Melasma - is a physical ss better then a high euro PPD?
EDS Skin Care Forums Forum Index » Skin Care and Makeup Forum

Sat Jun 18, 2011 6:53 pm

There is much debate over what "type" of ss is best for melasma sufferers. I have heard that chemical ss makes melasma worse...(they break me out anyway)....

But in your opinion or experience...does physical ss work better then high euro PPD which I believe has some chemicals in it?

free skin care · Sun Jun 19, 2011 12:42 am

I don't get melasma, however physical sunscreens (even ones containing only titanium dioxide, which isn't as broad-spectrum as zinc oxide) seem to keep my from picking up colour better than a high-PPD chemical sunscreen. So for some I think they do work better.

free skin care · Sun Jun 19, 2011 12:48 am

Melasma runs in my family, and I am now nearing the end of my pregnancy. I have warded it off with La roche posay sunscreen lotion for the face, I believe SPF 60 or something like that. It did make me break out a bit, but compared to getting melasma, I prefered the breakouts. I think any sunscreen that you like and will use religiously (with a high SPF) will work.

Mon Jun 20, 2011 7:30 pm

Hey everybody, this is my first post. About 10 days ago, I was diagnosed with melasma. The dermatologist gave me a special prescription of hydroquinine 6% twice a day and suggested I use either EltaMD UV Clear SPF 46 or Aveeno Mineral Sunscreen. She explained that there are two types of sunscreen: chemical and physical, and that only physical sunscreen gives adequate protection for melasma. She strongly suggested that I always a wear wide-brim hat in direct sunlight and to reapply the sunscreen every two hours – no matter if I am indoors or if it’s a cloudy/rainy day. She insisted that I had to reapply the sunscreen every two hours for effective protection. She emphasized that even one minute of direct sun exposure would be harmful.

I bought the EltaMD, reapplied it every 2 hours and the very next morning my face was definitely about 2 shades“brighter”. YaY! After one week of using the hydroquinine 6% solution, the spots on the left side of my face are almost entirely gone. And the spots on the right side which were bigger and darker are looking much better. I still have traces of it on my upper and bottom lip, but it’s still early in my treatment, so I think my lip area will take longer to heal. The doctor said it will take about six weeks to regain my flawless skin again.

The thing I like about EltaMD is that my face doesn’t stay white after it’s applied. It soaks into the skin after one-two minutes and the best part is my make-up just slides on afterwards! It actually feels more like a moisturing crème than a sunscreen! I already had to buy another bottle because hubby swiped the first one! Shock

free skin care · Mon Jun 20, 2011 9:21 pm

I have had melasma for many years. It only takes a few seconds of unprotected sun exposure & they darken up.

After many years of trying everything under the sun, I now wont wear anything but zinc oxide. My holy grail sunscreen in Suntegrity. I am in love with it. No white cast, delicious scent, nothing toxic, and once its on it feels like a $200 serum. A perfect primer for make up; I just dust powder over mine and it looks flawless.

I also do not have to reapply it during the day. Now I might if I was at the beach or out boating. But for normal day-to-day routines, its stout. Prior to this I was wearing the DeVita and for me, it was only good for a few hours. My spots would darken if I didn't re-apply it every 3-4 hours or so. Who wants to wash their face at noon just to re-apply sunscreen/make up? And again at 4pm? No.

I believe chemical sunscreens exacerbated my melasma, aside from the other known and unknown dangers they pose.

Fri Jun 24, 2011 10:22 am

fadegirl - thank you sooo much for your response! Very Happy

I can't wait to try this sunscreen. I have never heard of it before, but just read some reviews on Amazon and they are all positive.

Sounds like you and I have had the same experience with our melasma.

20% zinc with no whitecast...I'm in...

free skin care · Sat Jun 25, 2011 3:27 am

You will find a lot of people on this forum will advocate a phyisical sunscreen over a chemical sunscreen especially if they have had pigmentation issues or have used the Obagi Nuderm system. The 2 most popular physical sunscreen reviewed a lot are Devita and Burnout. There are so really great posts on both these products on the EDS forum. I will have to agree with fadegirl that Devita after a few hours outdoors you do feel as though it needs to be reapplied, it isn't very water or sweat resistant. I prefer to use it during the winter months.

