One of the greatest myths of the skincare world is that people of color don’t need to wear sunscreen due to the elevated levels of melanin in their skin. However, the sun doesn’t discriminate between skin tones. While it is true that people with darker skin tones experience less burning compared to people with fair skin, all skin tones experience the harmful effects of the sun. One way to think about it is this: you know how darker clothing attracts the sun’s warmth? That’s exactly how the sun reacts to darker skin tones. That’s why it’s extra important for people of color to protect their skin.
Burning on People of Color
When people of color experience burning, it’s often harder to tell because the burn isn’t as obvious as it would be on someone with fair skin. Since you can’t see that telltale redness, you may not even notice until it’s far too late. After all, sunburn is an actual burn that damages your skin tissue after too much exposure to UV light. Redness, swelling, and inflammation are caused by red blood cells rushing to the skin’s surface to repair the damaged skin tissue. While the sunburn eventually heals, some of the tissue will escape repair and live on with mutations.
Contribution by The TiZO Skincare Educational Team.
TIZO® is dedicated to creating mineral photoprotection that is highly efficacious, exceptionally elegant and versatile for use on virtually all skin types and tones. Our name reflects our commitment: TIZO® = Titanium dioxide + Zinc Oxides. TIZO mineral sunscreens are lightweight and virtually invisible on skin. All TIZO products are Reef-Friendly and 100% free of chemical sunscreens, dyes, fragrances, gluten, phthalates, parabens and other preservatives.
TIZO Photoceuticals® complement our sun protection with elegant daily skincare designed to help repair, protect and revitalize photodamaged skin.
Skin Mutations From Sunburn
Such mutations can be responsible for Melanoma and other skin cancers. When people of color are diagnosed with skin cancer, it is often in the later stages and, unfortunately, much more deadly. Sunspots are harder to detect on darker skin tones which is why they go unnoticed and undiagnosed for so long. If you have a darker complexion, it’s so important to not only see your dermatologist annually for a skin cancer screening but to also know the ABCDEs of skin cancer and closely inspect your skin for any abnormalities regularly because they can easily blend in with your skin tone. To do this, look for any moles or spots on your body that are Asymmetrical, have Border irregularity, or have irregular Color variations. You also want to look out for the Diameter of the mole. If you see anything larger than a pencil eraser, you should alert your dermatologist right away. Lastly, you want to look out for any Evolution, which means the spot is changing shape, color, elevation, another trait, or another symptom (potentially itchiness or burning).
As makers of mineral sunscreen, TiZO® understands the aversion to the unsightly white cast that many mineral sunscreens leave, particularly on darker skin tones. With that being said, TiZO created sunscreens with this in mind. They offer tinted versions of most of their sunscreens to cater to skin tones higher on the Fitzpatrick scale. Their products are tinted with another mineral, iron oxide, which helps alleviate some of that white caste.
2 Tinted SPFs To Eliminate White Caste Of Most Sunscreens
For those with darker skin tones, we especially recommend TIZO Ultra Zinc Tinted SPF 40 and TiZO3 Tinted SPF 40. TiZO Ultra Zinc Tinted SPF 40 is a face and body sunscreen that leaves your skin feeling hydrated with a beautiful dewy finish. It is also available non-tinted which still works great on darker complexions. Finally, TiZO3 SPF 40 is a tinted facial sunscreen with a matte finish that even doubles as a makeup primer.
TiZO creates products for all skin tones because they know how important SPF is in maintaining healthy, cancer-free skin. Regardless of skin tone, remember that sunscreen is a must all year round.
As always, TIZO has you covered (in cosmetically elegant sunscreen, of course)!
