Beauty

[Liz123]

I've been outside more with work, so I always make sure to wear lots of sun screen. Well after a few weeks, I have several red bumps on arms and around neck. No where except where the sun screen has been applied. I've been using different brands, so it's hard to pin point which one. Anybody else?

[Katluvr58]

I get red bumps when a product does not like me and I get red spots when the sun gets through the sunscreen. You may have to try one product at a time to find the culprit. I used an antifungal powder to get rid of some red bumps I had but I was at the end of my rope and I didn't care. The doctor prescribed it for a rash under my mothers breasts. Maybe check with a pharmacist to see what they suggest for getting rid of the bumps.

[laraffinee]

Many of the water resistant sunscreens have to be removed with a special oily cleanser - basically any oil-based makeup remover will do, BEFORE continuing with your normal cleansing routine. This is needed to breakup the polymers and other occlusive components of the sunscreen. If you just wash with a mild cleanser without this sunscreen removal step, it will leave a film that will clog your pores and create a backlog of sebum, leading to either whiteheads, or breakouts or both.

Shiseido sells a special sunscreen removing oil as part of their sun line, but Albolene, or any other oil- based makeup removal should be good for that first step. I have the Shiseido one and it works very well, but I am thinking of getting some Albolene for that pre-cleanse step.

[Liz123]

The only sunscreen that was different than I had used before was an oil type from supergoop. If it doesn't clear up by the end of the week, off to the doctor.

[Kay SD]

Well, here's the thing: you put sunscreen wherever your skin is exposed to the sun, right? So it's possible, even likely, that you are reacting to the sun, not your sunscreen.

There is such a thing as an allergic-type reaction to sun. My mother had it, and as I've gotten older, I have it as well. Overexposure to the sun results in red bumps on my skin that's not sunburn, exactly, but more like a rash, or hives. The bumps take a long time to go away, much longer than it takes a sunburn to fade. I also seem to be most susceptible in places where I've actually had bad sunburns at some time in my life, like my forearms and lower legs and décolletage.

The only solution I'm aware of is to make sure to reapply sunscreen as often and in the quantities that are recommended for the time of day. I was told I should stay out of the sun altogether between about 11 am and 3 pm, and that most people don't put enough sunscreen on, or don't reapply it often enough. I personally use a combination of so-called "chemical" and "physical" sunscreen ingredients. Using enough product is a bit goopy and unpleasant, so I have a lot of incentive to stay out of the noonday sun!

Your doctor should be able to confirm this if it's true for you.

[myshell624]

Chemical sunscreens irritate me. Are you using chemical or physical sunscreen? Zinc oxide is very gentle. I really like Andalou naturals cc cream which has 20% zinc.

[Liz123]

I really don't pay attention to physical versus chemical. I will look into that.

Yes, I thought of a sun reaction as well. I've never had that before. I'm outside during recesses and lunchtime, so I'm trying to use sunscreen. Hard to avoid the worse sun times of the day, 10-3.

[AspenGrove]

I had a similar reaction, plus itching, from using chemical sunscreens (oxybenzone, octinoxate, avobenzone, etc.) found in most drugstore brands. A few years ago when this happened, my derm suggested that I use only physical (zinc oxide and titanium dioxide) broad spectrum sunscreens. (The derm told me that chemical sunscreens are a really common irritant for many, so she sees the same problem often in her practice.) The minute I stopped using chemical sunscreens, the bumps and redness and itchiness stopped, never to return.