Does the sun help acne?
A. There can be a positive effect on acne. However, ultraviolet light in sunlight increases the risk of skin cancer and early aging of the skin. Since there are many other effective therapies for acne, sunlight is not recommended. A better treatment is the Blu-U, which has all the benefits of the sunlight and none of the detrimental effects. Many acne treatments also increase the skin’s sensitivity to the sun, augmenting the risk of sun exposure. Tanning Beds or booths have the same negative effects as the sun and are not recommended.
While exposure to the sun can temporarily improve your acne outbreaks, exposure to the sun can dry out and irritate your skin to the point that acne begins to worsen. Not only that but long term exposure to the sun greatly increases your risk of skin cancer and causes early aging of the skin. Many acne treatments will increase your skin’s sensitivity to UV light, making sun exposure even more risky.
Many patients feel that sunlight improves their acne lesions and go to great lengths to find sources of ultraviolet light. There is no proven effect of sunlight on acne. In addition, ultraviolet light in sunlight increases the risk of skin cancer and early aging of the skin. It is, therefore, not a recommended technique of acne management, especially since there are many other proven forms of treatment for acne. Moreover, many acne treatments increase the skin’s sensitivity to ultraviolet light, making the risk of ultraviolet light exposure all the worse.
