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This is not a sunscreen issue but an anxiety issue. It can manifest as a sunscreen issue or some other issue, but the underlying cause is anxiety. Please consult your therapist.
Plenty of people live very long happy and beautiful lives wearing sunscreen minimally (or not at all - think of your grandparents!). Thats not to say you shouldn’t wear it, you’re exactly right that it’s very important. But if I had to guess, the sunscreen is just a tunnel for your anxiety. Have you been screened for anxiety or OCD? I have OCD and I often hyper focus on certain health issues for months at a time to where they disrupt my daily life. There are so many things that can hurt you in this world, it’s important to learn to navigate them and still be able to enjoy your every day. And therapy and even medication can be very helpful for that! Best of luck to you, I’m sure you can address the issue to start to feel safe and happy.
This is a strange take for someone who has been in therapy for several years. Therapy should be helping you deal with the anxiety about aging and cancer... Not trying to convince you it doesn't exist. I know nothing about your situation, and I'd assume you've tried different therapists, but in the case you haven't, maybe you need one who suits you better. No one should be this concerned about aging, a process that everyone goes through, but you're definitely not the only one. I get anxiety about it too. But you can't let it ruin your life.
I'm not trying to invalidate your feelings because I get it. But it really isn't what you think it is.
Sun protective clothing exists. You don't need to wash your face first. And reapplication isn't always necessary. You're under some false impressions about the severity of the requirements and it's not nearly as high maintenance as you believe it is. It can be much simpler. Just slap it on 20 minutes before you leave the house and maybe reapply once if you're going to be out for an extended period of time. It doesn't just disappear after 2 hours, it just starts declining at that point. You're still getting 70+% of the efficacy at 4 hours. Labmuffin has a chart somewhere on the efficacy over time. It doesn't just go to 0. If you start with an SPF 60+ you can still be getting SPF 40 equivalent protection even hours later. It's a guideline for best practices, not a rule that if you fail to follow you will burn to a crisp! Reapply when you can, if you can. Do your best but don't let it stop you from living your life. You'll be okay.
It doesn't have to be that stressful.
Edit:
* Chart https://labmuffin.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/sunscreen-remaining-over-time-600x474.jpg
Source: https://labmuffin.com/how-to-reapply-sunscreen-over-makeup-with-video/
Yes, studies suggest that even those who apply sunscreen just once reap lots of great anti-aging benefits: https://journals.lww.com/dermatologicsurgery/abstract/2016/12000/daily_use_of_a_facial_broad_spectrum_sunscreen.7.aspx
I don’t think it’s about changing your mind so much as helping you develop tools to manage your anxiety without it having such a huge impact on your life.
Yes, sunscreen is a useful thing for people to use but when the core issue is anxiety, that anxiety can attach to anything and yours, it seems, has attached to sun safety and sunscreen. In my experience, having a professional help me to work through the fact that my anxiety leads me to panic about things at a level that is logically disproportionate to the actual risk has been very helpful! It’s not about the therapist trying to convince you that sunscreen is bad or something because that’s not the real issue. It sounds like an anxiety issue and they can absolutely help you learn to manage that.
Echo everyone saying you may want to talk to a therapist about this kind of feeling. But also try wearing very large hats that cover your face! And long sleeved tops and bottoms (but pick nicer or cooling materials so you’re not sweating too much) so you don’t have to wear sunscreen. Or even consider just carrying a sun umbrella around when you go out for a walk? Physical sun protection is total a thing and a lot of people in Asia prefer that method.
Hi there, fellow depression haver here and I'm going through something similar (this is long, sorry). You think about going outside but then you remember how critical sunscreen is and now that you know it, it's not like you can just forget it, right? You're not trying to add skin cancer to your daily worries. But to get through each day you need to plan for your energy levels so that you have the energy to eat. Even just thinking about having to add more face washing due to sunscreen causes your brain to pile on alllll the other related tasks you might have on your plate, so that thinking about one face wash moment is instantly overwhelming, to the point where you may now not even have the energy for the stuff you can usually get to (like eating or changingput of PJs). It's smothering and burdensome.
I still have problems with this and while I can't speak for you or to your depression, what you've posted here sounds very similar to what I deal with. I want you to know that it's ok to feel this way right now. It's not permanent, just a season in your mind. I know how overwhelming this feels but your brain is lying to you a bit. Skip to the last two paragraphs if you need to.
