Effects Of Caffeine Sunscreen With SPF 50 For Acne-Prone Skin

Sunscreen is a non-negotiable part of any skincare routine be it a winter skincare routine, a summer skincare routine, or a skincare routine addressing a specific skin concern like a dry skincare routine, anti-aging skincare routine, or an oily/acne-prone skincare routine. The common step and product among all these steps has to be a sunscreen that is formulated for your unique skin needs. Likewise, an effective anti-acne skincare routine includes a Caffeine Sunscreen with SPF 50 to help manage acne as caffeine has potent antioxidant properties and also provides 25% enhanced photoprotection which in turn helps minimize photodamage throughout the day thereby ensuring effective management of acne.

What Is Sunscreen?

Sunscreen as the name suggests provides photoprotection, meaning, it protects our skin from the harmful effects of the UV rays. UV rays are further of three types UVA, UVB, and UVC. UVA and UVB cause the most harm to the skin and contributes to inflammation and photodamage which further leads to photoaging.

Most sunscreens only provide protection from UVB rays that are responsible for skin discoloration and suntan and therefore they do not suffice as an ideal sunscreen as UVA rays penetrate deeper into the skin layers and cause photodamage that further contributes to photoaging. Therefore, it is important to opt for a broad-spectrum sunscreen of SPF50 to ensure optimal photoprotection throughout the day.

Types of Sunscreen:

Sunscreen is of 3 major types; depending on the type of filter used while formulating them.

1. Physical Sunscreen: Physical sunscreen or inorganic sunscreen works by reflecting the UV rays. They usually contain Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide as their filters.
   
   
2. Chemical Sunscreen: Chemical sunscreen or organic sunscreen works by absorbing harmful UV rays. Some of the organic/chemical filters are mentioned below.
   
   Benzophenones: oxybenzone, dioxybenzone, and sulisobenzone.
   Salicylates: octisalate, homosalate, and the salt trolamine salicylate.
   Cinnamates: octinoxate and cinoxate
   Meradimate, octocrylene (which is similar to the cinnamates)
   Aminobenzoates: padimate O and aminobenzoic acid
   
   
3. Hybrid Sunscreen: Hybrid sunscreens are formulated with both organic and inorganic filters and therefore act by both reflecting and absorbing UV rays.

 

Why Is Sunscreen Non-Negotiable?

Photodamage leads to a series of events that eventually cause the formation of free radicals that contribute to inflammation in keratinocytes and fibroblasts, the skin cells, exacerbating acne, and associated skin conditions. However, our body has developed a robust anti-oxidant system, it only suffices for intrinsic oxidation, therefore, it is important to minimize the extrinsic photodamage and the associated free radical oxidation with the help of a topical antioxidant and a sunscreen. Caffeine sunscreen serves the dual purpose of photoprotection and antioxidant thereby it should be a preferred choice for people with acne, rosacea, and associated skin conditions. Therefore, sunscreen, especially for acne-prone skin is a non-negotiable part of their respective skincare routine.

Why is Caffeine Sunscreen A Better Choice For Acne-Prone Skin?

• Apart from the comedones, acne, is majorly an inflammatory skin condition wherein sunscreen with active ingredients like caffeine may be of great help as caffeine is a potent antioxidant that helps in minimizing cellular damage.
• Photodamage results in increased production of factors contributing to inflammatory skin conditions, including acne, therefore it's important to include a broad spectrum sunscreen of around SPF 50 to help reduce and minimize photodamage. Caffeine sunscreen provides 25% enhanced photoprotection.
• Caffeine sunscreen also helps in reducing the incubation time for the organic filters thereby supporting their photoprotection action.
• Studies have suggested that caffeine increases the window for reapplication as it prevents the depletion of the organic filters due to sun exposure.
• Caffeine also supports collagen production thereby ensuring skin elasticity and firmness which eventually promotes optimal skin health.
• Caffeine promotes increased blood circulation thereby supporting the proper supply of nutrients and oxygen to the skin cells which in turn ensures healthy skin.
• Studies suggest caffeine’s rule in regulating apoptosis (natural cell death) thereby promotes a healthy cell turnover and may provide protection against skin cancer.

How To Include Caffeine Sunscreen In Your Daily Skincare Routine?

Sunscreen should always be the last step of your daily skincare routine as it is usually the heaviest in consistency and actively blocks UV rays. The correct order of layering skincare products for an effective anti-acne skincare routine is believed to be CTMS, meaning, Cleanser, Toner, Moisturizer, and Sunscreen. 

Now if you have made it this far to the blog, it’s safe to assume that you probably are looking for a skincare regimen for acne management. Let’s decode the most effective anti-acne skincare regimen.

Cleanser:

Starting off with a salicylic acid cleanser to help get rid of excess oil further helps with managing acne effectively and efficiently given the keratolytic action of salicylic acid that helps get rid of the dead skin layer thereby improving skin texture and aiding skin health.

Toner:

Including a calendula toner right after cleansing helps in hydrating and soothing skin along with the added pore-minimizing action of calendula flower extract; calendula toner also helps in preparing the skin for effective and optimal action of other skincare products.

Moisturizer:

You have to be very diligent at choosing your moisturizer while curating an anti-acne skincare regimen as moisturizers may further clog the pores and exacerbate acne and associated skin conditions, therefore, it's advised to opt for a non-comedogenic moisturizer to prevent further acne flare up and hydrate and moisturize the skin without any hassle.

Sunscreen:

This entire blog talked about how a broad spectrum, SPF 50 sunscreen may be the best pick for acne-prone skin given its antioxidant and photoprotective properties. Finishing off your morning skincare routine with a caffeine sunscreen could be a game changer in your anti-acne skincare routine.

Hopefully, this blog helped you get an insight into how you may navigate through different sunscreens and pick the best caffeine sunscreen to address your acne needs to effectively manage it along with the proper ways in which you can incorporate a SPF 50 sunscreen into your skincare routine.

Also read- What Ingredient Should Be Included In Your Summer Skincare Routine?