Are you confused by what is available in your dermatologist’s office, online or at the store?  This is a breakdown of what some of the most popular dermatologist recommended sunscreens contain.  I hope that it helps when you are trying to make the decision about what sunscreen to purchase.  We all need to wear it, but you won’t wear it if you don’t love it- so find one you love.

Z-Silc SPF 30 contains micronized zinc oxide, goes on clear, and is fragrance free.  This sunscreen is great for sensitive skin, children and all over body usage.

Ti-Silc SPF 45 contains micronized zinc oxide and is waterproof.  This sunscreen is essential for those long days on the boat or those mornings at the tennis court.  This is also what I keep in my car to put on my hands while I am driving.

Journee Bio-Restorative Day Cream SPF 30 is my favorite sunscreen for daily use on my face, neck and chest.  It contains three of the essential four ingredients we should be putting on our skin.  Green tea (antioxidant), PSP (processed skin cell proteins, also known as human growth factors), and SPF 30.  I advise all of my patients to make sure that their daily sunscreen is SPF 30 or greater, if it is not, it’s protective abilities are gone by lunch.    I love this sunscreen because I think of it as my anti- aging cream, it does not smell and I am actually doing something good for my skin when I put it on (reversing the signs of aging as well as preventing damage).  It is slightly pricey, but so is anything with human growth factors, and this bottle will last at least six months if not nine.

Anthelios SPF 40 is a light non-greasy, fragrance-free daily use moisturizer with broad spectrum sunscreen.  It combines Parsol 1789 (Avobenzone) with an innovative ingredient, Mexoryl SX (the most effective FDA approved organic filter designed to protect against UVA rays), with high photostability, a key factor in sunscreen protection efficacy.   This high photostability means the sunscreen will maintain a higher UVA protective ability longer and not degrade as quickly as other FDA approved UVA filters when exposed to the sun.  This moisturizer/sun block is great for daily wear and specifically for those who are exposed to the sun for extended periods of time without the ability to reapply.

Replenix CF Advanced Anti-Photoaging Complex SPF 45 has been formulated with Avobenzone (Parsol 1789) and Micronized Zinc Oxide to block UV radiation and provide broad spectrum UVA/UVB protection.This advanced sun protection product also delivers a unique antioxidant free radical quenching and neutralizing complex composed of Silymarin, Activated Vitamin E, Bisabolol, Green Tea Polyphenols, Ectoin and Caffeine.  Studies have shown that both green tea and caffeine help decrease the visible erythema (redness) seen in rosacea patients, therefore this sunscreen is a great option for those patients with rosacea.  This is one of our most popular sunscreens largely because it has no unpleasant odor, goes on clear and smooth, but most importantly has two of the top four recommended ingredients for our skin green tea (antioxidants) and sunscreen (spf 45).

Skin Medica’s Environmental Defense SPF 30.  This sunscreen contains mineralized zinc oxide that provides both UVA and UVB protection in a single ingredient.  It is transparent, therefore invisible on the skin and will not stain clothing. It also contains Parsol MCX (octinoxate) an FDA approved organic sunscreen (chemical sunscreen) that provides additional UVB absorption.  Green tea extract and caffeine which have proven antioxidant and UV protective qualities, studies have shown that this duo does wonders for decreasing erythema (redness) of the skin.  Hyaluronic acid, a natural moisturizer, provides instant hydrating and skin soothing properties. Vitamin E, one of the most active, natural, free radical scavenging antioxidants.  Ceramide 3, a plant-derived, lipid that helps to rapidly restore the skin’s lipid barrier and greatly influences the water-holding capacity of the skin.

This sunscreen is fantastic for all skin types, it is oil-free and therefore great for acne-prone or rosacea skin types, also great as a post procedure sunscreen. It is one of our most popular sunscreens as it contains 2 of the top 4 recommended ingredients for our skin, antioxidants and sunscreen.

Obagi C Sunguard is an SPF 30 UVA/UVB Broadspectrum Sunscreen that is part of the Obagi C RX System Skin Care Regimen.  It has 9 % Micronized Zinc Oxide and 7.5% Octinoxate as active ingredients and goes on extremely smooth.  I recommend this sunscreen for oily, acne prone skin.

Obagi NuDerm SPF 35 Sunscreen is step 6 of the Obagi NuDerm System.  It is a broadspectrum UVA/UVB Sunscreen which includes 9 % Micronized Zinc Oxide and 7.5% Octinoxate as active ingredients.  Users of Obagi NuDerm are lovers of this sunscreen.