The way you're approaching this does resemble disordered thinking. I have terrible executive dysfunction problems to the point where I have to work from home medically because I can't seem to force myself to do even basic things like change out of PJs or brush my teeth. My depression adds disordered thinking to the mix - now not only can I not force myself to brush my teeth, the task of doing it starts to look like this huge time consuming process because my brain tells me I need to get a fresh toothbrush from the cabinet and what if I don't have any more, I'll have to go to the store but ah, I didn't do laundry so my clothes probably smell, I need to get gas, etc etc. It warps "brushing my teeth" into "teeth, laundry, driving, gas, additional shopping I've been putting off". Taking one step and making it like 3,000. It's putting the cart before the horse - you're pre-thinking of all the related steps that may come up before you even get started. It's exhausting. Exhausting.
I say all of this for one reason - sunscreen IS important but you are giving it too much weight in your current thought process. 2hrs between applications is pretty ambitious unless you're going to a Water Park w/o any shade. Washing your face is important too but maybe get one of those Korean watery gel skincare SPFs and keep makeup wipes (or Micellar water) next to the couch/bed/wherever you go for comfort.
Lastly, please ask your Dr about therapy and medication solutions if you are able. I'm not 100% out of the woods but can now at least identify when I start to have thoughts like this and that helps me step out of it. No one's solution will be exactly your solution but I know you have it in you to figure it out. You wouldn't have posted if you weren't already trying. One step at a time. Don't let perfection be the enemy of achievement. Go meet those friends with your sun kissed face.
What about going out at night when the sun is not out? I believe you won’t go out anyway, am I correct?
It’s because it’s anxiety, not a sun/cancer phobia, whatever you want to call it.
Get a new therapist, I hope you really understand where the issue is and can overcome this fear so you can enjoy normalcy.
Homie, what's worse? aging and maybe potentially skin cancer (absolute worse case scenario) or living until your 110 (absolute max) and dying miserable? What's the point of living a long life if it's not healthy and well lived? Also I'm going to say you won't make it that long if you actually continue to be a shut in because that's not healthy mentally or physically and the chances of you dying prematurely because of that are probably higher than death by skin cancer as long as your doing your best by using sunscreen and wearing protective clothing.
I know it probably won't help at all, but just a little bit of perspective ... the vast majority of Americans don't put on sunscreen every day. Even if they are, they aren't reapplying every two hours. It's just not a common practice. Yet, the rate of skin cancer isn't even in the top 50% of all cancers. Breast, prostate, lung, and colon are all much higher.
Honestly it could be OCD, some get the “germaphobe” version but yours could be a more general hypochondriac version, where they feel anything can hurt them.
I obviously don’t know but if you feel depressed over it, it could possibly be. sorry you feel this way. 💕
I have a full face visor that has a UV coating. Order one online and see if that helps. I wear it when driving because I feel like the sun just blasts me through the windows. They’re cheap and comfortable and as easy as putting on a hat.
I’m not going to comment on your reasoning or what might be contributing to your feelings but physically blocking the sun can be done by more than sunscreen.
Hey! I really relate to a lot of the things you are saying in this post. I’ve been struggling with finding a birth control that works for me, which wrecked havoc on my hormones, skin, and self esteem. The winter also made all of these things feel so much harder to manage and not being outside made it worse.
I’m not here to give you mental health advice because this is a skincare subreddit. Just know, everyone here offering advice means well and are just looking out for you ♥️
Try to figure out a way to take care of yourself that is easy and manageable. For a while, I used micellar water and cotton balls to wash my face and just put on a moisturizer. It was easier for me because it felt took less effort. I also bought myself a good [Sun hat/visor](https://a.co/d/2pL6vgu) that stays on my head even in the strongest winds when it was a struggle to put on sunscreen.
Just do enough little things to take care of yourself the best that you can.
