He doesn’t wear contacts. I’m seriously going to start with mineral sunscreen and go from there,
There are 2 main classes of sunscreen, chemical and physical. Physical sunscreens tend to be less irritating. The ingredients in physical sunscreen are zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. Chemical sunscreens have ingredients like avobenzone and oxybenzone.
I have had this problem as well. I have had better luck with the sunscreens like Neutrogena clear face - they claim they don’t cause breakouts and are targeting acne prone users. They may have less oil in them so are less likely to “move” from where they are applied.
I still need to be careful about touching my face and toweling off - both good ways to end up with sunscreen in the eyes!
Zinc Oxide is one of the best sunscreens in product tests
I happen to like the Neutrogena Ultra Sheer cream. The spray is not a good sunscreen though.
While the baby products may list the same ingredients as an adult version they usually are a different formulation. One of my favs was a baby sunscreen because it applied much more easily.
I have similar problems to him (basically the eye rosacea and even corneal infiltrates that flare badly with extreme pain in the summer). I too have issues with true sunscreens and struggle with decision to wear the contacts and have the ability to wear sunglasses or do I just leave my glasses on and squint and put on some sunscreen when my eyes are bad.
Basically I have given up and just wear my typical moisturizer or other skin products (that I am accustom to) but try to get them with spf 15 or 25. For some reason my eyes have gotten used to makeup and some skin stuff but if I try to buy anything simply labelled “sunscreen” it burns. Right now Im using a generic anti wrinkle cream moisturizer with spf 15 (paraben free) and at times use erborian cc red correct which has spf 25 in it.
I hope he finds something that works for him!
@2plustrio , do you use the prescription eye drops Patanol? (Sp) it’s the only thing that really helps his eyes. Oftentimes he has to put extremely hot water on a wash rag and just hold it to,his eyes. There is a peeking if the rims at times too. What a hassle to have to live with this. He can’t wear contacts because of it.
Yes Ive used prescription stuff in the past. For me, my biggest issue was the corneal infiltrates. Basically they said with contacts my corneas become little dust mitts and its like having dozens of small punctate corneal abrasions in each eye. It makes me not tolerate light and I tear constantly when flaring. Its aweful and horribly painful. I rarely wear my contacts now out of fear of it flaring again. If I do wear them, I take them out mid day and allow them to soak and rinse out my eyes as well. When I was at my worst, I basically didnt wear my contacts for a few months (not even one second of them being in to allow my corneas to heal and breathe).
So yeah, each person is different but for me I have learned that my eyes dont really quite tolerate something labelled “sunscreen” on my face. I will use it on my ears and on the tip of my nose. But otherwise, I have to stick to my other more “cosmetic” if you want to call it that lotions that I use daily that dont seem to bother my eyes so much. No clue whats in the suncreen that drives my eyes batty but it is what it is.
(And having my mother have 2 cancerous skin lesions removed through the years I know Im at high risk).
I have a similar reaction to sunscreen, and have found the only one I don’t struggle with is Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Non-Greasy Sunscreen Stick for Face & Body, Broad Spectrum SPF 70 - it’s a stick, like deodorant. It goes on clear, and I can actually use it on my face (nose, cheeks) without having the eye irritation.
I have very fair, sensitive skin along with mild rosacea. I have found that most sunscreens/blocks in lotion form will irritate my skin, but I think it is the ingredients which make them waterproof that are the main culprits for me.
Whenever possible, I use moisturizers with sunscreen for sensitive skin and rarely have issues with those.
If I am swimming, or in the water, I use the clear type, unscented sunscreen sprays (applied with fingers), which seem to irritate my face far less than any of the numerous lotion products I have tried over the years. They seem to stay put better and do not run into my eyes when I am in the water or sweaty.
I had high hopes for the neutrogena mineral based sunscreen for the face, but it gave me dermatitis all over my face and neck, even after a spot test on my arm was fine.
Trader Joes sells spf50 spray sunscreen which has worked well for me. I also like their inexpensive Enrich moisturizing face lotion with spf 15, as well as cetaphil products.
I also wear spf50 rash guards and leggings, and a hat when possible to minimize the need for sunscreen altogether.
I have sensitive and fair skin and a lot of sunscreens make my eyes tear. My dermatologist recommended this https://www.colorescience.com/products/sunforgettable-total-protection-brush-on-sunscreen-shield-spf-50 I’ve used it off and on over they years. I’m not presently using it as I’ve switched to a tinted product for everyday use.
When I played tennis I loved a brand of zinc that went on clear. Ocean Potion in the round container with lid. I see it’s out of stock everywhere so maybe they aren’t making it anymore. It was hard to find and I’d stock up when I saw it.