With the days continuing to heat up (even when it feels like it's not possible to go any higher in degrees), we can't help but think about sun protection every time we step outside. Whether it is the dog days of summer or the dead of winter, SPF is a non-negotiable part of our skin-care routines, helping make sure we're protected from damaging UV and blue-light rays even when it's not overtly sunny.
While we know that wearing SPF daily is crucial to prevent dangerous and potentially life-threatening skin cancers, have you ever wondered what else your sunscreen is doing for your skin? In the age of multi-tasking products in skin care and makeup, it's almost rare for a product to only do one thing. So, what are the non sun protection-related benefits of SPF? Ahead, derms tell all.
Featured Experts
- Jeanine B. Downie, MD is a dermatologist in Montclair, NJ
- Heidi A. Waldorf, MD is a dermatologist in New York
- Janet Allenby, MD is a dermatologist in Delray Beach, FL
What are the benefits of SPF on the skin outside of sun protection?
"Sunscreen’s primary purpose is to reduce skin penetration of UV light which has been a long known cause of skin cancers and acceleration in signs of aging," begins Delray Beach, FL dermatologist Janet Allenby, MD. "The goal is to get people to use sunscreen daily—possibly reapplying if you’re lucky—but we do know that people are time saturated with life as it is, so there is a benefit to adding ingredients into sunscreen formulas that could be helpful for their skin health and anti-aging endeavors." So, what exactly can SPF do for our skin outside of protection? First up is hydration.
"The most common additional benefit of SPF is skin hydration," says New York dermatologist Heidi A. Waldorf. "Using a daily moisturizer with UVA and UVB protective ingredients makes sun protection and skin-barrier protection fast, easy and automatic." Dr. Allenby agrees noting that "as we age, we are losing some of our ability to hold or retain fluid in our skin cells—also known as trans epidermal water loss—which is part of why we see crepey, crinkly skin with age," so adding SPF products into your routine that hydrate the skin will also create a better skin barrier.
But wait, there's more. As Montclair, NJ dermatologist Jeanine B. Downie notes, "Some of the non-UV protection skin-care benefits of using SPF include decreasing free radical damage, improving collagen and elastin, improving texture, keeping pore size smaller and decreasing cutaneous itch." Dr. Waldorf also adds that DNA repair technology is another common addition to SPF formulas that yields added skin-care benefits. In a more superficial sense, Dr. Allenby notes that tinted sunscreens can also function to smooth and blur the complexion, acting almost like a foundation for daily wear.
Derm-Approved, Skin-Loving SPF Formulas
