[ChiTown72]

I am 33 years old, and I am a male.

For the last 10 weeks or so, I used Retin-A Micro (0.04%) for acne. Thus, I had to wear sunblock while I was outside.

For a while, I used Paradise Gold Sunblock Lotion SPF 30. This brand is sold only at Walgreens. When I used this brand, the lotion vanished on my face. Thus, to the outside observer, there was no lotion visible on my face.

After I almost ran out of Paradise Gold sunblock, I used Neutrogena Sensitive Skin Sunblock Lotion SPF 30. The Neutrogena lotion seems to NOT vanish on my face. The lotion is VISIBLE on my face, and outside observers can see lotion on my face.

The Neutrogena bottle states that the lotion "vanishes on skin for a weightless, non-greasy feel". So, clearly, the lotion is not living up to the
manufacturer's promises.

I should mention that the lotion is most visible on the parts of my
face where the facial hair has been shaved off (such as the area
between my mouth and my nose, my chin, parts of my cheeks, the front
of my neck). The lotion is much less visible in areas where there is
never any facial hair (such as my forehead).



The Neutrogena bottle states that Neutrogena's active ingredient is Titanium
Dioxide 9.1%. I have seen no such ingredient mentioned on the Paradise
Gold bottle. So, is this Titanium thing causing the lotion to be
visible on my face? Should I try a lotion without Titanium Dioxide?


Thanks for any info.

 

[violet]

Hi ChiTown 72:

I am a dermatology nurse (rn, bsn).

You are a smart person (man!). It's so important to use sunscreen, not only for the cosmetic benefit of reducing the effects of photoaging, but also to avoid getting skin cancer(s). And, without knowing your race, that goes for both darker- and lighter-skinned individuals. Although lighter-skinned individuals are more likely to show signs of photoaging due to sun exposure, skin cancer does not discriminate as much.

Anyway, yeah, it's titanium dioxide that you are wondering about. It's a thick(ish) white substance that acts as both a chemical and physical barrier to the sun's rays. It is truly the only ingredient that protects your skin from burning -- although many, many other products claim to. I have never encountered anything to match the effectiveness of titanium dioxide or zinc oxide for sun protection. I am 43 and people typically guess my age to be about 30! -- I attribute that to very diligent skin care (first and foremost a good sunscreen with titanium dioxide).

Having said that...

Some of the products that contain zinc or titanium dioxide as an active ingredient slather on very thick and greasy and leave the skin with a whitish residue that is visible after applying, as you described. I have tried many, many products (Neutrogena's included) and I've experienced white face with almost all of them, except one. The product I use every day is by a company called Obagi. [No, I do not work for them or get any reimbursement for endorsing their products!] It has something called Z-cote in it and I believe that it is this technology that makes the titanium dioxide absorb into the skin much faster and better than other products out there, and it does not leave a white pall underneath the surface. I use the sunscreen "Obagi C-Rx" as both a moisturizer and a sunscreen, and it works beautifully. No white face.

Neutrogena has some nice products, but I have never liked their sunscreens. They contain preservatives that I am allergic to and that really both my eyes. I have a friend who used one of their sunscreens (a spray in a can) and then went out on a boat for a couple hours. She got fried -- badly. For heavy sun exposure, titanium dioxide really is the way to go. Plus a hat.

Well, for what it's worth! My 2 cents.

Violet.

 

[violet]

Hi ChiTown 72:

I am a dermatology nurse (rn, bsn).

You are a smart person (man!). It's so important to use sunscreen, not only for the cosmetic benefit of reducing the effects of photoaging, but also to avoid getting skin cancer(s). And, without knowing your race, that goes for both darker- and lighter-skinned individuals. Although lighter-skinned individuals are more likely to show signs of photoaging due to sun exposure, skin cancer is not as discriminating.

Anyway, yeah, it is titanium dioxide that you are wondering about. It's a thick(ish) white substance that acts as both a chemical and physical barrier to the sun's rays. It is truly the only ingredient that protects your skin from burning -- although many, many other products claim to. I have never encountered anything to match the effectiveness of titanium dioxide or zinc oxide for sun protection. I am 43 and people typically guess my age to be about 30! -- I attribute that to very diligent skin care (first and foremost a good sunscreen -- with titanium dioxide or zinc).

Having said that...

