Is your SPF causing breakouts? We ask a dermatologist for advice

Since her advice and expertise cleared up my perioral dermatitis a couple of years back – it’s an unbelievably stubborn red, goatee-like rash around the mouth and nose which requires medication to clear and is common in Ireland – London-based Northern Irish dermatologist Dr Sam Bunting has become my go-to for tricky skin quandaries. Women over 30 are more prone to acne and hormonal breakouts, but we are also among the most sun conscious. To protect skin and maintain its health at this time of year, SPF is critical. However, I’ve had some messages via social media lately from readers who are worried that their SPF is causing breakouts in hot, sweaty weather.

To clear up the confusion (and our skin), I asked Dr Sam the question that seems to be on the minds of the breakout-prone – “Is SPF making my breakouts and acne worse?” Her answer? The right SPF actually helps to prevent breakouts and acne flare-ups. For anyone who wants to maintain skin clarity in summer, SPF is essential. So why do we seem to commonly believe the opposite is true, that sun exposure is good for breakouts?

“In the short term, people like the impact of UV rays because they have a mild anti-inflammatory effect. We even use UV to treat conditions like eczema – and more commonly psoriasis – because of these effects,” Dr Sam explains. When it comes to acne, though, the key phrase is “short term”. “At the same time, UV exposure also promotes comedogenesis. You get this thickening of the outer layer of skin as a defence mechanism against UV.”

So while sun exposure can temporarily make skin look clearer, it directly causes breakouts shortly after. “Typically you come in out of the sun and your skin is clogged and you break out badly. If you then use a sunscreen that isn’t non-comedogenic [designed to be non-congesting], you have a perfect storm for breakouts. UV will also darken those post-inflammatory marks.”

The result can feel as though everything is suddenly going wrong with your skin, and the cause can feel hard to pin down, because sun exposure appears to have helped and its negative impact is delayed. Often, people will blame their SPF (which may be contributing if it isn’t non-comedogenic), stop using any, and then compound the cycle of breakouts and scarring even further.

There are a few key things you can do to help keep skin happy and clear in the summer heat. Dr Sam recommends keeping up retinol use for the acne-prone. This keeps cell turnover high and helps minimise clogging in the first place. Retinol in summer is fine, she says, “if you’ve cracked safe sun behaviour. So use your non-clogging SPF, seek shade, cover skin. Then, when you come in from your day at the beach, wash your skin thoroughly.”

There is no safe tan except a false or self-tan, Dr Sam advises, “and some tans can also be clogging”. If you’re applying one, do it post-shower at the end of the day, “let it develop over the evening and do your skincare as normal with your retinoid. That’s how I recommend patients stay breakout-free in the sun while still looking a bit golden, and having no big breakout to deal with once they come back from a holiday.”