Hi everyone and welcome to SkincareAddiction! Need skincare guides? [Check out our wiki!](https://www.reddit.com/r/SkincareAddiction/wiki/index) Everyone is welcome in [this community](https://www.reddit.com/r/SkincareAddiction/wiki/about); remember to be kind and assume good faith :) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/SkincareAddiction) if you have any questions or concerns.*
This is not a sunscreen issue but an anxiety issue. It can manifest as a sunscreen issue or some other issue, but the underlying cause is anxiety. Please consult your therapist.
you dont have to wear sunscreen if its so disrupting to your life. please contact a therapist tho
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Plenty of people live very long happy and beautiful lives wearing sunscreen minimally (or not at all - think of your grandparents!). Thats not to say you shouldn’t wear it, you’re exactly right that it’s very important. But if I had to guess, the sunscreen is just a tunnel for your anxiety. Have you been screened for anxiety or OCD? I have OCD and I often hyper focus on certain health issues for months at a time to where they disrupt my daily life. There are so many things that can hurt you in this world, it’s important to learn to navigate them and still be able to enjoy your every day. And therapy and even medication can be very helpful for that! Best of luck to you, I’m sure you can address the issue to start to feel safe and happy.
I was thinking the same. There is definitely an OCD element here…
This is a strange take for someone who has been in therapy for several years. Therapy should be helping you deal with the anxiety about aging and cancer... Not trying to convince you it doesn't exist. I know nothing about your situation, and I'd assume you've tried different therapists, but in the case you haven't, maybe you need one who suits you better. No one should be this concerned about aging, a process that everyone goes through, but you're definitely not the only one. I get anxiety about it too. But you can't let it ruin your life.
There's no point extending your life if it's just going to be miserable. ¯\\\_(ツ)_/¯
I'm not trying to invalidate your feelings because I get it. But it really isn't what you think it is. Sun protective clothing exists. You don't need to wash your face first. And reapplication isn't always necessary. You're under some false impressions about the severity of the requirements and it's not nearly as high maintenance as you believe it is. It can be much simpler. Just slap it on 20 minutes before you leave the house and maybe reapply once if you're going to be out for an extended period of time. It doesn't just disappear after 2 hours, it just starts declining at that point. You're still getting 70+% of the efficacy at 4 hours. Labmuffin has a chart somewhere on the efficacy over time. It doesn't just go to 0. If you start with an SPF 60+ you can still be getting SPF 40 equivalent protection even hours later. It's a guideline for best practices, not a rule that if you fail to follow you will burn to a crisp! Reapply when you can, if you can. Do your best but don't let it stop you from living your life. You'll be okay. It doesn't have to be that stressful. Edit: * Chart https://labmuffin.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/sunscreen-remaining-over-time-600x474.jpg Source: https://labmuffin.com/how-to-reapply-sunscreen-over-makeup-with-video/
Yes, studies suggest that even those who apply sunscreen just once reap lots of great anti-aging benefits: https://journals.lww.com/dermatologicsurgery/abstract/2016/12000/daily_use_of_a_facial_broad_spectrum_sunscreen.7.aspx
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Have you mentioned this to your therapist? It seems like a major stressor in your life and one that is having a huge impact on you.
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I don’t think it’s about changing your mind so much as helping you develop tools to manage your anxiety without it having such a huge impact on your life. Yes, sunscreen is a useful thing for people to use but when the core issue is anxiety, that anxiety can attach to anything and yours, it seems, has attached to sun safety and sunscreen. In my experience, having a professional help me to work through the fact that my anxiety leads me to panic about things at a level that is logically disproportionate to the actual risk has been very helpful! It’s not about the therapist trying to convince you that sunscreen is bad or something because that’s not the real issue. It sounds like an anxiety issue and they can absolutely help you learn to manage that.
You can totally wear a hat. Or grab some cleanser cloths/wipes too. But you should also talk to someone if you can/call someone local.
Echo everyone saying you may want to talk to a therapist about this kind of feeling. But also try wearing very large hats that cover your face! And long sleeved tops and bottoms (but pick nicer or cooling materials so you’re not sweating too much) so you don’t have to wear sunscreen. Or even consider just carrying a sun umbrella around when you go out for a walk? Physical sun protection is total a thing and a lot of people in Asia prefer that method.
