Today's Sunscreen FAQ obviously applies to those who wear makeup on a regular basis, presumably women. As you might guess, the answer to today's question is yes, you do still need to wear additional sunscreen.
It is true that more makeup producers are adding SPF to their formulations. However, none of these makeup products reach the recommended SPF levels of sunscreen for ultraviolet protection.
Studies of makeup lines with SPF are generally in a laboratory setting and in a very controlled environment. Knowing this fact can give those who wear makeup a falsely elevated sense of skin protection.
In reality, you would need to use 6 to 7 times the thickness of the usual application of makeup with SPF to equal the effectiveness of traditional sunscreen. While the extra protection is certainly helpful, extra sunscreen is also needed.
A common way to deal with this issue is to use a tinted mineral sunscreen first as a base layer, and then apply your SPF makeup after for full coverage and protection. Most women find that using the tinted sunscreen actually allows them to use less makeup overall.
Additionally, not every person wears their makeup every day, especially if they are on vacation or doing vigorous outside activities. However, we all should be wearing sunscreen every day, rain or shine, all year long as we are exposed to ultraviolet light every day.
Take advantage of our summer-long 20% sunscreen sale at both offices. We have some excellent tinted sunscreens that our patients love and which is very compatible with all makeup regimens.