SPF After Skin Treatments: Why Sunscreen Is Non-Negotiable
If you invest in a skin treatment, your sunscreen is what protects that investment. I tell every patient the same thing: the results you paid for can be undone in a fortnight of unprotected sun. Daily SPF after a treatment is not optional, and here is why it matters so much.
Why treated skin needs sun protection
Treatments such as peels and skin needling work by encouraging your skin to renew itself. During that renewal, fresh new skin is more vulnerable to ultraviolet light. Without diligent protection you risk:
- Post-inflammatory pigmentation, where treated areas darken, which is the opposite of what most people are hoping for.
- Slower, patchier healing.
- Undoing your results, because UV drives the very ageing and uneven tone you are treating.
What I recommend after a treatment
For healing skin I recommend a gentle mineral sunscreen, applied daily and reapplied through the day, alongside hats, shade and sensible sun avoidance in the first week or two. My post-treatment pick is the Pretty in Zinc SPF50+, a mineral zinc formula that suits freshly treated skin. It sits in the Airyday SPF50+ range, which is TGA-listed and light enough to wear every day.
Makeup and SPF together
Once your nurse has given you the go-ahead to wear makeup again, keep it gentle and mineral over the top of your sunscreen. My guide to post-treatment makeup walks through the timing. You can also read more about choosing between mineral and chemical sunscreen.
Protect the results we worked for
Good sun habits are what make a course of treatments worthwhile. If you would like a plan built around your skin and your treatments, explore our Murad skin treatments or book a skin consultation in Brisbane.
Nurse Lisa, The Glow Co. Aesthetics