Sunscreen Stinging Your Eye?
Sunscreen Stinging Your Eye?
By Shammi Mondal
It’s a breezy summer day. Clear blue skies, everything looks bright outside, but the moment you start enjoying the outdoors your eyes feel a sudden sting, naturally you rub your eyes to ease the pain only to make things worse. You realise that that the sunscreen you wore has gone into your eyes and now keeping your eyes open has become a challenge.
Sunscreens stinging your eye can hold a special fright, so we spoke to Dr Geetika Mittal Gupta, an aesthetic physician to help us tackle this situation with her expert solutions.
Do we really need to apply a sunblock around our eyes?
“The skin around our eyes is thinner in comparison to the skin on the rest of our body which makes it vulnerable and more susceptible to sun damage, exactly why wearing sunblock around your eyes is a must” says Dr Geetika Mittal. The first signs of ageing appear around your eyes and wearing a sunscreen could efficiently tackle premature skin ageing.
Why do sunscreens sting or water the eyes?
“Those teary, irritated eyes, speaking from personal experience, can truly ruin a day. Although most of the sunscreens available are to apply around your eye area, but a chemical sunscreen has many active components that can irritate the delicate skin around your eyes,” says Dr Geetika.
Ingredients like avobenzone and oxybenzone found in chemical sunscreens are the main suspects in. making your eyes watery.
Here are some easy ways to remedy this problem
Look out for a mineral sunscreen
“Mineral sunscreens, in my opinion, are healthier for the skin than chemical sunscreens, particularly if you have acne or other skin problems,” says Dr Geetika.
Mineral compositions include zinc or titanium dioxide as their main ingredients and are a wonderful choice because they are gentle on the skin and won't irritate your eyes even when you sweat.
“I generally suggest 2-3 finger sunblock application for the face, make sure you apply it 15 mins before heading out,” recommends Dr Geetika.
Stick sunscreen to the rescue
“Stick sunscreens are ideal for use around the eyes because they don't dissolve and make application less untidy, this variant is emollient and are less likely to slide and slip, they also stick better,” says Dr Geetika.
Sunscreens for sensitive skin might save your day
“I suggest look for ones that are designated for sensitive skin and those that are promoted as moisturisers, as these tend to rub in better and are less prone to drip into the eyes from the forehead,” says Dr Geetika.
Sunscreens meant for sensitive skin often have no fragrance, which is why they do not cause skin irritation.
Consider a waterproof sunscreen
Pick up a waterproof sunscreen for application around your eyes, as they would not budge around the face even when you sweat and avoid any sunscreen from entering your eyes and causing chaos.
“Choose a sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher, which resistant to water, and offers broad-spectrum protection, meaning it shields you from both UVA and UVB radiation. Before heading outside,” says Dr Geetika.
Try a double duty product
There are also products designed specifically for the eye area, such as SPF-rated tinted mineral powders and tinted cream concealers. These products work two ways and give great protection. “Try the double sunscreen method around your eyes- which is use a mineral sunscreen and follow it up with a tinted sun block, reapply a sunblock powder every 2-3 hours when outside,” recommends Dr Geetika.