SkinCeuticals Sport UV Defense SPF 45 is a fantastic sunscreen for a day out on the boat, the beach or the golf course.  It is waterproof and sweatproof to deliver maximum protection during high-energy activities.  This sunblock contains 4.5 % transparent zinc oxide as well as 7.5% octinoxate to block both UVA and UVB rays and help prevent the premature signs of aging while enjoying the great outdoors.  All ingredients are encapsulated in dimethicone to provide increased SPF with fewer chemicals, thus reducing the chances of irritation.

Sport UV Defense contains transparent zinc oxide as well as other active sunscreens to help protect against damaging UVA rays proven to cause premature signs of aging. All sunscreen ingredients are encapsulated in dimethicone to provide increased SPF with fewer chemicals, reducing the chances of irritation.  It is PABA-free, oil-free and fragrance-free, thus great for any skin type.

Last but certainly not least, is Anthelios SPF 15 with Mexoryl.  This was the first sunscreen released in the US with the ingredient Mexoryl. Like the Anthelios SPF 40, it is a light non-greasy, fragrance-free daily use moisturizer with broad spectrum sunscreen.  It combines Parsol 1789 (Avobenzone) with an innovative ingredient, Mexoryl SX (the most effective FDA approved organic filter designed to protect against UVA rays), with high photostability, a key factor in sunscreen protection efficacy.   This high photostability means the sunscreen will maintain a higher UVA protective ability longer and not degrade as quickly as other FDA approved UVA filters when exposed to the sun.  This moisturizer/sun block is great for daily wear and specifically for those who are exposed to the sun for extended periods of time without the ability to reapply.  You know me, I prefer SPF 30 or higher for daily use, but for darker skin types, this sunscreen is ideal.  It is invisible when applied and does not leave a white residue like many of the other sunscreens available on the market.

I am actively researching a GREAT sunscreen for kids, and have stumbled on one that I personally love so far, stay tuned to learn more about it.   My goals in this quest: easy to apply (so a spray of some kind would be great), not expensive, large bottles so that you don’t run out after one weekend on the boat with two kids and two adults, broad-spectrum; you would think this sunscreen would be easy to find but believe me it is not.

I hope that this helps you in your quest for the perfect sunscreen.  If you have any questions, regarding a sunscreen that you personally use or have been researching , please feel free to leave your comments and I will get back to you.

So, the summer is fast approaching and most of us are starting to pull out all of our old sunscreen bottles and thinking about buying more.   Hopefully, my regular patients are already applying sunscreen on a daily basis at least to their face, neck, chest and hands.   If you are not you should be, because if you don’t have brown spots yet, you will….and then you will be going to a dermatologist or plastic surgeon asking how to get rid of them.  Let me assure you, it is not easy to get rid of those dreaded brown spots, I have lasered my back and chest multiple times, with good results and bad results.  I wish that I had just worn sunscreen from the start.  I can’t tell you how many times I have heard a patient say, “Well when I was young, they didn’t have sunsceen, we used baby oil and iodine.”.  Now we do have sunscreen no more excuses.  So what kind should you be using?

The key is this, make sure that whatever you use it is broad spectrum or says UVA/UVB coverage on the bottle.  If it does not stop both types of rays, I am not going to waste my time applying it to my skin or my children’s skin.  So what is the difference in these two types of rays? UVB light penetrates the skin and causes tanning, burning and skin cancer.  UVA light comes right through glass windows and penetrates our skin more deeply than the UVB light.  It’s effects on our skin are those that we associate with aging, wrinkling, dullness, discoloration and likely skin cancer as well. 

Believe it or not over 50% of the sunscreens available to us at our local drugstores are not broad spectrum.  Personally, I look for a few specific ingredients, if the sunscreen does not contain at least one of these ingredients, I will not use it. 

Parsol 1789 (Avobenzone)

Helioplex

Mexoryl

Zinc Oxide

Titanium Dioxide

Avobenzone was developed in the late 1980s and was the first decent sunscreen to address UVA light but it breaks down in sunlight, it is not stable.  Mexoryl and Helioplex are two recent chemical sunscreen advancements that address UVA light and remain stable for longer periods of time than Avobenzone does by itself.  Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide are physical blockers, sunblocks that physically shield your skin from the sun much like your clothing does.  Thankfully newer micronized versions of these sunsceens have been invented which have made the application of some sunscreens much more cosmetically elegant. 

How much should you use?  One full shot glass, every two hours if you are out between the hours of 10 am to 4pm.  Seem like a lot?  Ask me that question again when I am giving you quotes for laser procedures to remove wrinkles and brown spots, or after a biopsy to rule out skin cancer on your nose.

In my next blog, I will break down each of the sunscreens sold on this site so that you know what their active ingredients are and what situations they are best used in.

