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Aug 15, 2023

Need SPF 100? No, but dermatologist warns against sun dangers in fall

Dr. Caren Droesch demonstrates which products one should use to protect their skin from the sun all year round. Ryan Mancini, MassLive. Sunshine during the summer months can be unforgiving on human

Dr. Caren Droesch demonstrates which products one should use to protect their skin from the sun all year round. Ryan Mancini, MassLive.

Sunshine during the summer months can be unforgiving on human skin, and it doesn’t end with the start of fall.

When summer does begin, it’s all about taking hikes, heading to the beach or any other outdoor activities now that the frigid air of the winter and spring are gone. But no matter where you are or what time of year it is, the sun is following you and sunscreen will keep your skin protected.

But which one do you use? Dr. Caren Droesch, a dermatologist at DermWellesley, said users have options. Droesch’s expertise is in surgical, medical and cosmetic dermatology, as well as how to treat skin disease for her patients, from children to the elderly.

“The way I usually explain it to my patients [is] there’s a few different kinds of sunscreens,” she told MassLive. “There’s the general categories: chemical blockers and physical blockers. The active ingredients listed are chemical-sounding names like avobenzone or octinoxate. Basically, the way it works is the chemical absorbs the sun and prevents it from getting to your skin. That’s how it protects you.”

Physical blockers differ by using active ingredients like zinc or titanium, which protect skin by reflecting the sun’s rays, Droesch said. Both work as long as people use sunscreen with an SPF, or sun protection factor, of 30 or higher. No need to break the bank for 100 SPF, she said, but SPF 30 will work better than 15, especially when the lotion has a “broad spectrum, so it’s (ultraviolet A and ultraviolet B)-protective, which most of them are these days.”

However, one slather of sunscreen in the morning will also not last all day, especially if water or excessive perspiration is involved. For full protection, “really apply every couple hours or whenever you get wet,” Droesch said.

Between the two blockers, which should you go with? For Droesch, “Sunscreen is such a personal thing and there are so many brands out there.”

“I usually recommend the physical blockers to my patients who have a lot of allergies or sensitive skin because people tend to be less allergic to that,” she said. “Also, with pregnant patients, I tend to lean more towards the physical blockers. The other way you can really protect your skin is use the (ultraviolet protection factor) protective clothing.”

She tells patients that whatever sunscreen they use is one she will recommend, “because a lot of times people just won’t use it if they don’t like the feeling of it.”

Of course, unprotected, exposed skin out in the sun can result in sunburns. It becomes worse when the diagnosis is sun poisoning. Prolonged exposure during peak hours leave the door open for skin to peel and blister, pus to appear and increased pain if unprotected, according to the Samaritan Medical Care Center.

Systemic symptoms also come with sun poisoning, including nausea, vomiting and dizziness, according to the care center, as well as gastrointestinal upset, Droesch added.

When fall arrives, dry weather becomes an added issue. Droesch’s “main recommendation for patients is just to keep up with the sunscreen but also realize that as the weather starts to get cooler and drier, you’re going to need to up your moisturizing and respond to the climate.”

When using sunscreens and moisturizers with SPF, Droesch recommended EltaMD’s line of products, specifically powdered and aerosolized sunscreens. She said she uses their products every day because they are “really elegant and don’t feel like a goopy sunscreen.”

Some of the EltaMD products recommended by dermatologist Dr. Caren Droesch at DermWellesley. Ryan Mancini, MassLive.

“In addition, they have tinted and non-tinted options and many of their products also contain hydrators like hyaluronic acid and antioxidants for added benefit,” she said.

As for a routine, Droesch said people should cleanse their face twice a day, use an antioxidant on their skin and use a moisturizer (with sunscreen mixed in or already combined with sunscreen), then reapply the sunscreen during the day. Once night falls, cleanse the skin again, use a retinoid and then a moisturizer before bed.

A routine like this is critical during the winter when preventing dry skin becomes paramount.

“Then you’re going to want something thicker and more moisturizing over the winter months, as opposed to the summer months where you’re going to want something a little bit lighter,” she said.

But whether it is during a cloudy, sunless winter or even during a gloomy, wet summer, the need to apply sunscreen does not end on when the seasons change. Sunscreen becomes even more imperative on overcast days, since “the sun rays penetrate even when they don’t feel like they are,” Droesch said.

“That’s the time when people get the most severe sunburns because they don’t protect themselves, they don’t realize they get a lot of sun even if they are.”

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