Shield Your Skin: The Sunscreen Solution for Acne-Prone Skin

Updated on: 19 February, 2023

We all know that skincare is an essential part of our day-to-day routine. Basic skin care includes cleansing, moisturising and sun protection with the use of sunscreen. Now, if you are suffering from acne you might be wondering whether sunscreen for acne-prone skin is safe or not. Is it going to make your oily skin feel more sticky? Is it going to worsen your pimples?

Let’s look into the details and find out the answers to these questions.

Sunscreens safeguard our skin from the unsafe impacts of the sun rays by blocking their entry into the skin. This is achieved in two ways: active ingredients of sunscreen either reflect the UV rays like any mirror or screen (physical sunscreens) or absorb the UV rays themselves, preventing them from entering the skin (chemical sunscreens). 

Thus, sunscreens prevent skin problems like tanning, sunburn, ageing, fine lines and wrinkles and even skin cancer. 

Sunscreen and acne are related to each other in some way or the other. On the one hand, sunscreen is important when your dermatologist has started you on acne medications which makes your skin sensitive to the sun, on the other hand, there are some ingredients in sunscreens that might themselves precipitate acne. 

There are some positive roles that sunscreen plays in acne treatment because of which it should be used. These positive roles are:

Sunscreens help in preventing the worsening of post-acne pigmentation.
Sunscreens prevent the skin from developing redness which may arise out of the use of a few anti- acne oral and topical medications like retinoids.

Sunscreen with heavy, oily and greasy bases tend to cause occlusion of skin pores thereby leading to acne/ pimple breakouts.

There are a few points to consider whenever you buy sunscreen for acne-prone skin. Following are some of these: 

1. Go for a non-comedogenic sunscreen

To begin with, to diminish the probability of getting acne, search for a non-comedogenic sunscreen. 

2. Choose a water/ light liquid base or gel form of sunscreen

It is suggested that people with oily skin should use a light base or gel sunscreen. The sticky or greasy feeling on the skin after sunscreen application can be prevented by using these.

3. Sunscreen with moisturizer is good

A combination of moisturizer and sunscreen is good. The moisturizer keeps your skin hydrated the whole day and sunscreen with SPF 30 or more is an ideal option.

4. Go for a non-perfumed, hypoallergenic and paraben-free sunscreen.

There are certain side effects like allergic reactions which might occur due to the use of sunscreen. These present as redness, burning, tingling, and itching. It’s better to consult a dermatologist before using sunscreen for acne treatment.

It is generally advised to use sunscreen for acne-prone skin on a daily basis, 20-30 minutes before you step out in the sun and must be reapplied after every 2 hours for best results. Frequent reapplications are especially required after sweating heavily or after swimming.