Member-only story
3 Reasons Your Sunscreen Causes Breakouts
Your skin may be reacting to something different than you think
I have pale skin. Like translucent. The kind of skin that burns beneath cloud cover. The kind of skin that shows sun damage from sporadically forgotten hats on summer days.
I also have sensitive skin. And I’ll spare you the descriptive list, but let’s just say that I have reactions and breakouts on the regular, even at my advanced age (which feels more advanced every second, lately.)
All this is to say that I both need sunblock and suffer for wearing it. I have tried what feels like every brand under the sun (no pun intended…okay, maybe sort of), and I have yet to discover one that I can truly wear daily without repercussions or at least heavy cleanup afterward. I know I’m not alone in my plight.
What I want to know is, why? And what can those of us in this position do? Are we relegated to a life of indoor activities and hat head?
1. Dirt
The most common assumption is that thick, greasy sunscreens congest pores and cause skin irritation. But according to Dr. Anthony Rossi Jr., board-certified dermatologist and founder of Dr. Rossi Derm M.D, often it’s actually the formulation of a given sunscreen that causes breakouts. “Additives…