I’ve been wearing sunscreen most times I go outside. Is it necessary if it is overcast? It’s winter in Australia right now and I walk to work. It was overcast yesterday and I didn’t bother putting sunscreen on.
Every single day!!
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You can check the UV index for your area, which is probably the best bet. And then couple that with your skin type (something called the Fitzpatrick scale: Table: Fitzpatrick Skin Type Classification-MSD Manual Professional Edition )
There are apps which will tell you when it’s sun-safe outside or not. There are even some that can approximate your rate of vitamin D synthesis based on UV index, skin exposure and skin type.
For me personally, I’ve started wearing sunscreen religiously. I’m a Type II and I develop freckles (and cursed sun spots, urgh) very easily.
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I’ve been like you most of my life and unfortunately when you’re using tretinoin it’s just not going to cut it. It photosensitizes the skin like crazy and even when it’s overcast you get plenty of UVA radiation, which isn’t blocked by clouds. I think in order to get more good than harm from tret sunscreen needs to be part of the daily routine, like brushing teeth in the morning. Not only when you had steak last night 
.
@Beth here can hook you up with amazing sunscreen you’ll actually enjoy wearing. I’ve been loving mine!
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ok ok… I’ll do it. What’s the point of going 95% of the way and not putting on sunscreen.
I’d love to hear that. What do you think of this one I currently use? Extreme Sports Mesh Sunscreen Lotion 90mL SPF 50+ — Sun Zapper
Active Ingredients: Octyl Salicylate 5.0% w/w, Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate 4.0% w/w, Ethylhexyl Triazone 3.0% w/w, Bemotrizinol 2.0% w/w, Tris-Biphenyl Triazine 1.7% w/w
I’ve been following Dr. Stanfields advice on skincare which seemed pretty solid. Retinoids. Also utilizing AHA and BHA once a week for each. Every Monday I’m alternating between dermarolling and tretinoin. Also using red light therapy.
Taking collagen peptides, glycine, hyaluronic acid, astaxanthin supplements. A bit more experimental supplements for skin are N-acetyl glucosamine which claims to increase endogenous hyaluronic acid in the skin, and benfotiamine which claims to help prevent the formation of AGEs.
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@AustraliaLongevity All those topicals sound very good! I think you could really take things to the next level through a DEP device. See my comment here:
As to the sunscreen, I can’t comment from experience on that particular one and in the end of the day the best sunscreen is the one you’ll continually wear without fail. That being said the chemical sunscreens like that (based on the ingredients you listed) seem to be inferior to the ones based on either zinc oxide (physical sunblock, but hard to find one that doesn’t look ridiculous on the skin) or on tinosorb and other active ingredients approved in Asia and the EU.
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Tazarotene, a third-generation retinoid,
I have placed an order for tazarotene from India, a substance believed to be more effective in treating sun-damaged skin and less susceptible to sunlight than tretinoin. (Even though the Mayo Clinic says to avoid sunlight, which I do anyway.) It is because tazarotene makes it easier to get a sunburn.
Tazarotene is a third-generation retinoid that is more likely to irritate the skin than tretinoin.
I have never experienced anything but minor irritation from tretinoin. Apparently, my skin has adapted to tretinoin, as it no longer causes me any irritation.
“Tazarotene topical 0.1% cream is used to help reduce fine facial wrinkles and certain types of dark and light spots on the face in patients who use a total skin care program and avoid sunlight.”
“Tazarotene works by promoting skin cell turnover and reducing inflammation, which helps clear acne and improve psoriasis lesions. It’s also used for reducing fine facial wrinkles and skin discoloration when part of a comprehensive skin care program.”
“Clinical studies have shown that tazarotene gel (typically 0.1%) applied once daily can significantly reduce the number of visible AK lesions.”
“Additionally, studies have indicated that long-term tazarotene use is associated with increased collagen production and improved organization of skin collagen bundles.”
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HA @medaura … yep, I’m the SPF dealer
@AustraliaLongevity
I don’t know anything about that particular spf, but the one thing I know is that Australia has one of the highest standards for spf approval, if not the highest, so I’m sure that means that one is great.
Having said that, anything labeled for extreme sport/water is going to be extra heavy duty, and therefore it will most likely be less pleasant to wear. I’d use something like that for outdoor sports/sweating/long or long active days in the summer when you need the big guns.
For daily use… walking to work and running errand etc, an elegant formula that feels like nothing means you will happily put it on each and every day… even if you are sitting at a desk by the window.
And for that, you need to look no further than BOJ
BEAUTY OF JOSEON - Relief Sun : Rice + Probiotics SPF 50
Just feels like a very thin regular lotion.
If you are oily or want to feel it even less, then get their newer Aqua formula with the blue cap
BEAUTY OF JOSEON - Relief Sun Aqua-fresh Rice + B5 SPF 50
The only spf I can get my husband to wear.
I don’t know anything about this store, but here is one source.
Not that you would, but be sure not to accidentally buy the version that is available in the US. BOJ formulated those just for our backwards FDA and replaced the cutting edge chemicals with meh old-timey chemicals approved for our market.
