Sun Cures Acne – Myth or Reality?

May 25, 2016

Acne Myth #1: Sun Cures Acne.

“My friend told me the sun cures acne – so I’m going to lay out this summer!” We cannot tell you how often we hear this comment. And we cannot tell you how much it makes us go into panic mode on behalf of your skin.  So before we write anything more, we want to be perfectly clear: the sun does NOT cure acne. It’s a total MYTH!

Why has the myth that the sun cures acne persisted for so long? Ultraviolet light (and even X-rays) were used as acne therapies in the 1950’s. Doctors believed UV radiation cured acne and thus subjected their patients’ skin to high doses of UV light in an attempt to control acne breakouts. 

Why did they believe this? Sunshine has an antibacterial effect on bacteria and it makes the existing pimples shrink and therefore decreases the inflammation around the acne lesions. Less inflammation equals smoother skin and less redness (although many patients experienced sunburns!) which made people believe their acne was improving.  

Today we are far more knowledgable about the dangers of excessive and intense UV radiation on the skin. Here are the top 4 reasons to avoid the sun:

1. Skin Cancer.  The most diagnosed type of cancer in the world!  The good news is that it’s highly preventable. Wearing a generous amount (at least ONE TEASPOON for your face) of broad spectrum sunscreen of at least SPF 30 daily will significantly reduce your chances of getting skin cancer. Ninja’s Daily Defender Sunscreen SPF 30 has both UVA (aging rays) and UVB (skin cancer rays) protective agents so you are well covered! And best of all, our sunscreen is completely non pore clogging. So don’t be sunscreen shy – slather it on!

2. Stress. Did you know when you lay out in the sun, you’re causing so much massive damage to your skin cells that your body goes into hyper skin cell repair/production mode and it actually weakens your immune system? That’s why you’re so ‘relaxed’ after doing nothing but just laying around in the sun all day. Stress on your body is not good!

3. More pimples form. Because pimples form from the retention of dead skin cells inside the hair follicles, anything that makes your skin produce MORE skin cells leads to the likelihood of increased clogging. And that of course leads to new pimples. Remember, it takes 3–4 months for a pimple to form, so a suntan in July shows up as pimples in October.

4. Wrinkles and premature skin aging. When you’re young, you never think you will look old, but I promise it will happen. No need to rush the process by damaging your skin from the sun when you’re younger. Wearing your daily sunscreen and avoiding excessive sun exposure will 100% guarantee you will never look your age! There are few guarantees in life, so you definitely want to take advantage of this one.

As we all say goodbye to this school year and skip merrily to the pool for some well-deserved R&R, remember to wear your wide brimmed hat, sit under the umbrella and generously apply your sunscreen at least 30 minutes before sun exposure. Don’t forget to re-apply if you’ve been swimming or sweating a lot.  Have a happy and sun smart summer!