Question: I can't seem to find a good sunscreen. Is it okay to not wear one?
Answer:
It is better to wear sunscreen, but it's okay if you don't, only if you take other sun protection precautions.
Finding a good sunscreen that agrees with your skin (meaning one that doesn’t break you out, leave a white cast, make you feel greasy, or dry you out) is very difficult. Wearing sunscreen is especially important when you are on prescription products or other acne treatments that make your skin more sensitive to the sun.
However, in my opinion, if you are trying to treat acne and haven’t found a sunscreen that doesn’t break you out, it’s okay to leave it out of your skin care routine for the time being because you don’t want to use anything that will aggravate your skin even more. But, again, it’s always best to wear sunscreen whenever possible.
If you can’t find a good sunscreen for whatever reason, here are some tips that will help you stay away from the sun’s dangers:
Avoid the sun.
If you can’t wear sunscreen, then avoid the sun whenever you can, especially during peak hours. Even if you are not outside, you can still get sun damage. Driving in your car, walking from your car to the grocery store, and staring out your office window are all ways UV rays can penetrate your skin.
Wear protective clothing.
Wear big floppy hats, giant sunglasses, and UV proof clothing. You can also purchase the Face Visor. However, it's hard to find outside of Asia and even if you do find it, it’s pretty dorky looking.
Cover your windows.
UV rays penetrate through windows even on cloudy days. You can tint your car or home windows or use UV Shield for additional sun protection.
In Asia, some makeup mirrors or powder cases have a UV detector on them. These detectors signal an alert when a certain area is exposed to large amounts of UV light. I don’t think there’s anything like that in the US yet, however, you can make your very own UV detector bracelet with these UV Beads.
You don't have to be overly obsessive about avoiding the sun (some sun is good for you), but it's best to protect your skin whenever possible.
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