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I have started my second 30-day treatment of Accutane and I of course am experiencing extreme sun sensitivity to the point where I can't even be in sunlight for about 1 minute without my face turning red. I got facial sunscreen to help alleviate this problem but it doesn't seem to really help. I am currently using this Neutrogena Sport Face SPF 70 and even though I grease up my face with it I still am turning significantly red in the little sun exposure I am getting.
I was using this other Neutrogena Clear Face sunscreen but it was sweating down my face and I decided that wasn't a good thing so I opted to go for the other stuff I got. Even though the stuff I am using is SPF 70 my face still was pretty red the past few days even when I layered it on and tried to stay out of the sun.
Is there anything else I can do to help? I know they make higher SPF and I am willing to try it but I don't want to keep spending money on stuff that won't work and then have all this stuff sitting around. The sun is out and I am going to an anniversary party with my family and a couple of them already remarked yesterday how my face was red. I don't want to grease up my face for nothing, I don't know what to do since this doesn't seem to make any difference.
Try finding a strong sunblock rather than a sunscreen. Sunblocks block the rays while a sunscreen actually absorbs it. That may be making you feel the heat and turn red. Just a suggestion. Always wear a hat with a wide brim too.
A zinc based block can also minimize the appearance of some of the redness since they are typically white.
i think its less to do with sun and more to do with side effects.not that i am denying accutane makes u light sensitive.
following brandy's line of suggestion,i suggest neutregena pure & free sunscreen(the baby range) u also get pretty high spf there.
(i am not sure which country u r from,for its not available in mine although the chemical sunscreens are quite popular)
First, stop wasting your money on SPF 70. High numbered sunblock does more harm to your skin than an SPF 30. An SPF 30 does just as good a job as 70, but without the added irritants to your skin. When you start using numbers past 30, companies dump a bunch more crap into the product so they can say, "Yes, this product is different than our 30 product. So pay more"
Also, I would stay away from Neutrogena and any of the other over the counter brands that are also filled with lots of chemicals to irritate your face. I would try a natural health food store and buy a product that is organic and heals. Vitamin E, aloe vera, etc are some good ingredients.
Unfortunately, you're probably going to have to go the "not so cool" route and wear a large brimmed hat for awhile. I would purchase something that states that it blocks sun and has an SPF rating. I just bought one at Costco and I love it.
Hope this helps.
First, stop wasting your money on SPF 70. High numbered sunblock does more harm to your skin than an SPF 30. An SPF 30 does just as good a job as 70, but without the added irritants to your skin. When you start using numbers past 30, companies dump a bunch more crap into the product so they can say, "Yes, this product is different than our 30 product. So pay more"
Also, I would stay away from Neutrogena and any of the other over the counter brands that are also filled with lots of chemicals to irritate your face. I would try a natural health food store and buy a product that is organic and heals. Vitamin E, aloe vera, etc are some good ingredients.
Unfortunately, you're probably going to have to go the "not so cool" route and wear a large brimmed hat for awhile. I would purchase something that states that it blocks sun and has an SPF rating. I just bought one at Costco and I love it.
Hope this helps.
So there's no reason to go higher than 30? I am just wondering because I am very pale and I always sunburn instead of tan regardless of whether I'm on acne medication. So the sun and I have never been great friends and now my pasty skin is being exacerbated further.
It is true that 30 is no better than 70. My dermatologist told me that exact same thing. I would recommend exactly what brandy suggested and try a sunblock rather than SPF. If you cant find a good sunblock Try and go with non chemical sunscreens and try going with zinc. That could also help. I was on acutanne during the summer as well and I managed to spend hours and hours out on the water without issues I live on the water basically in the summer, and I was using a zinc sunscreen. I reapplied when I got wet and I stayed good. No issues unless I forgot sunscreen then it's a big issue.
I'm not sure if someone else mentioned that while you are on accutane you get what is referred to as "tane burn". It here's worse and worse every month unless you are using a lotion that helps with redness reduction and that can help a bit. I used CeraVe and that has ingredients reduces redness and I love it and don't via day without it even now. This tane burn that I am talking about won't go away until you are off the accutane, so when you say you turn red while you are in the sun it is probably tane burn rather than the sun effecting you that quickly. Unfortunatly there is nothing you can do about it. It will disappear within a month and a half of getting off the medication and gets lighter day by day so that is good, you just have to come up with inventive ways to explain it if you don't want to tell them you are on this medication. A hat will always do the trick and wearing a light long sleeve shirt will protect you from the sun too. It all depends on how much it bothers you what lengths you will go.
Some people can't go out during the day it is that bad for them and the walk in the shade and go out in the evening time which I know is no way to live. Maybe you could talk to your derm about it and get your dosage lowered if it is such a issue. If you're on high dosages I know it can get bad.