Sunscreen "Sweating"
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free skin care · Tue May 10, 2011 11:33 am

Hi Everyone,

I have a question about sunscreens that "sweat" when exposed to the sunlight or heat.
I noticed that my Remergent "High Intensity" sunscreen, which I tend to wear when I'm running, gets ultra-sweaty after about 20 minutes, with beads of sweat on top of the sunscreen. Which leads me to the conclusion that it's not reliable as a sunscreen! I wear it only on the backs of my hands now while running, and wonder if I should even bother, since they sweat so badly even if it's not hot outside (I live in Chicago, so I can count the mornings on one half a hand that have given us weather over 50 degrees F)
So then I decided to wear it on a scar on my forearm just walking around town, and guess what? as soon as my body heated up a little, I got those little sweat beads again, only on the area where I had applied the sunscreen (i.e. my skin is NOT at all sweaty and totally dry all around the area where I haven't applied it.
I've now switched entirely to Burnout, which I use on my face. But come to think of it, a lot of other sunscreens have a tendency to do this, although most are chemical, not physical.

So this thread will be twofold: one, list the physical sunscreens that have a tendency to "sweat," and two, discuss whether or not they are actually reliable or not, and why!

--avalange

free skin care · Tue May 10, 2011 12:08 pm

That's the reason why sunscreen directions tell you to re-apply after perspiration. If you are perspiring it's totally understandable the sunscreen would roll off your skin. This happens to me every time I go to the gym and I totally anticipate it happening.

What you need is a water resistant sunscreen. I have used the Shiseido Spf 55 Cream and even though it will bead up, I can tell it's still on my face because it is SO difficult to wash off.

free skin care · Tue May 10, 2011 12:09 pm

Well when you are exercising and generating heat inside the body, your body has to find some way to cool down. I'm guessing that the beads form because the sunscreen is actually providing a waxy layer, which is needed for it to be waterproof. Your sweat is mostly consisted of water, so it will have a tendency to form beads on something that is waterproof.

And with any sunscreen, you WILL have to reapply when you sweat or go swimming. It doesn't matter if the sunscreen says waterproof or not, you still have to reapply if you wanted the advertised SPF because no sunscreen is 100% water-/rub-proof. So yeah, I would continue to apply sunscreen even if it seems to be "sweating" off
I would

free skin care · Tue May 10, 2011 1:43 pm

The number after SPF tells the number of minutes in the sun it gives protection,
eg. SPF 15 = 15 minutes
SPF 30 = 30 minutes
and so on.
I reapply regardless, I use Burnout at this time, followed by a powder physical sunscreen (SPF 30) which I reapply all during the day.
With the combination of a cream based physical sunscreen and the powder physical sunscreen on top, even in Florida's extreme heat I have not had any sweating, well the sunscreen doesn't sweat anyway.

free skin care · Tue May 10, 2011 2:14 pm

That's not quite how SPF works Darkmoon. It's the time you can spend outside with sunscreen vs without for skin to develop erythema. So, if your skin normally turns pink in 1 minute, SPF 15 means it will take 15 minutes to develop that same erythema. But if your skin normally takes 10 minutes to turn pink, an SPF 15 means it will take 150 minutes and so on.

free skin care · Tue May 10, 2011 4:06 pm

I apply the sunscreen five minutes before going outside, and it sweats almost immediately when I begin to run (within the first 10 minutes). I ask because the SS that sweats the most is a "sport" sunscreen, SPF 45, from Remergent. It's labeled a "high intensity" sunscreen.

I reapply several times during the day, so I understand that after sweating, swimming, exercising, one would have to reapply.

That's not quite my question--my question is, what about sunscreens that seem to "sweat" almost immediately upon exposure to sunlight or heat?

--avalange

free skin care · Tue May 10, 2011 4:12 pm

avalange wrote:

I apply the sunscreen five minutes before going outside, and it sweats almost immediately when I begin to run (within the first 10 minutes). I ask because the SS that sweats the most is a "sport" sunscreen, SPF 45, from Remergent. It's labeled a "high intensity" sunscreen.

I reapply several times during the day, so I understand that after sweating, swimming, exercising, one would have to reapply.

That's not quite my question--my question is, what about sunscreens that seem to "sweat" almost immediately upon exposure to sunlight or heat?

--avalange

avalange,

I wish I could answer but I have never run into that problem? Sorry hope someone will chime in with an answer for you.

free skin care · Tue May 10, 2011 4:18 pm

Josh wrote:

That's not quite how SPF works Darkmoon. It's the time you can spend outside with sunscreen vs without for skin to develop erythema. So, if your skin normally turns pink in 1 minute, SPF 15 means it will take 15 minutes to develop that same erythema. But if your skin normally takes 10 minutes to turn pink, an SPF 15 means it will take 150 minutes and so on.

Agree, however the actual human testing was only done on extremely fair skinned individuals who typically burn quite easily. How I apply that to myself who used to bake in the sun with just oil on even with "winter skin" all day in Florida, Jamaica, Hawaii, ect. and never in 57 years have had a single sunburn is still a bit confusing?
For many years now I avoid the sun and use sunscreen mainly to avoid hyperpigmentation, sun damage/aging and of course skin cancer.

free skin care · Wed May 11, 2011 9:20 am

An idea: Maybe the sunscreen "sweating" is because the chemical UV filters are converting UV rays to heat, and then that part of your skin releases sweat to cool itself...

So does the sweating happen only when exposed to sun, or regardless?

Tue May 24, 2011 5:21 pm

Try some of the Asian sunscreens like shiseido. They are aware of the fact that skin does sweat in the sun and design their products so that they're not greasy and therefore do not slide off of the skin.

free skin care · Wed May 25, 2011 3:42 pm

For me it happens when the sunscreen is exposed to direct sunlight for an extended period of time ... i.e. sitting on the sidelines at my daughter's soccer games. I try and avoid the sun when I can; I am too fair to sit out. I usually end up with a heat rash (oh so pretty Neutral

)

I've tried more sunscreens than I can count and all run into my eyes. I'm assuming that what is running into my eyes is from my forehead because I don't apply sunscreen on my eyelids. What I have found works best is using the MAC makeup primer in SPF 50. I apply my makeup over it and wear a visor. I still reapply unscreen on my face (not forehead) throughout the day, but keep my visor on. As long as I am wearing a visor, my forehead is protected and my eyes aren't irritated. The sunscreen I prefer for my face for those days is Neutrogena with Helioplex.

For days where I am just walking around, I like Devita or Osmosis Shelter.

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