Best of the best: Diane Madfes is a leading dermatologist in New York City
The weekend’s forecast is calling for sun (hallelujah!) which means you’ll probably be enjoying the Memorial Day holiday outdoors.
Before you go running out to soak up the sun’s feel-good rays, it’s important to take proper skincare precautions, as overexposure to UVB radiation can cause serious damage to your skin and health.
Leading New York-based dermatologist, Diane Madfes, reveals everything you need to know about sunblock– from the latest innovations to how often you need to reapply – you’ll be shocked!
Bathing beauty: You can bet Olivia Culpo protects her skin from the sun’s harmful rays. The 26-year-old former beauty queen posted this picture on Instagram praising Australian Gold’s new Botanical Tinted Face SPF Mineral Lotion
One and done? Not quite!
‘Sunblock stops working after about 2 hours, says Diane. ‘So you have to reapply.’
While smearing sunscreen on every couple of hours seams like a real chore, ‘there are makeups, brushes and sunblocks that give really good coverage and that will absorb the oil at the same time,’ explains Diane.
‘You just quickly brush over the area like you’re touching up your makeup.’ Dr. Madfes recommends a mess-free powder sunscreen by Colorscience. ‘They come in different shades so you can pick whatever matches your skin tone or whatever suits your makeup that day.’
Left: Sunforgettable Brush-on Sunscreen SPF 30 in fair (left) and deep (right) by Colorscience, $65; colorscience.com
The proper sunscreen regiment:
Start your beauty routine by washing your face. ‘Whatever was been on your skin cells at night has to be washed off, otherwise you don’t get good absorption,’ says Diane.
After you rinse and pat dry, apply a serum. ‘Pick a serum that’s an anti-oxidant cause anti-oxidants help with a little extra sun protection.’
‘Wait like a minute or two (put your eye makeup on or whatever), top it with your sunblock. You want the creme to get absorbed, then put your makeup on on top of that.’
If you’re relying on the SPF in your foundation to protect you, it won’t. It’s not enough, says Diane. ‘You would have to put about a tablespoon of makeup on your face (which is kinda gross) to get the amount of SPF coverage that is needed.’
‘It’s not additive: if your put on SPF 50, then an SPF 20 makeup primer, you’re not at 70 – it doesn’t’ work like that.’
Left: Facial Mineral Sunscreen Tinted SPF 40 by Tizo, tizofusion.com. Right: Ultra Zinc Body and Face Sunscreen Tinted SPF 40 by Tizo, tizofusion.com
‘During the day you sweat, which dilutes the sunblock, that’s why you have to reapply.’
In the summer months, Dr. Madfes suggests washing and exfoliating your face every night before you go to sleep.
‘The nanoparticles from sunblocks are too large; they sit at the bottom of the base of the skin’s pores, you want to get everything off.’
Left: La Roche-Posay Anthelios Clear Skin Oil Free Dry Touch Sunscreen Lotion, $19.99; target.com. Right: Sunscreen Lotion Broad Spectrum SPF 100 by Coppertone Sport, $8.52; amazon.com
New and improved:
‘A lot of the new sunblocks especially a lot of the mineral based ones have a little bit of a moisturizing base in them. If you have oily skin, choose one with a matte base, if you have dry skin, opt for a a cream.’
Sprays are great on the body and chest, but Diane suggests not using them on the face. ‘You won’t get an even coverage on such a round concave surface.’
Choosing your sunblock depends on the activity you are are partaking in.
Dr. Madfes recommends Tizo’s tinted sunscreen for when you don’t want to wear makeup, Coppertone Sport when exercising and Revision for an outdoor wedding or barbecue because it contains a little bit of matte that absorbs oils.
Anthelios is also one of her top pics for it’s broader coverage and antioxidants, as is Coola and Supergoop.
‘In addition to sunblocks that have antioxidants in them, there are sunscreens that contain DNA repair enzymes to heal your skin while your wearing them.’
Diane recommends ISDIN from Spain and SkinMedica.
Left: Intellishade® Matte anti-aging tinted moisturizer with sunscreen by Rivision Skincare, $75; revisionskincare.com. Right: Mineral Face SPF 30 Matte Tint Moisturizer by Coola, $36; coolasuncare.com
No more white stuff:
According to the dermatologist, sunblocks that leave your skin all white and pasty after application is a thing of the past.
‘They’re micronized now, meaning the particle is encapsulated so that when you apply, the capsule breaks open and blends into whatever the vehicle or the base is that you have’.
Like brushing your teeth, Diane suggests getting into the habit of protecting your skin, and this involves more than just a topical cream.
‘You really have to shade yourself. The sun does a lot of damage besides skin cancer. It creates brown spots, gives you wrinkles and kills collagen.
‘It’s actually rated a carcinogen by the National Institute of Health. The same way a cigarette is a carcinogen, so is UV light.’
For a fun, safe, burn-free holiday weekend Diane recommends reapplying your sunblock every two hours, wearing a hat and protective clothing. Happy summer!
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