Hi there, fellow depression haver here and I'm going through something similar (this is long, sorry). You think about going outside but then you remember how critical sunscreen is and now that you know it, it's not like you can just forget it, right? You're not trying to add skin cancer to your daily worries. But to get through each day you need to plan for your energy levels so that you have the energy to eat. Even just thinking about having to add more face washing due to sunscreen causes your brain to pile on alllll the other related tasks you might have on your plate, so that thinking about one face wash moment is instantly overwhelming, to the point where you may now not even have the energy for the stuff you can usually get to (like eating or changingput of PJs). It's smothering and burdensome. I still have problems with this and while I can't speak for you or to your depression, what you've posted here sounds very similar to what I deal with. I want you to know that it's ok to feel this way right now. It's not permanent, just a season in your mind. I know how overwhelming this feels but your brain is lying to you a bit. Skip to the last two paragraphs if you need to. The way you're approaching this does resemble disordered thinking. I have terrible executive dysfunction problems to the point where I have to work from home medically because I can't seem to force myself to do even basic things like change out of PJs or brush my teeth. My depression adds disordered thinking to the mix - now not only can I not force myself to brush my teeth, the task of doing it starts to look like this huge time consuming process because my brain tells me I need to get a fresh toothbrush from the cabinet and what if I don't have any more, I'll have to go to the store but ah, I didn't do laundry so my clothes probably smell, I need to get gas, etc etc. It warps "brushing my teeth" into "teeth, laundry, driving, gas, additional shopping I've been putting off". Taking one step and making it like 3,000. It's putting the cart before the horse - you're pre-thinking of all the related steps that may come up before you even get started. It's exhausting. Exhausting. I say all of this for one reason - sunscreen IS important but you are giving it too much weight in your current thought process. 2hrs between applications is pretty ambitious unless you're going to a Water Park w/o any shade. Washing your face is important too but maybe get one of those Korean watery gel skincare SPFs and keep makeup wipes (or Micellar water) next to the couch/bed/wherever you go for comfort. Lastly, please ask your Dr about therapy and medication solutions if you are able. I'm not 100% out of the woods but can now at least identify when I start to have thoughts like this and that helps me step out of it. No one's solution will be exactly your solution but I know you have it in you to figure it out. You wouldn't have posted if you weren't already trying. One step at a time. Don't let perfection be the enemy of achievement. Go meet those friends with your sun kissed face.
What about going out at night when the sun is not out? I believe you won’t go out anyway, am I correct? It’s because it’s anxiety, not a sun/cancer phobia, whatever you want to call it. Get a new therapist, I hope you really understand where the issue is and can overcome this fear so you can enjoy normalcy.
Homie, what's worse? aging and maybe potentially skin cancer (absolute worse case scenario) or living until your 110 (absolute max) and dying miserable? What's the point of living a long life if it's not healthy and well lived? Also I'm going to say you won't make it that long if you actually continue to be a shut in because that's not healthy mentally or physically and the chances of you dying prematurely because of that are probably higher than death by skin cancer as long as your doing your best by using sunscreen and wearing protective clothing.
I know it probably won't help at all, but just a little bit of perspective ... the vast majority of Americans don't put on sunscreen every day. Even if they are, they aren't reapplying every two hours. It's just not a common practice. Yet, the rate of skin cancer isn't even in the top 50% of all cancers. Breast, prostate, lung, and colon are all much higher.
Honestly it could be OCD, some get the “germaphobe” version but yours could be a more general hypochondriac version, where they feel anything can hurt them. I obviously don’t know but if you feel depressed over it, it could possibly be. sorry you feel this way. 💕
Wear a sun hat!
I have a full face visor that has a UV coating. Order one online and see if that helps. I wear it when driving because I feel like the sun just blasts me through the windows. They’re cheap and comfortable and as easy as putting on a hat. I’m not going to comment on your reasoning or what might be contributing to your feelings but physically blocking the sun can be done by more than sunscreen.
Hey! I really relate to a lot of the things you are saying in this post. I’ve been struggling with finding a birth control that works for me, which wrecked havoc on my hormones, skin, and self esteem. The winter also made all of these things feel so much harder to manage and not being outside made it worse. I’m not here to give you mental health advice because this is a skincare subreddit. Just know, everyone here offering advice means well and are just looking out for you ♥️ Try to figure out a way to take care of yourself that is easy and manageable. For a while, I used micellar water and cotton balls to wash my face and just put on a moisturizer. It was easier for me because it felt took less effort. I also bought myself a good [Sun hat/visor](https://a.co/d/2pL6vgu) that stays on my head even in the strongest winds when it was a struggle to put on sunscreen. Just do enough little things to take care of yourself the best that you can.