This is the skin care regimen that I follow and recommend to my patients:

Morning Skin Care

• Wash your face (my favorite gentle cleanser is Toleriane and I LOVE LOVE LOVE my Clarisonic Brush which removes all of my dead skin cells,  it is like microdermabrasion in my bathroom).
• Apply Phloretin by SkinCeuticals (antioxidant that has had amazing results at preventing sundamage)
• Apply TNS Recovery Complex (most potent form of human growth factor) one pump is enough and try to put it on slightly wet skin
• Apply Journe (SPF 30 sunscreen, human growth factor and green tea all in one oil – free sunscreen- AMAZING!!!)
• Apply makeup

Evening Skin Care

• Wash your face, if acne prone, I recommend a salicylic acid wash, Acne Foaming Wash by Skin Medica is my favorite
• Apply TNS all over face
• Apply Retinoid of some sort
• Apply Moisturizer if necessary
• Apply Eye Cream

Now regarding the retinoid… you can get a rx from a dermatology office or you can buy retinol in non prescription strengths as well.

My favorite moisturizer is Hydraphase by La Roche Posay it is oil free, light and cheap.

Last but not least my favorite eye cream is TNS Night Eye Repair, I apply this am and pm to my eye area.

There are four ingredients that have been medically proven over and over again to be essential in preventing and reversing the aging process of our skin.

1. Sunscreen SPF 30 or greater  If you can see without a light on you are getting sun on your face.  If you are getting sun on your face, damage is occurring.  SPF 15 in your moisturizer or makeup is not going to do the job.  With an SPF 15, when you are driving around in FL at lunch you are getting tons of sun exposure on your face.  That is why one of the most common complaints I see in my office is “Why do I have all these brown spots on my face?”. Find an SPF 30+ that you LOVE to put on every morning and use it.
2. Retinoids, multiple studies have shown that retinoids stimulate collagen production and cell turnover which reduces the appearance of wrinkles as well as brown spots.  This is the number one skin treatment for reversing damage already done.  You can get this in a variety of strengths, the strongest being prescription and the lowest over the counter at your drugstore. Prescription strength tends to be a little irritating and most people can only handle putting it on their face a few times a week. It is important to find a strength that works for you and use it as much as you possibly can.  Retinoids are inactivated in sunlight so be sure to always apply them at night. The only reason not to use it is if you are pregnant or breast-feeding.
3. Human Growth Factors- this stuff is awesome, multiple medical studies have shown that this ingredient (which is derived from fetal foreskin) does what Retinoids do just without the irritation.  We use this in our office after laser procedures because it helps to heal the skin as well as for daily usage to reverse aging.  I have personally found that I can use prescription strength Retin -A- Micro 7 nights a week when I use Human Growth Factors twice a day.  When I don’t use Human Growth Factors, I can only use my Retin -A-Micro 2 to 3 nights a week.  We carry two product lines with Human Growth Factors, Neocutis and TNS by Skin Medica.
4. Antioxidants, we all know these are good for us to eat but they are also great for our skin.  Antioxidants are huge in preventing further damage to our skin.  Remember the line about seeing without a light on, causing sun damage to your skin?  Well we live in Florida, anything that I can do to prevent further damage I am going to do.  Vitamin C is one of the most studied and proven antioxidants available.  CE Ferrulic and Phloretin by SkinCeuticals are two of my favorite products filled with potent, stable antioxidants. Green tea is another topical antioxidant that I favor especially for calming skin that is prone to redness or after laser procedures.

All the other stuff that is out there might be good in one study here or there but these ingredients have been proven to work over and over again.  I can choose to put anything on my skin that I want, as owner of a skin care store I have access to every cream you can imagine- I have done my research and I am not going to waste my precious time putting stuff on my face that does not work-this is the stuff that has been proven to work and I have seen the results on my skin and my patients’ skin.

So what do I recommend?  See my Personal Skin Care Regimen

By David T. Harvey, MD, FAAD, FACP

As a dermatologist, I recommend that all patients use some degree of sunscreen whether in a moisturizer or makeup. Many of us who do “not bake” in the sun anymore still experience significant UV exposure which is cumulative.

I like the following approach. Men… after shaving usually experience some degree of irritation or chaffing. A sunscreen or block is excellent for this type of irritant effect. Anthelios a great product. This compound is manufactured by a French company and contains mexoryl, which is of the best UVA wavelength protectors around. Apply a thin amount after shaving for this wonderful dual benefit.

Ladies, you may benefit from Replenix  Sunscreen if you have rosacea prone skin or Neutrogena SPF 70  which contains helioplex. Apply a thin amount before your make up is applied and let dry for 5 minutes. You will find this a wonderful way to begin your day.