Some of the products that contain zinc or titanium dioxide as an active ingredient slather on very thick and greasy and leave the skin with a whitish residue that is visible after applying, as you described and don't like. I have tried many, many products (Neutrogena's included) and I've experienced white face with almost all of them, except one. The product I use every day is by a company called Obagi. [No, I do not work for them or get any reimbursement for endorsing their products!] It has something called Z-cote in it and I believe that it is this technology that makes the titanium dioxide absorb into the skin much faster and better than other products out there (maybe the molecule is smaller), and it does not leave a white pall underneath the surface. I use the sunscreen "Obagi C-Rx" as both a moisturizer and a sunscreen, and it works beautifully. No white face and a great moisturizer.

Neutrogena has some nice products, but I have never really liked their sunscreens much. They contain preservatives that I seem to be allergic to and that really both my eyes. I have a friend who used one of their sunscreens (a spray in a can) and then went out on a boat for a couple hours. She got fried -- badly. For heavy sun exposure, titanium dioxide really is the way to go. Plus a hat and standing in the shade whenever/wherever possible.

Well, for what it's worth! My 2 cents.

Violet.

 

[violet]

Hi ChiTown 72:

I am a dermatology nurse (rn, bsn).

You are a smart person (man!). It's so important to use sunscreen, not only for the cosmetic benefit of reducing the effects of photoaging, but also to avoid getting skin cancer(s). And, without knowing your race, that goes for both darker- and lighter-skinned individuals. Although lighter-skinned individuals are more likely to show signs of photoaging due to sun exposure, skin cancer does not discriminate as much.

Anyway, yeah, it's titanium dioxide that you are wondering about. It's a thick(ish) white substance that acts as both a chemical and physical barrier to the sun's rays. It is truly the only ingredient that protects your skin from burning -- although many, many other products claim to. I have never encountered anything to match the effectiveness of titanium dioxide or zinc oxide for sun protection. I am 43 and people typically guess my age to be about 30! -- I attribute that to very diligent skin care (first and foremost a good sunscreen with titanium dioxide).

Having said that...

Some of the products that contain zinc or titanium dioxide as an active ingredient slather on very thick and greasy and leave the skin with a whitish residue that is visible after applying, as you described. I have tried many, many products (Neutrogena's included) and I've experienced white face with almost all of them, except one. The product I use every day is by a company called Obagi. [No, I do not work for them or get any reimbursement for endorsing their products!] It has something called Z-cote in it and I believe that it is this technology that makes the titanium dioxide absorb into the skin much faster and better than other products out there, and it does not leave a white pall underneath the surface. I use the sunscreen "Obagi C-Rx" as both a moisturizer and a sunscreen, and it works beautifully. No white face.

Neutrogena has some nice products, but I have never liked their sunscreens. They contain preservatives that I am allergic to and that really both my eyes. I have a friend who used one of their sunscreens (a spray in a can) and then went out on a boat for a couple hours. She got fried -- badly. For heavy sun exposure, titanium dioxide really is the way to go. Plus a hat.

Well, for what it's worth! My 2 cents.

Violet.

 

[Lulu]

That was really good Violet ... specially the hat bit! In my opinion, zinc oxide is probably the most harmless ingredient for a sunblock. The thing that worries me is: a lot of sunscreens fool people into thinking they can stay in the sun for lengthy periods of time. Most only block out the UVB rays and not the UVA rays, so I would suggest that anyone who uses a sunscreen do some research.

Personally I do not use a commercial sunscreen (gasp!!!) and instead use my own cream with a Revlon makeup with sunscreen SPF15. I am currently working on a formula using zinc oxide and sesame oil (another natural sunscreen), and will have to wait a couple of years for it to be passed by the TGA here. Ugh.

 

[violet]

Hey LuLu,

Thanks...

That's great that you are developing your own sunscreen! Good luck.

I def agree that information regarding sunscreen and how it works is not provided to consumers as it should be. We have patients come in constantly who claim they use a sunscreen with a high SPF every day and don't go in the sun; but they are clearly sun damaged = either they have a lot of color, which equals damage, or they are first-degree burned. Most people do not understand how SPF even works or that they need a "broad spectrum" sunscreen for both UVA and UVB.

Anyway...I'm a big (huge) fan of zinc and I recommend it to everyone. I love summer, but I do not get sun-damaged during the summer, and people do sometimes ask me how I pull that off! Sunscreen and hats

Violet