No matter what sunscreen brand you go for, there’s always a chance that it could cause a reaction if you’re allergic to an ingredient in it. Of course, some are worse than others, with sunscreen for sensitive skin being a common choice for people with this kind of skin.
It’s for this reason that dermatologists always recommend trying any kind of cosmetic product on a small area of skin first. This ‘just in case’ approach is one that can spare you from an all-over-body irritation problem – so it shouldn’t be missed.
Patch Tests Aren’t Always Effective Indicators
The thing is, patch tests aren’t always the best indicator of determining whether a particular brand of sunscreen for sensitive skin is right for you. Some allergic reactions only manifest after you’ve used a certain ingredient a number of times.
In the event that you experience irritation after using sunscreen, you should stop using it immediately and perhaps talk to your doctor or dermatologist. Keep the sunscreen bottle in your possession, though, as you’ll need to analyse it to see what ingredients are inside.
An expert will be able to tell you what ingredients may cause you a problem and give you options that will help you avoid using it again. Oftentimes, the recommendation is a mineral product, as they’re known for being gentler to the skin.
Mineral Sunscreen For Sensitive Skin Is The Gentlest
Generally speaking, mineral sunscreens are simply designed better to cater for the needs of people with sensitive skin. The reason for this is that they’re usually made from zinc oxide or titanium oxide – both of which are non-comedogenic (the official word that denotes a product won’t clog your pores).
Chemical sunscreens, on the other hand, contain a myriad of chemicals (hence the name), and they need to be absorbed into the skin to work. Unlike mineral brands that sit atop the skin, they do not need to enter the skin or, indeed, the bloodstream, making them far more gentle.
You have to take a cursory glance at what chemical sunscreens are doing to the coral reefs to see that they are damaging to biological creatures. Bleached white and rendered inhabitable by the millions of tons of sunscreen that enter the oceans each year, these reefs are done for if things don’t change.
Zinc and titanium dioxide, however, occur in nature anyway and cause no such damage. Ask yourself, which of the two (chemical or mineral) would you most like to put on your sensitive skin? Exactly!
Minor Adjustments to Your Sun Protection Regime Can Help
Many people find that the mere act of switching to a mineral-based sunscreen for sensitive skin does wonders for their skin issues. Healthy skin always needs protection against the sun, so it’s not really a product that anyone can really afford to avoid using.
So, if you want to take one step in any direction to avoid a sunscreen reaction, buy a mineral product, as the chances of any kind of flare-up go down dramatically when you do.