Supergoop! Mineral Sheer Screen ($38), SkinCeuticals Physical Fusion UV Defense Sunscreen SPF 50 ($36) and ISDIN Eryfotona Actinica ($60)
“Melasma is a very multifactorial, not only UVA and UVC, also UVB, infrared radiation, heat, inflammation and hormones. Therefore you want a sunscreen that protects you from all of these factors.
I recommend only physical sunscreens for my melasma patients. Chemical sunscreens help stop the effects of the sun by absorbing the UV rays chemically, and some chemical degradation products from sunscreen can be inflammatory, which can trigger melasma. I also prefer sunscreens that contain blue light blockers, because in addition to UV radiation, sitting in front of the computer all day being exposed to blue light can also exacerbate melasma.
I like SkinCeuticals Physical Fusion, an all-mineral SPF 50 sunscreen that not only contains zinc oxide and titanium dioxide to block UV rays, but also iron oxide, which is powerful in protecting against blue light. It also has a nice lightweight, universal tint. Supergoop! Mineral Sheer Screen is a zinc oxide sunscreen that delivers broad-spectrum SPF 30 and helps filter blue light. And lastly, ISDIN Eryfotona Actinica, which is an SPF 50+ targeted for actinic damage, but I also recommend it for my melasma patients since it contains repair enzymes that help repair damage caused by the sun. We know that melasma is exacerbated by the sun, so this product helps protect and repair at the same time.” —New York dermatologist Julie Russak, MD
