damage to Daily Makeover.
SPF Makeup Does Not Protect Against Sun Damage
She explains that SPF infused cosmetic products are not designed to provide adequate sun protection on their own. To receive the level of protection against sun damage that SPF infused makeup products advertise, a person would have to apply these products in the same manner (and amount) as they would apply sunscreen. For a cosmetic powder that claims to provide an SPF of 15, you would need to apply nearly 14 times as much powder as you normally wear, in order to capitalize on the products advertised level of SPF. “For people who don’t want to look like they are wearing a thick layer of makeup, this may not be their natural inclination” Dr. King tells Mimi Chatter.
Wearing Sun Screen and Makeup
Despite the SPF advertised in your favorite foundation or powder, you will still need to apply sunscreen in order to protect your skin from harmful UV rays. Fortunately, Dr. King leaves the readers of Mimi Chatter with a helpful skincare tip: Find a moisturizer with SPF and thoroughly apply it to your face before you apply your makeup. This eliminates the need to apply a thick layer of makeup, while providing your skin with protection from sun damage at the same time.
Treatments for Sun Damaged Skin
Sadly, many men and women already have extensive sun damage to their skin that manifests in the form of wrinkles, fine lines, brown spots and aged looking skin. Fortunately there are effective treatments that can minimize the appearance of sun damage. Learn how a photofacial can correct sun damage.
