Sunscreen for Face

[VickieH]

With the arrival of spring skiing, I need sunscreen for my face. My skin - especially face and hands - is sensitive to a lot of stuff, so the more organic/natural/hypoallergenic, the better. I prefer a high SPF, but need to balance that with my ability to actually use the product. Recommendations?

 

[fatbob]

Erm - surely you need sunscreen everyday of the season unless you ski only on total storm days?

I've seen people very badly burnt on "light cloud" days

 

[AmyPJ]

I wear sunscreen 365 days a year, but beef up what I'm wearing when skiing on sunny days and anytime I'll be outdoors a lot. The physical blockers work the best, even though they are a bit more difficult to work in. I've also heard more than once that the chemical blockers are not great for you, but...
Anyway, I found this stuff at Target called Babyganics that I really like. My husband also has really sensitive skin (some sunscreens give him a rash) and this doesn't:
http://www.amazon.com/Babyganics-Mi...=1459772160&sr=8-1&keywords=babyganics+spf+50

 

[crgildart]

I've got pretty sensitive ginger skin. I got the worst sunburn of my adult life skiing in spring at 10K on a bluebird day, Altitude makes it worse. That said, though I try to put something on my face I don't always remember. Also, what starts out as a cold day with snow gums blasting, and maybe natural falling can end up with the clouds clearing and temps shooting up with bluebird sun by 11am. So, unless I head back to the car my face is unprotected.. Though I should, I never keep sunscreen in my pants pocket and am skiing without a jacket when it is that warm. I only have a problem from March in when I don't have sunscreen, Dermatologists will tell us that sunscreen is needed every day everywhere outdoors though because the damage is happening even when we don't feel it or see it initially. I need to try harder to keep a stick or something travel and altitude friendly on my person when skiing. I really hate opening that bottle after traveling up 5-10K to the resort though.

 

[Monique]

Definitely interested in this thread. Pretty much every sunscreen, including the hypoallergenic ones, hurt my face when I apply them. A ski instructor friend swears by Zinc (physical blocker) sunscreens. I just ordered some (amazon prime has made me totally lazy) and hope it won't bother my skin.

My issue always seems to be a 2mm strip just above my upper lip. I am careful to apply sunscreen there, but I must rub it off or something. I get a sunburn / freckle line there even when the rest of my face is fine.

 

[Dave Petersen]

Worse sunburn I ever had was back in college. Went out for a spring break trip to Copper Mountain and Keystone - I wanted a ski tan so stupid me, I used no sunblock at all. The sunburn was so bad I had blisters on my lips and developed a fever.

I am 100 percent Danish with a really fair complexion, blue eyes and reddish/blonde hair. Today I am paying for the stupidity of my youth. I have had malignant melonoma but they caught it early enough with surgery.

Actually I am on the "cancer survivor" mailing list - I never have thought of myself in those terms, but I guess it could have been bad if not for the early detection.

When skiing I really cover up and with any exposed skin (basically only my nose) I use a high SPF sun block. In the summer I only do yard work in the evening when the sun is low. Plus I have to go in for screenings twice a year. Believe me, they check everywhere. Even areas that never see the light of day! There is no modesty during a skin cancer check.

 

[fatbob]

Definitely interested in this thread. Pretty much every sunscreen, including the hypoallergenic ones, hurt my face when I apply them. A ski instructor friend swears by Zinc (physical blocker) sunscreens. I just ordered some (amazon prime has made me totally lazy) and hope it won't bother my skin.

My issue always seems to be a 2mm strip just above my upper lip. I am careful to apply sunscreen there, but I must rub it off or something. I get a sunburn / freckle line there even when the rest of my face is fine.

I have a solution for that - grow a moustache YMMV

Actually around the lips is always hardest I assume its a feature of (subconscious) lip licking in cold dry air. I always try to sloppily apply chapstick frequently to compensate.

 

[janeskis]

I like Dermatone for sun/wind protection on cloudy/storm days, and Neutrogena Beach Defense SPF 70 for sunny days. My upper lip tends to get burned more often too- Probably because my nose runs, and so when I blow my nose, I wipe off any sun protection?

 

[SBrown]

I like Dermatone for sun/wind protection on cloudy/storm days, and Neutrogena Beach Defense SPF 70 for sunny days. My upper lip tends to get burned more often too- Probably because my nose runs, and so when I blow my nose, I wipe off any sun protection?

I have told this story before, but when I was about 11, I apparently wiped off all the PreSun around my mouth at lunch. Spring day at Loveland. Burned the snot out of that area, and then it proceeded to turn dark tan and then peel. I looked like Richard Nixon for a week. It was scarring.

 

[Yo Momma]

I've been using these guys for years now, no nonsense or crazy ingredients........ their motto is treat these lotions and salves like food.......... Their sunscreens work w/o making me break out and their lotions are the best I've ever tried. They are a small co out of New Mexico so they know Sun!

Sun Screen: http://supersalve.com/salves2.html#sunsalve

Lotion (this stuff is Heaven!) : Calendula Flower is the one I use: http://supersalve.com/hand-body-lotions.html#calendulaflowerhandbodylotion

 

[Tricia]

I don't like greasy products on my face so I use Aveno daily moisturizer with spf 30 on a daily basis and carry some extra with me in my boot bag. Seems to work well for me

Our shop started to carry Super Goop this season. They have a mineral based version that our customers seem to love
http://www.supergoop.com

 

[Don in Morrison]

About six years ago at Copper someone was passing out little bottles of sunscreen and tubes of lip balm. It was a promo that Jeep was running at the time, so all the products were labeled "Jeep." I don't have a clue what brand they really are, but I've been using them on sunny spring days ever since, and they seem to work fine. I'm Norwegian, and I don't tan, I fricassee, and the sunscreen has served me well. I think the sunscreen bottle only has a little bit left in it, so I might be buying some more next year.