I haven't heard of Suntegrity. But after fadegirl encouraging review, I decided to do a bit of reading on the product. So far, it's all positive, so perhaps this may be another physical sunscreen to try. Thanks for the feedback.

free skin care · Sat Jun 25, 2011 9:08 am

I'd like to say that the Devita is a very light cream and once its applied, I can't even tell that it is on. At first I liked that, but it didn't do anything positive for my overall "look" or as a makeup base. But for some I am sure this is a major draw. FWIW, I despise makeup primers, so I am not coming from the perspective of wanting or expecting something like that.

The Suntegrity is a thicker cream, and once its applied, I can feel that it is on.

I initially assumed that the 'nothingness feel' of the Devita would be preferable, but it absolutely isn't for me. I really love the way the Suntegrity feels on my face, and the first couple of weeks that I used it, I kept feeling my face in adoration of how nice it felt. Silly! Plus, I just look so much nicer because of the way it behaves under my makeup (usually powder).

That is a major statement for me, because having ruddy, pigmented skin *nothing* ever makes me look better complexion-wise.

I just wanted to throw those observations out there in case they may help. Its been a while since I've been on EDS and I didn't realize the Suntegrity wasn't well-known. One can order direct from the maker, but since I have amazon prime I get it off of there and that 3rd party seller (beauty intuition) has always delivered fresh, legit product on time.

I also have Suntegrity's body version but haven't tried it yet. I'm going on vacation next week and bringing both the Devita body & the Suntegrity body, so we'll be using them both on the adults and my little one who will be in the pool 90% of the time. We've already used the Devita body extensively and know that we need to reapply it on the kiddo nearly hourly or she tans through it. I'll update in a couple of weeks or sooner.

Sat Jul 02, 2011 9:13 pm

I love suntegrity! I purchased the face version from The Detox Market in Venice, CA since the owner started Odacite skincare (which I love and regularly has promo codes!) and I saw it while purchasing her products. She ships (odacite)for free and so does kissandmakeupny (to canada too!)...Im not sure if they give samples of this, but I think Suntegrity does. I like wearing Devita as a daily SPF. It's emollient and feels like a moisturizer. It gives me sufficient protection for daily useage. When Im going to do more errands or be outside, I use suntegrity. It's not dry but I'd definitely wear a moisturizer under this...which I do anyway since I have a specific routine. I went hiking and rock climbing with sun and broken clouds and it did very well with no pink or darker pigmentation. I did re-apply a couple of times since I didn't want to take a chance even though I didn't sweat terribly. Even though it comes out white and thick, it doesn't give a while cast either. Im a medium, and it brightens/evens my skintone a bit without looking lighter. It smells great and there are citrus oils that might bother a few who are sensitive, but I didn't break out at all and it hasn't diminished the effectiveness of this to protect and I've tried several different zinc sunscreens. Maybe it's the anthoxanthin in it? Im not sure. Id also make note that since I've changed my diet for the better, it seems more resilient to the sun's rays this year. Even though I still advise using sunscreen, I can tell this has helped. Im thinking of adding some sort of sun pill supplement because my skin's health had improved significantly by treating it internally. Suntegrity has one, but not sure if it works any better than some of the others despite the higher price. Either way, I'm glad I've found a product that has worked so well for me, and at the same time I'm able to support a small business.

I had melasma for years, so I know how you feel. It was worse in the sun, but it also seemed to darken when I used mexoryl LX. Because it was a hormone imbalance, sunscreen, exfoliants, and bleaching creams did nothing since all it did was mask the problem and the layers beneath that had melasma just surfaced...even after spending so much money at derms. I had to balance my hormones (I did BHRT). Once it did, I had to get past the layers that were effected, that took about 3 months. I think all of the above helped in excellerating the process, once I tackled the source of it.

Automatic Message

If this is your first visit to the EDS Forums please take the time to register. Registration is required for you to post on the forums. Registration will also give you the ability to track messages of interest, send private messages to other users, participate in Gift Certificates draws and enjoy automatic discounts for shopping at our online store. Registration is free and takes just a few seconds to complete.

Click Here to join our community.

If you are already a registered member on the forums, please login to gain full access to the site.