How to manage greasy skin caused by sunscreen

It’s no secret that Australians need to wear sunscreen every day, even in winter. Our skin cancer rates are the highest in the world, with over 800,000 diagnoses each year. Part of the Aussie way of life includes protecting our skin from the sun’s UV radiation, which can cause permanent damage to our skin cells and lead to premature ageing like wrinkles, sun spots and pigmentation, and eventually skin cancer.

But wearing sunscreen every single day can be tough on our skin. While sunscreen protects us from the long-term effects of sun damage, in the short-term it can cause skin congestion and oiliness, which might lead to other skin problems such as acne.

Many of us apply sunscreen as part of our morning skincare routine, only to have a greasy face by mid-morning when it’s time to re-apply.

Here are some practical tips for managing greasy skin when you’re wearing sunscreen every day:

• Use a paper blotter to blot away surplus oil on your skin’s surface.
• In your day-to-day skincare routine, use products formulated for oily skin types. Using facewash and vitamin C serums tailored to fight oiliness can help eliminate some of the excess grease on your face.
• Similarly, choose a sunscreen product formulated for oily skin, or one labelled as non-greasy. Since we need to wear sunscreen daily, we might as well find a product we love!
• Try using mineral makeup to eliminate some of the “shine” caused by oil.
• If you find you need more moisture in your skin, try including a very light, oil-free hydrator or moisturiser in your evening skincare routine. Remember to always start just one new product at a time, a few days apart, so you know which product is causing irritation if you experience any.