 

[Rudi Riet]

The basics as a guy who spends a lot of time in the outdoors, both on skis and on a bicycle:

- Wear sunscreen for all daytime outdoor activities, whether it's overcast or not. UV rays can - and do - penetrate cloud layers, especially at altitude.
- Wear a broad spectrum sunscreen that blocks both UVA and UVB rays and is at least SPF 30.
- If you are wary of possibly carcinogenic chemicals, use a zinc-based sunscreen (which may make your complexion a bit "frosted," even the so-called "clear" zinc).
- Reapply often, especially if you sweat or wipe an area of skin regularly.
- Apply to your lips, eyelids (if you don't wear goggles), ears and earlobes, etc. - areas many people miss and that are frequent "first contact" areas for skin cancers.
- Hair cover is not a 100 percent effective sunblock, so on really sunny days it's wise to apply a thin sunblock to beards, mustaches, and exposed scalp hair areas (many melanomas are discovered underneath areas covered by thick hair - it's not UV impermeable).
- When you are done for the day, wash the stuff off as thoroughly as possible.

If you find a sunscreen you like, use it! It can take a while to find one that works, so try many until you find one that suits you.

 

[Lorenzzo]

This is coming from a dark skinned Italian guy so take it with a grain of salt although it is based on advice from a dermatologist and I have a fair skinned bike worshipping gf who's had sun/skin issues.

Neutrogena is pretty good because it is skin gentle for most and contains Helioplex which broadens UV protection beyond just A and B and helps an application last longer than most sunscreens.

However if I was fair skinned I'd probably use a zinc product. Also, remember to reapply as most screens only last a couple of hours. And ditch old sunscreen it loses effectiveness over time.

I have three friends who've had melanoma.

 

[cantunamunch]

Be aware that just because something says UVA and UVB on the package doesn't mean it is a good sunscreen - because good UVA and UVB blockers cannot be put in the same suspension in effective concentrations without reacting with each other.

The most effective solution currently on market is clear-but-separate encapsulation of UVA and UVB inside a solid material shell - the material being silicone or similar gel. That is currently in a patent fight.
The second most effective solution on market is encapsulation of one (usually UVA) and suspension of the other in a water-oil emulsion around the other. L'Oreal own this technology and aren't giving an inch.

The third most effective solution is encapsulation in lipids - the problem with these is that if the micelles break the UV agent is going to penetrate your skin (and cause a rash or worse) or react with the *other* agent.

Everything else is marketing, scent, and viscosity tweaking.

 

[Mel]

I'm a pale redhead, so I've tried just about every sunscreen out there. I don't have hugely sensitive skin, though. I've found that the best system for me is to use a thick cream sunscreen SPF 40+ on my whole face and neck first thing in the morning, before I leave the house. It gives it plenty of time to soak in and "set" before I'm putting on goggles or doing anything else to rub it off. I have about a 90 minute drive to the ski hill.

I keep one of these http://www.kinesys.com/collections/zinc/products/spf-30-sun-protection-stick in the pocket of every ski jacket, and one in each of my kids' jacket pockets. It's a little stick of SPF 30 that I can use to touch up my face and lips every time I stop to go to the bathroom or eat something. Both of my kids are blond and pale, so I'm trying to teach them to think about it too.

 

[SBrown]

My mom has osteoporosis from low Vitamin D, because 40 years of skin cancer issues has made her cover up and slather up so much. Now she's scared to go skiing anymore.

I never wear sunscreen November thru January, and have never gotten much sun, even in high altitude. I wear it religiously from mid-February on, reapplying during daytime, and still get a goggle tan.

I don't really have a point, except that nothing is foolproof.

 

[AmyPJ]

I've been using these guys for years now, no nonsense or crazy ingredients........ their motto is treat these lotions and salves like food.......... Their sunscreens work w/o making me break out and their lotions are the best I've ever tried. They are a small co out of New Mexico so they know Sun!

Sun Screen: http://supersalve.com/salves2.html#sunsalve

Lotion (this stuff is Heaven!) : Calendula Flower is the one I use: http://supersalve.com/hand-body-lotions.html#calendulaflowerhandbodylotion

OK, that stuff sounds great! Just looked at the ingredients. How sweat resistant is it?

 

[AmyPJ]

This is coming from a dark skinned Italian guy so take it with a grain of salt although it is based on advice from a dermatologist and I have a fair skinned bike worshipping gf who's had sun/skin issues.

Neutrogena is pretty good because it is skin gentle for most and contains Helioplex which broadens UV protection beyond just A and B and helps an application last longer than most sunscreens.

However if I was fair skinned I'd probably use a zinc product. Also, remember to reapply as most screens only last a couple of hours. And ditch old sunscreen it loses effectiveness over time.

I have three friends who've had melanoma.

I've had several with melanoma, one who died last year at the age of 35 We lived next to him in military housing for 4 years while he was going through surgery after surgery, and nasty treatment after nasty treatment. Hideous, hideous disease.

 

[AmyPJ]

My mom has osteoporosis from low Vitamin D, because 40 years of skin cancer issues has made her cover up and slather up so much. Now she's scared to go skiing anymore.

I never wear sunscreen November thru January, and have never gotten much sun, even in high altitude. I wear it religiously from mid-February on, reapplying during daytime, and still get a goggle tan.

I don't really have a point, except that nothing is foolproof.

I take a vit D supplement for this AND will allow my arms to get some sun pretty regularly when it's warm enough. But my face, oy it tells the story of my teenage and adulthood sun-worshipping days so I'm doing whatever I can to preserve what's left of it.