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Tue Jul 29, 2008 2:13 am  |
I've been using Retin A on my sun spots and applying SPF 60 religiously (even on cloudy days)and I think the spots are getting darker!  This is creating some anxiety...I was wondering is it because the sun spots are getting worse, or because I'm getting closer to the "core" of the sun spot? |
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Tue Jul 29, 2008 2:18 am |
| It is possible that the more superficial layers of the skin are exfoliating due to the retin-A, exposing the deeper pigment. Or that the surrounding skin has lightened making the contrast with the sunspots more obvious. This can happen with hydroquinone in the earlier weeks of treatment. But please double check the ingredients of your sunblock to make sure the blocking agents are photostable. If you don't know how to tell, post them here. |
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Tue Jul 29, 2008 2:30 am |
| m1rox wrote: |
| It is possible that the more superficial layers of the skin are exfoliating due to the retin-A, exposing the deeper pigment. Or that the surrounding skin has lightened making the contrast with the sunspots more obvious. This can happen with hydroquinone in the earlier weeks of treatment. But please double check the ingredients of your sunblock to make sure the blocking agents are photostable. If you don't know how to tell, post them here. |
Thanks for the information! I really appreciate it, especially since I was starting to panic. I'm really pale, so pigmentation stresses me out.
The sunscreen is Vanicream SPF 60
Active ingredients: titanium dioxide (7.5%), zinc oxide (7.5%)
Inactive ingredients: alumina, C12-15 alkyl denzoate, caprylic/capric triglyceride, cetearyl isononanoate, cetyl alcohol, isopropyl titanium triisostearate/trethoxycaprylylsilane crosspolymer, magnesium sulfate, methylpropanediol, PEG-12 dimethicone, PEG-30 dipolyhydroxystearate, phenyl trimethicone, polyethylene, polyhydroxystearic acid, purified water, sodium ascorbyl phosphate, stearyl dimethicone, tetrasodium EDTA, tocopheryl acetate, triethoxycaprylylsilane |
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Tue Jul 29, 2008 3:15 am |
I strongly suggest you try and get yourself a chemical sunscreen if you can tolerate it. La roche posay or Avene brands, minimum SPF50.
If you can't tolerate chemicals, then consider SVR SPF50 physical sunscreen (www.skincarecentral.biz)which is lightly tinted or Bioderma photoderm mineral SPF50 or RoC Bebe mineral SPF50. If you can get hold or one of these european sunscreens, the protection would be better. I think the PPD value of the sunblock you have posted is too low to support your usage of retin-A. |
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Tue Jul 29, 2008 3:31 am |
| m1rox wrote: |
I strongly suggest you try and get yourself a chemical sunscreen if you can tolerate it. La roche posay or Avene brands, minimum SPF50.
If you can't tolerate chemicals, then consider SVR SPF50 physical sunscreen (www.skincarecentral.biz)which is lightly tinted or Bioderma photoderm mineral SPF50 or RoC Bebe mineral SPF50. If you can get hold or one of these european sunscreens, the protection would be better. I think the PPD value of the sunblock you have posted is too low to support your usage of retin-A. |
Thanks so much! I have the day off from work tomorrow, so I will go shopping for one of those... |
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Tue Jul 29, 2008 3:57 am |
| To get maximum protection on the areas you are anxious about, you can apply chemical sunscreen first and physical sunscreen on top. It can be a good idea when the sun rays are strong and you are going to stay outside for a while. |
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Female, 40, Norway. Normal/dry skin, starting to see signs of aging. Staples: Glycolic acid cleanser, SkinCeuticals Phloretin CF, Revaleskin, NIA24. |
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Tue Jul 29, 2008 7:53 am |
| One more suggestion: Wear a brimmed hat during the peak sun hours. Blocking the sun entirely beats even the best sunscreen. (Not that you should skip sunscreen--use both!) |
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Tue Jul 29, 2008 9:19 am |
| If you want to add something to try and accelerate the clearing of the sun spots, I suggest Skinceuticals Phyto plus (the green one - not the corrective gel). You can apply it in the AM and retin A in the PM or twice daily (wait one hour after retin A to apply). It has action similar to hydroquinone but weaker. However less risk of side effects. Retin A and hydroquinone are combined together in a preparation called Triluma which is very costly. If you use retin A and the Skinceuticals product together, it would follow similar principles to the Triluma formulation. Obagi also uses a similar concept of combining a retin product with hydroquinone for lightening. |
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Tue Jul 29, 2008 10:05 am |
| Wow! I had no idea you could layer chemical and physical sunscreens. I'm IN! |
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Vehicle is a 1952 scratch and dent model....olive-ish, dry skin, long curly gray hair. Staples: Tazorac, 2mm Dermaroller, Anti Aging Light Stim, Devita Sunscreens, homemade C serums, some positive affirmations and whatever else it takes! Kicking and screaming the whole way... |
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Tue Jul 29, 2008 11:34 am |
| mountaingirl wrote: |
| Wow! I had no idea you could layer chemical and physical sunscreens. I'm IN! |
This is the trick used by the skin guru, Dr. Leslie Baumann, herself.
Quote from Dr. Baumann:
4. If I'm going to spend any significant time in the sun, though, a moisturizer with SPF is not enough. I add a chemical sunscreen like La Roche-Posay Anthelios SPF 15 (if I'm lucky, I might even have some of the SPF 50+ version that's only available abroad), followed by Blue Lizard Australian Suncream for sensitive skin. (The Blue Lizard is a physical sunscreen - that is, it contains zinc oxide and titanium oxide to reflect light - and may appear white for the first few minutes after it's applied.) Using both a chemical and a physical sunscreen might seem like overkill, but it's absolutely the best way to protect skin in sunny environments.
http://health.yahoo.com/experts/skintype/11397/a-daily-skin-care-routine/ |
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Female, 40, Norway. Normal/dry skin, starting to see signs of aging. Staples: Glycolic acid cleanser, SkinCeuticals Phloretin CF, Revaleskin, NIA24. |
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Mon Aug 04, 2008 1:21 pm |
| Hi, I use Obagi tretinoin 0.5 percent although I do dilute with eyecream for around eye area. Has anyone tried Ultrasun face? I like it because it dries matte and you only need apply it once a day. It's SPF 30 and 98 percent UVA protection. I have slightly oily skin so i use Sunforgettable powder (SPF 30; contains only titanium and zinc oxide) over the top (I pat it on with a makeup pad once sunscreen has dried) and that works great. If the sun is out I always try to wear a hat and big glasses out of doors. This is how i manage to ward off most freckles without looking like I'm wearing kabuki makeup! |
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