Wearing Sunscreen Every Day Matters – Especially When Receiving In-Clinic Treatments
No matter the season, wearing sunscreen should be an essential part of everyone’s daily skincare routine. Imagine it’s like putting on your daily armor to protect against sun damage, premature aging, and even skin cancer. These reasons alone should be enough to have you reaching for the sunscreen daily, but they become non-negotiable if you’re undergoing treatments like laser hair removal, IPL, microneedling, or chemical peels.
Let’s take a closer look at everything you need to know about sunscreen.
The Everyday Benefits
Whether you’re taking a long walk outdoors or a quick drive to the office, sun exposure is accumulative, meaning it adds up over time, and without daily sunscreen use, it leads to:
- Premature aging: UV rays from the sun break down our natural collagen and elastin, fast-tracking wrinkles and sagging.
- Hyperpigmentation: Sunlight triggers our skin’s melanin production, creating dark spots and uneven skin tone.
- Skin cancers: Excess UV exposure can increase your risk of skin cancers, like melanoma.
- Barrier protection: Using sunscreen will help preserve your skin’s natural barrier and defend against environmental stress
Why is Sunscreen Essential for Before & After In-Clinic Treatments
When you are receiving treatments such as laser hair removal, IPL (Intense Pulsed Light), RF microneedling, or Chemical peels, your skin will be more vulnerable to sun damage during the healing process.
- Photosensitivity: Some treatments can temporarily thin the skin or expose deeper layers, making it more sensitive to UV rays.
- Higher pigmentation risks: Sun exposure without sunscreen pre- and post-treatments can increase the likelihood of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, especially for clients who have medium to dark skin tones.
- Poor results or complications: Failing to protect your skin may reduce the effectiveness of your treatments, cause unnecessary irritation, or potentially lead to burns or scarring.
- Pro tip: Always wear a mineral SPF 30 or higher before and after treatments, even when it’s cloudy, driving around or sitting by a window. UV rays penetrate through clouds and glass!
Mineral vs. Chemical Sunscreen
Chemical Sunscreen
- How it works: Absorbs UV rays and transforms them into heat.
- Ingredients: Oxybenzone, avobenzone, octinoxate, etc.
- Pros: Often lightweight, transparent, and easy to layer and reapply
- Cons: Often irritating for sensitive or post-treatment skin, and holds heat in the skin, making laser treatments riskier. Also may contribute to hormonal disruption and environmental harm.
Mineral (Physical) Sunscreen
- How it works: Sits on the skin’s surface and physically blocks UV rays from the skin. ● Ingredients: Zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide.
- Pros: Gentle on sensitive, compromised, or post-treatment skin. Less likely to cause allergic reactions, and begins working immediately after application.
- Cons: Some brands may leave a white cast (especially on deeper skin tones). Although newer formulations have come a long way and many now blend in seamlessly.
Our Recommendations? Choose a mineral sunscreen. It’s soothing, protective and new formulas offer an option for all skin types and tones.
Here is a bonus list of some of our favorite mineral sunscreens:
- Skinceuticals Physical Fusion SPF 50 (Lightly Tinted)
- Colorscience Flex SPF 50 (Three shades to choose from)
- Colorscience No Show SPF 50 (does not leave white cast for darker skin tones)
- Alumier Sheer Hydration SPF 42 (Tinted and Non-Tinted Formula)
- ZO Sheer Fluid SPF 50 (Tinted)
Final Thoughts
Sunscreen isn’t just for the beach days and patios. It’s a daily essential that protects your investment in your skin, especially when undergoing professional treatments. Whether you’re tackling unwanted hair with laser, fading dark spots with IPL, or rebuilding collagen with RF microneedling, a broad-spectrum, mineral SPF is your best friend.
Your skin is doing the hard work—give it the protection it deserves. Contact Revive Laser today to get started!