Allergic to Sunscreen

try to avoid sunscreen with avobenzone or paba, as this usually is what most people are allergic to in sunscreens. Stick to those made for sensitive skin, they usually have titanium or zinc oxide.

I have very sensitive skin, and can relate. Stay away from PABA, as everyone else said. Spray-on sunscreens can cause problems too, because of the alcohol content. I thought they were the greatest thing ever this summer, until I broke out in a rash.

Neutrogena sunscreens are great. Expensive, but worth it if you have sensitive skin. You might also try the sunscreens made for children--they are usually hypoallergenic.

D.,
My husband has the same problem. So he uses a lotion with sunscreen made by EARTHSCIENCE called almond-aloe moisturizer with spf 15+. It's actually a facial product, but he uses it all over. You can buy it online at LuckyVitamin.com. That's the only thing he has found that works for him. You may have to try out a few different products. Good luck.

Get a BIG HAT!
Seriously, there are some really bad chemicals in most sunscreens. Most irritate my skin as well, and I've yet to find one I can use on my face at all. Instead, I use Neutrogena face cream that includes a sunscreen on my face, and generally try to just stay convered up. You might visit your local health food market or pharmacy (Whole Foods, anyone?), and try some of the more organic products. Nothing has worked well for me- either I get bumps or I get burned.
Good luck! I feel your pain! :-)

Look for sunscreen that contains Titanium Dioxide. Titanium Dioxide blocks UV rays with a barrier while the other kind (Oxy-prefix named chemicals) actually soak in and interact with your skin. They are not too hard to find - I have found them at regular drug stores and grocery stores; you just have to read the labels.

HI D., HAve you heard of Shaklee? They have gentle and natural products. I have used it on the kids with no problems. Here is my website http://www.shaklee.net/naturalhealthylife. Contact me with any questions.
Y.

see an allergist....it may not be sunscreen but perhaps a specific ingredient in the sunscreen

Perhaps you cold try one of the mineral makeups? A lot of these new ones have sunscreen that is naturally in them. Call a dermatologist to ask which ones are the best. I use one by Neutrogena from Rite Aid. Not expensive and may do the trick for you. Good Luck.

Hi D.

Have you heard of Arbonne? I had reactions to other suncreens but seem to be okay with this one. I am now an Arbonne Consultant. I would be more than Happy to send you a free sample. ____@____.com

I use California Baby on our entire family including me and my husband. Give it a try. You can buy it at Whole foods.

Take care,
D.

I can concur with the PABA answers as well. We experimented with a friend who would burn. We tried mine and noticed the difference was it had no PABA and she did not burn. Whole Foods has more natural ones too. As our skin is our largest organ- taking in all those chemicals.

Check to see if there's PABA in the sunscreen you're using. You're probably allergic to that. We found out my niece was allergic to it when my sister put sunscreen on her during her first trip to Hawaii. She was 10 mos. at the time (she's 9 now) and when my sister put it on, she broke out in this horrible rash. She didn't seem too bothered by it. She scratched a little, but she looked bad because she had red spots all over her poor little body. Later on my sister found out that she was allergic to PABA. I forgot which brand my sister uses now (I think it's Banana Boat), but I use the Neutrogena spray for my kids and I know that my niece has used it before and did not break out. Good luck!

Try some differnent brands. I also have some skin allergies (I can't go anywhere near anything that has lanolin in it!) and I like Olay brand everyday lotion with sunblock and Coppertone sun stick for babies (it's a clear, vaseline like substance in a pink stick). Neither of those irritates my skin.

H.

Hi D.,
I would definitely recommend the Cell Block-C from BeautiControl. It has the irritation rate of water and is a complete sun block against UVA and provides spf 20 against UVB. Here is the link. Let me know if there is anything else I can help you out with.Good Luck:)
http://www.beautipage.com/jennysutton/

Look into Arbonne's suncreen. they test to a zero allergic reaction rate when they are only required by law to test to a 4 (4 out ot 10 people can have an allergic reaction to a cosmestic and/or skin care product and the company can still put it out on the market with a hypo-allergenic label...Arbonne doesnt put anything out on the market unless it passes with zero). Arbonne is also herbal and botanically based and tested by dermatologists. www.marybethb.myarbonne.com
I would also recommend looking into naet therapy. It may sound a bit weird, but my son has had great results from it. They test and treat for all kinds of allergies. Go to the website and find a dr. in San Diego---mind is in the LA area. www.naet.com
M.

Try a chemical free sunscreen, I had the same problem. Talk to a dermatologist - there are several chemical and PABA free sunscreens on the market.

try a different brand. my husband can't use Coppertone, but Banana Boat doesn't bother him at all. sometimes people are allergic to a certain ingredient, usually the PABA. I'm allergic the the ingredient in self tanners that makes your skin darken without going in the sun. Sometimes they sneak that into sunscreens. check ingredients and see if there's something in there you're allergic to.

You might want to make sure that you're using PABA-free sunscreen. I sometimes get a reaction to sunscreen as well, but I don't when I use PABA-free. Good luck.

Nu Skin has one that's excellent and I've never heard of anyone having a reaction. You can purchase it online at www.nuskinusa.com. It's also safe to use on babies!
L. C.