English Transcript
Allergist Marcello Aquino, MD: A sunscreen allergy is when you’re allergic to some component within the sunscreen. So, it can be some of the chemical components that are used to help block the radiation of the sun, things like PABA or benzophenones, but it also can be things like fragrance that helps the sunscreen smell good, and things like preservatives that helps the sunscreen from going bad.
There are sunscreens that have less of these allergens, although they may not be the most cosmetically pleasing because they contain the metals like zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, which provide a physical barrier to the radiation of the sun. So, they take a little longer to blend in and they have sort of that white appearance to them.
So an allergist can help you determine which of those components that you can be allergic to through something that we call patch testing and then can help direct you to finding a sunscreen that does not contain the allergen within it.
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Resource Type: Video | Allergy, Allergy Symptoms, Allergy Treatment, Skin Allergies
