SPF for Darker Skin

A common misconception that I have heard too many times to count is "Oh if you have dark skin you don't need to wear sunscreen" or "all SPF's leave a grey/white ashy tint on my face"

Now although the weather forecast in the UK seems to have missed the memo that it's June and should be summer, I'm here to dispel that beauty myth and also add on that sunscreen isn't only for when the sun is shining.

So where does this beauty myth originate from?

Your skin gets it's colour from melanin (the pigment which naturally gives skin it's colour) and the darker you are, the more melanin you have within your skin, which then offers a greater natural level of sun protection. This is because melanin absorbs UV rays from the sun, thus providing some measure of defence for your skin.

In fact research suggests that darker black skin has a naturally higher SPF (sun protection factor) of approximately 13.4, and paler white skin has an SPF of 3.4, with other skin tones falling in between those two ranges.

A key point to note is that higher levels of melanin slows down the skins natural production of Vitamin D from the sun, so it is worth having your vitamin D levels checked. 

Now while this might sound like it confirms the beauty myth that you don't need to wear sunscreen if you have dark skin, this doesn't mean that you aren't getting any sun damage by not protecting your skin or that it isn't adversely affecting your skin.

There are so many benefits to wearing an SPF and for me, aside from protecting my skin from premature ageing, it also helps tremendously with my hyperpigmentation. By inhibiting any further darkening of the scars I am trying to fade as well as preventing new scars from forming.

Product Review: SkinCeuticals Sheer Mineral UV Defense SPF 50

Hey LPM Lovelies,

Those of you that have been following me for a while will know that in regards to my skin, one of my biggest issues is with scarring from previous acne breakouts. A big part of my fight against my scarring is with sunscreen. I cannot stress the importance of it enough, in that I find that using it helps to prevent further darkening of the scarring I have, by protecting my face from the suns rays. 

Needless to say I am on the hunt to find the perfect sunscreen and will be testing a few out until I do. So moving onto my first sunscreen review, I present you with SkinCeuticals Sheer Mineral UV Defense SPF 50

What they say

“Sheer Mineral UV Defense SPF 50 offers breakthrough formulation technology in mineral sunscreens: a first-to-market transparent, mattifying, paraben-free SPF 50 fluid. Employing all-mineral broad-spectrum filters, SkinCeuticals fills a void in the sunscreen market by providing high UVA and UVB protection in a lightweight, ultra-sheer texture for all skin types, even very sensitive. The photoprotection of trusted broad-spectrum mineral filters is enhanced by Artemia Salina, a plankton extract that increases the skin’s defenses to heat and UV stress. This silky sheer fluid spreads evenly and dries quickly, leaving skin bare and soothed.”

The good

I have been using this daily for the last 3 months and I think it has been fantastic for protecting my face from the sun and stopping my scars from getting any darker. It's very light and sits nicely with my moisturiser without that heavy sticky feeling you can sometimes get when you layer products in the summer. 

The bad

Sadly it’s just not transparent on my dark skin! which goes against the product blurb!! It leaves a white cast on face that unfortunately results in me looking like an extra from the twilight cast! – see a swatch of my hand below. It definitely improves when I put my makeup on, but I think the mix with my foundation gives me a slight grey tinge that is only wearable when I blend like mad..

My other problem (although this is an issue with my skin rather than the product) is that if you have any sort of dry skin on your face it seems to accentuate the dry skin making it more obvious. Like I said clearly an issue I need to solve - but still it's quite annoying as by the time you put your sunscreen on you are hardly likely to run back into the bathroom to have a scrubbing session.

All in all though I think it's a great sun protector and it seems to last for quite a while, I just wish it was actually transparent.The sunscreen retails for £31.00 and is available from a number of UK stockists, see the page for details http://www.skinceuticals.co.uk/stockists.php

#22 Anti-tan gel for darker skin - Uzuri Natural Beauty

There are certain products which on arriving through my door literally leave me buzzing with excitement. And Uzuri Anti – Tan Gel is one of them! Finally a sun protector specifically formulated for my skin type, which addresses the needs of many women of colour to maintain their natural skin tone and not go darker during the summer months.

New to the market, Uzuri natural beauty is an anti tan lotion, which has been developed with a high SP factor (SPF 40) for the darker skin types (Asian, Afro Caribbean, Mediterranean and Middle Eastern) to specifically help prevent tanning. It also protects against the harmful effects of the sun and premature skin ageing with high UVA (3 stars) and UVB protection.

It’s the brainchild of two sisters Tazeen Usmani an orthodontist and Naila Usmani a consultant dermatologist who got together to develop the product after failing to find a suitable alternative on the market. Tazeen explained that "Having an Asian skin I naturally didn't want to go any darker in the sun and tried for years to find a sun block that didn't leave an unsightly white residue on the skin"

On trying out the product I found that it was easy to apply and absorbed very quickly without me needing to rub it in. I love the fact that it’s a high SP factor of 40 but in contrast to other high factors on the market, it is a completely clear gel so it didn’t leave that horrible white residue on my skin.

It retails at £11.99 and is available to buy on the website. As if the product itself wasn’t enough, until the end of August there is an offer on their site for you to buy one and get the second half price. For further information check out their website www.uzuriskin.com

#8 I'm protected

This post is a tad bit late this week. Why? Well I was suffering from post holiday blues! I mean it was all sun, sand, sea, glorious food and sangria for a whole week…I came back and what did I get? Crappy weather and shed loads of work, happily waiting for me!!! And I swear the work had a smug look as if to say…hah!! You thought you could get a way didn’t you – well I showed you!! Cue evil laugh…ha, ha, ha…I mean is it too much for a girl to want to keep that holiday feeling going?

As they say there is no rest for the good, is there? Anyhu I have now been cheered up by a box of goodies from the folks at John Frieda with a number of lovely looking products which are meant to be good for my hair – so will keep you posted on them once I have tried them out…seriously there is nothing like pressies and beauty stuff to get me smiling again.

Now on the subject of beauty stuff – I have to say my all time favourite product from my holiday trip was my new sun protection. A friend suggested Garnier's Ambre Solaire Sheer Protect 30 for my face….and I loved it! For a long time now I have been searching for a face sun protector that wouldn’t leave me with that horrible white filmy mask due to its zinc contents and I found it with this. It was light, non greasy and absorbed easily.

Now for brown girls who don’t already know this – although being darker does provide you with a little bit of protection it doesn’t fully protect you from the sun’s harmful rays. You do need sunscreen to prevent premature skin ageing and if you have any scarring that you are trying to fade away – it’s essential that you wear sunscreen otherwise the suns rays can remove all your good work and actually encourage your marks to get darker!!!

So get protecting and remember you need it even during winter. The sheer protect retails at £9.99

Xoxo