I know of some Australian brands that people love, ultra violette being one of them, but you really need to look no further than BOJ … Korean spfs are known to have a better feel than most. (I smuggled in all of those and nothing that compares to BOJ)
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I’m gonna have to try that! Tretinoin is working really well for me and the irritation wasn’t really much to speak of. So I wouldn’t mind upgrading to the next level.
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@desertshores , I tried that 20 years ago… way too much for me, but I also can’t use .5 tretinoin daily, so there’s that…
God speed @medaura, god speed
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I use tretinoin primarily for taking care of actinic keratosis before it starts. Any other benefits are a plus.
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You should make a post about this once you use it for a while and compare it to tretinoin.
Do you have before and after photos of skin for tretinoin?
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DEP sounds interesting. I’ll keep it in mind.
I cannot stand mineral sunscreens. I might look into trying this Korean sunscreen recommended by Beth, I’ve heard good things about it.
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@Beth I finally received my order from Beauty of Joseon. Took them 1.5 mo to deliver. I ordered couple serums with Propolis and Ginseng, and one sunscreen serum. Not impressed with the serums for the reason that they don’t penetrate skin well and stay on the surface. I only like the sunscreen serum - it’s very smooth, distributes well and is invisible. The one I ordered doesn’t have any tint and doesn’t cover any skin uneven tone, but feels very comfortable and light.
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So glad to hear it finally arrived!!!
Coincidentally, it was just yesterday I emailed them and said I referred a friend to you and you never delivered their order, what’s up!? I also asked them to let me know if the BOJ spfs are in stock before I place my next order so I could avoid the same frustration.
Thanks for sharing your opinions on your order. I have been so curious about their serum spf but I read that it stings some people’s eyes, so I was afraid to try it. Fyi, incase you ever try their other spfs, their aqua and rice spf have no tint either and offer no perfecting capabilities.
I always have a tinted mineral spf on hand as a one and done product (moisturizer, spf, and light makeup). My skin can handle any thick moisturizer you throw at it, so I quite like mineral, but I realize most don’t.
Because their spf is so good, I had been tempted to try their serums, so thanks for the heads up!
Also, @desertshores, I thought of you yesterday as a fellow chocolate devotee… I learned that the sat fat in chocolate doesn’t negatively affect lipids (if this was true, but I am going with it!). I had been trying to consume less because I am sensitive to sat fat. A good day, a good day, indeed. Also, I didn’t know tret could do that, so this is a wonderful bonus!
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Nice you mentioned it (better late than never) that it stings eyes. Yesterday I applied it two times and the whole day I had a stinging sensation in my eyes. I contributed it to air smoke from Canada, but nobody besides me had that sensation. So it definitely was the serum. There are already 2 negatives about that company: stinging spf serum and very slow delivery. Why then did you recommend them??
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EEeeck! Oh no, I’m so very sorry for the confusion!!
That is not the spf I recommend!! I assumed you went rogue on purpose and tried their newer spf instead of the tried and true. That is 100% my fault for not specifying which one to get!!! The serum is newer and I only just noticed it a couple of weeks ago now that I’m almost ready to place a new order. I googled and found people on Reddit mentioning their eyes.
Let me provide a photo of the one that has been famous for quite some time. It’s not legendary in the US because it’s hard to get, but it’s very widely known and beloved worldwide.
FWIW, my eyes are very sensitive and it why I can’t use any US SPF. These two options do not affect my eyes and I even put them on my lids. I’ve never seen anyone mention an eye sensitivity with these two either.
UGH, I feel awful you went through all that to get it and you accidentally ordered the wrong one…I should have been more specific. This will now be great for your neck and chest, so won’t have to be a waste… again, ugh!
The ‘rice’ spf is the famous one
But, the newer ‘aqua’ option, with the blue cap, is also a huge hit.
I have used both. I happen to prefer the extra moisture of the original but my husband prefers the aqua.
Brad Stanfield uses the aqua, fwiw.
BOJ is a great company, but because we are getting it on the DL, we are unfortunately stuck with vendors like Stylevana to import it for us.
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I ordered Aqua. I’m pretty sure that all of them have common chemical composition, no matter what the name is. And with this fine print in Korean on the back how do you know what is inside???
I will stick with proven brand that I can trust, like CeraVe, with 3 essential ceramides, niacinamid, and HA.
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Ohhhh, you got the Aqua! When you said you tried their spf serum, I thought you ordered their new ‘serum’ spf. I think their new serum is more problematic due to essential oils (that is only what a gleaned from a quick read on Reddit).
I’d be happy to send you a sample of my rice, but if aqua stung your eyes, then I imagine rice likely will, as well. You can find the ingredients in english if you google.
If you like CeraVe, then really no reason to really venture out because nothing will be easier and more affordable. I just can’t use US chemical for my eyes, so go figure!
I have to say you’re missing out. The original Korean one is amazing. People are starting to mention it on skincare FB groups too and someone recently said, “i think they’ve switched their formula or something because it now sucks,” and it turned out she had ordered the U.S. version.