Dermatologist Types: Sunscreen Question

Factual Questions
1

I wear a lot of short-sleeved shirts (don’t care for sleeveless/tank styles) and don’t want the dreaded “farmer’s tan” that comes with.

I have some 30 SPF or 50 SPF (one’s upstairs and the other is downstairs just in case I forgot to put it on upstairs!) that I apply daily to combat this, but it seems that I always have a slight demarcation where my sleeve/neckline falls. I’m not out in the sun all day—just long enough for a 20-30 minute dog walk, and other general errand-running. My sunscreen isn’t expired (I don’t think…)—I’ve had it for about a year.

Questions:

  1. Is there a “wait time” after applying sunscreen before it becomes fully protective?

  2. My skin then feels sticky all day (I use that Banana Boat stuff) which I hate. Any suggestions for a better brand (even if more expensive)?

  3. Is there no truly “sun-proof” sunscreen out there?

2

I thought sunscreen blocked the harmful rays while allowing some of the ‘tanning’ rays in, while sunblock would stop both.

3

I’m not a dermatologist. However, I know quite a bit about sunscreen.

  1. Apply your product at least 30 minutes before sun exposure.

  2. See answer #3.

  3. Vichy and La Roche Posay both make an SPF 60 that will make you pretty close to “sun proof”. The Vichy product is the only one currently clinically proven to prevent a sun alergy reaction (some people are actually alergic to the sun - it’s not pretty). Being slightly more expensive they have a much nicer feel than your average BananaBoat type product.

That being said, I believe that both Vichy and LRP are in limited distribution in the US (assuming that’s where you are). If you go to a good quality drug store and speak to either the pharmacist or a cosmetician if they have one, they should be able to recommend something comparable.

If all else fails, PM me and I can get you some of the Vichy SPF 60 to try.