Protecting the Face/Skin

[liberty]

[QUOTE=sarahlou;189818]

One of the ladies here told me to try Dermatone. It is a transparent zinc oxide. I have some facial sun spots that get darker over the summer. They are cleverly located where a mustache would be and along my nose. Very lovely.

Liberty, I have the very same problem. It has only started happening in the last year. Have you found anything that lightens the skin? Or is the only thing to do to not get any sun on your face?

Saralou - well, I've tried several skin lightening products. But I am wary of most of them because you have to be careful for several days to not be in the sun while you use them, otherwise it can increase sun damage. Figure that one out! My current facial routine is to use Mary Kay Time Wise cleansers, and then use the MK Even Complexion Essence. I also bought the microdermabrasion stuff, but I have to be careful about it because my skin is so sensitive to abrasive products. I have been very pleased with the MK. Over the winter I've noticed a drastic improvement in the pigmentation of my skin; this is the first summer I will have a sunscreen that works, so I am hoping to maintain the improvements.

I would recommend you get a good sunscreen and blocker, and forget about a tan this year. Don't see why you need to stay out of the sun. Stick to the shade when you don't need to be in the sun. Just be diligent about keeping the zinc oxide on your skin. I make sure to bike during the least sun damaging times of the day too.

I will be able to put Dermatone to a huge test in a few weeks, because i'm going to South America for 10 days. The wonderful land that gave me sun spots in the first place... KnottedYet, thank you so much for recommending Dermatone! Peace of mind in a bottle. I will let you gals know if it stands up to the sub-tropical sun.

[liberty]

Oops, I was going to reply on the Neutragena dry-touch too. It is what I was attempting to use in South America. But I sweat like a horse... I also used it when I began biking, but it did nothing. Sun spots got very dark. I did like how it felt though. Went on nicely under makeup. But Dermatone lotion goes on nicely too. It does leave a very slight, almost invisible white cast to your face. This year who cares if I have a tan! I am going to embrace my pale skin!

Do you realize how much stuff we're "supposed" to be putting on our skin in order to meet the idea of beautiful? Self-tanners, cellulite creams, moisturizers, sunscreen... Good grief! Why can't we just be who we are? There are MORE of us with "supposedly" imperfect bodies than there are with perfect bodies. THEY are the oddballs, not us! Biking does more for my legs than any cellulite cream ever did... Sorry for the thread drift...

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Do you realize how much stuff we're "supposed" to be putting on our skin in order to meet the idea of beautiful? Self-tanners, cellulite creams, moisturizers, sunscreen... Good grief! Why can't we just be who we are? There are MORE of us with "supposedly" imperfect bodies than there are with perfect bodies. THEY are the oddballs, not us! Biking does more for my legs than any cellulite cream ever did... Sorry for the thread drift...

Who's idea of beautiful?- a cosmetic company's?- well of COURSE they want us to slather on as many goops as they can get us to buy! Their idea of beauty is dollar signs. I would never even consider stuff like self tanning lotion (why dye your skin?) or cellulite creams (can't cream away fat).
Sunscreen when in the sun and mositurizer when not in the sun are both good things, though. Moisturizer can mean anything, as simple even as a bit of olive oil.
Last year, after years of using various SPF30 suncreens with no problem, I suddenly broke out in about 100 giant hives after applying my "usual" sunscreen one day! The hives took 6 days to go away- it was AWFUL, like having a disease! So apparently I suddenly developed an allergic reaction the chemical suscreens. Since then I have switched to natural sunBLOCKS instead- those being with titanium dioxide and/or zinc oxide as the ONLY active ingredients. Have not had a problem since.

[KnottedYet]

The chemical sunscreen issue is why I tend to wear long sleeves and long pants and big hats as much as possible. I'm the malignant melanoma poster child, and am supposed to wear sunscreen all the time and every day.

Well, I'm rebellious. I do worry about getting oversensitive to something, so I save the chemical screens for sweaty/wet activities where I need something that won't wash off or can't wear protective clothing. Even then, I put the Dermatone paste OVER the sunscreen on top of my cancer scars. (more is better, right?!?! )

I got some nifty face powder that is spf 18 (ti dioxide) but keep forgetting to use it. I'm not much of a makeup chickie. It's not greasy like the old Neutrogena ti + zinc block lotion so I won't get zits from it, but I just haven't gotten into the habit yet. This is the "new" version of the ti + zinc Neutrogena block I've been hearing about: http://www.drugstore.com/qxp55697_33...kin_spf_30.htm Gonna go to the drugstore today and get some. I'll post a review.

This is where I get my hats: http://www.watership.com/ I love their hats. They have lots of styles to choose from, and they are a local company willing to do repairs if your hat needs them.

[pooks]

My rosacea has gone on a spree and my cheeks and nose are bright red all the time, even when I haven't been outside. So I really do want to use makeup just to look normal. Sigh.

Which means sunscreen/moisturizer, concealer, then foundation. Then if the concealer and foundation really-really worked (which they often don't) I have to brush a bit of blush on. Grrr.

This spring and summer are going to be a real challenge as I spend more time on my bike.

[Thorn]

I suddenly broke out in about 100 giant hives after applying my "usual" sunscreen one day! The hives took 6 days to go away- it was AWFUL, like having a disease! So apparently I suddenly developed an allergic reaction the chemical suscreens.

Oh yeah....try to find more than one brand of sunscreen that works for you and rotate your sunscreen usage if you use it every day. Even if it is Zn/Ti-based. Using the same sunscreen every day increases the changes that you will develop an allergic reaction. What you experienced isn't all that unusual. Rotate, in general, even the Zn/Ti-based because the transport media is not inert.

[KnottedYet]

Ooooh, fun at the drugstore!

I just bought two different Ti-Zn physical blocks. Gonna review them somewhere. (Gear and accessories?)