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If you’ve ever found yourself breaking out after a sunbathing session or see spots appearing over the summer months, the sun’s rays may just be to blame. Although once a prescribed treatment for troublesome skin, while it’s a well-known fact that UV exposure can cause skin damage, you may not be as mindful of the link between the sun and acne.
Affecting most of us at one point or another, acne develops when pores become blocked with sebum (oil produced naturally by the skin), allowing bacteria to breed and inflammation to occur.
But what role do the sun’s UV rays play exactly? Let’s find out.
By damaging the skin’s outer layers, UV exposure causes even oily skin to dry and thicken. This triggers an overproduction of sebum to maintain hydration while creating an abundance of dead skin cells and flakiness on the skin’s surface, obstructing pores and leading to blemishes.
This issue is only amplified by sweat, more likely to be produced when in the sun, as the added moisture creates the perfect environment for the blemish-causing bacteria, Cutibacterium acnes, to thrive, while allowing dirt and oil on the skin’s surface to combine and, you guessed it, clog pores.
Other indirect factors can also contribute to sun-related breakouts, including the application of sun cream in an attempt to prevent UV damage. While this does help to protect skin cells from the long-term, harmful effects of the sun, many sunscreens contain ingredients that contribute to blocked pores and further inflame breakouts.
Although the sun’s rays may appear to improve the appearance of acne-prone skin by temporarily drying out oiliness and darkening skin tone, causing blemishes and scarring to appear less noticeable, these benefits are short-lived.
Not only can the increased oiliness that follows sun exposure exacerbate active acne, resulting in further inflammation and breakouts, but UV rays can also worsen scarring by inducing post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, causing the marks left behind by pimples to appear more pronounced and prolonging the healing process.
Remember that prevention is key. To protect your skin from the sun and avoid its drying, damaging effects, apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen daily while avoiding comedogenic, skin-clogging ingredients. Be sure to reapply throughout the day and seek shade when possible.
Maintaining an effective post-sun skincare routine, carefully cleansing and exfoliating to rid the skin of excess oils, SPF, dead skin cells, and dirt before moisturizing to restore hydration is key to maintaining a clear complexion.
If you’re looking for a supercharged solution to sun-induced acne, look no further than the ZIIP DOT. A pain-free and non-invasive blemish treatment device, the ZIIP DOT uses a combination of Nanocurrent™ and Microcurrent technology to clear and calm breakouts fast. By reducing bacteria and inflammation while drawing out impurities and sparking cell renewal and repair, this high-tech zit zapper helps prevent blemishes from forming while accelerating healing.
Perfect for use on the go, this palm-sized portable device fits neatly into any hand luggage bag and doesn’t require the use of the ZIIP app, making it the ideal complexion-clearing companion, whether at home or on holiday, wherever you seek the sun.
In short, sun exposure creates an environment perfect for producing pimples, and while we should all protect our skin from UV rays, those with acne-prone skin should take extra care. So, don’t skip the (non-comedogenic) sunscreen and pick up a ZIIP DOT for a clearer, calmer complexion in just 90 seconds.
