In the sun? Don’t get SPOTTED

Exposure to the sun’s rays can make acne worse

THERE was a time when your doctor would place you next to a sun lamp in the hope of clearing your spots. But did you know, in spite of what your grandmother might have believed, the sun can actually make acne worse. And what’s more, sitting in the sun without using protection could ultimately increase your risk of skin cancer.

A new survey by skincare company La Roche-Posay has revealed that one in five of us avoids wearing suncream in the hope of clearing spots — when really the sun does even more damage to your skin.

‘Many people believe sun exposure is an effective treatment for acne but any potential benefit is very temporary,’ explains Dr Niki Ralph, a consultant dermatologist with La Roche-Posay.

‘The study has exposed that one in five adults think the sun helps clear a breakout or their acne. That’s really an historical idea because back in the 1950s, doctors would have believed the sun and sunlamps helped clear your acne as it has antiseptic qualities and bacteria can be the driver in creating the spots. Or it’s an idea that could be handed down in families with grandmothers telling children to get some sun to clear spots.’

And in some ways granny was right — your skin will initially seem to clear up, but this is more of a warning sign than a solution. ‘Technically it does have a temporary effect,’ Nikki explains. ‘The redness you’d see when you have acne does go down when you get exposed to the sun, as you are decreasing your inflammatory response.

BUT at the same time when you decrease your immune reaction you are creating a longer-term problem in that if your immune system can’t function properly, you can’t fight off cancer cells. So you are putting yourself at risk of skin cancer.

‘The other thing is when you tan, you’re producing pigment which makes your skin darker. You are basically making the redness, so it’s not treating it. It’s disguising the acne for a temporary amount of time.’ In reality you’re making it worse, especially if you have acne rosacea.

‘Ultimately, sun exposure leads to drying of skin and this causes excessive sebum (oil) production and dead skin cells being shed. This leads to blocking of pores which may not result in an acne breakout until weeks later, hence people do not make a direct association with sun and acne flares.

‘Not only is using natural or artificial ultraviolet radiation (sunbeds) extremely dangerous, but it can actually aggravate blemish-prone skin.’

With around 85% of teens having acne in some form, the condition can continue on into midlife. ‘About 12% of women will grumble on into their forties with acne,’ Nikki says. ‘You can also develop acne later in life which is often acne rosacea — which is triggered by the sun.’