Does sun exposure help with acne?

Acne is a very common skin condition. It causes frequent, persistent breakouts of pimples, often on your face but also elsewhere on your body, such as your back. It’s often due to pores becoming blocked with oil, dead skin, or bacteria.

Some people believe that the sun can help clear up acne breakouts. It may cause some temporary improvements in the appearance of acne. But it may have more long-term negative effects, causing more damage to your skin overall.

Acne is manageable with proper skin care and medications. Always use sun protection to keep your skin safe and healthy in the sun.

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Can the sun help with acne?

Many people believe that sun exposure can help clear up acne, but this is a common misconception. There’s no scientific evidence to prove that sunlight or UV light has any benefit for acne, whereas it’s widely known that too much sun can damage your skin.

Anecdotally, some people may notice that their acne looks better after being in the sun. This is because sun exposure can temporarily dry out the skin, which may improve lesions for a short time. However, the inflammation resulting from sun exposure can ultimately worsen your acne.

Another reason some people think that sunlight may help with acne is because of the role of vitamin D. According to some 2022 research, people with acne often have reduced vitamin D levels. The body creates vitamin D from sun exposure.

You may think this link means that sun exposure may improve vitamin D levels and, therefore, acne. But some 2020 research into vitamin D and acne found that sun exposure had no effect on vitamin D levels in people with acne.

Risks of sun exposure

Sun exposure likely comes with more risks than benefits for people with acne.

For example, UVB radiation comes from sunlight. According to some 2023 research, UVB can increase inflammatory markers in the body, increase oil production, and lead to a buildup of keratinocytes on the skin, which can clog pores and react to bacteria, causing acne.

In many people, sunlight exposure may lead to post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. This is darkened patches on the skin that appear after acne lesions and can look like acne scarring.

What’s more, your acne medication may make sun exposure even riskier. Isotretinoin is a very strong retinoid medication that doctors often prescribe for severe acne. When taking isotretinoin, your skin becomes extremely sensitive to the sun. This means that it’s more susceptible to sunburn and other sun damage.

Recommendations for safe sun exposure

There are many ways you can keep your skin safe in the sun. The American Academy of Dermatology has several recommendations for sun safety, including:

• Seek shade: Stay in the shade where possible, especially when the sun is strongest, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
• Cover your skin: Keep your skin covered where possible. This may be difficult for the skin on your face, so you may wish to wear a sunhat with a wide brim that can protect your face.
• Wear sunscreen: Wearing sunscreen is the most important recommendation to keep your skin safe. Look for a broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher and reapply it every 2 hours. You may be able to find a sunscreen formulated for sensitive skin that won’t further irritate your acne.

Acne treatment

The first step in treating acne may be to try over-the-counter (OTC) medications. Some of the most common include:

• Retinoids: Retinoids are molecules that come from vitamin A. Mild products are available OTC to help with skin conditions. You can use retinol and adapalene (Differin) to manage acne.
• Azelaic acid: Azelaic acid (Finacea) may help you manage your symptoms and fade scarring.
• Benzoyl peroxide: Many OTC acne products contain benzoyl peroxide (Enzoclear) as their active ingredient, starting at around 2.5% strength.
• Salicylic acid: Salicylic acid is another common ingredient in OTC acne products, like cleansers and creams. It can help unclog your pores.

According to some 2022 research, benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid are the most common ingredients in OTC acne products.

If OTC options don’t work for you, or if your acne is severe, a doctor will generally recommend prescription medications.

If your acne is bacterial, a doctor may prescribe antibiotics to apply directly to the skin, such as clindamycin 1% (Cleocin) or erythromycin 2% (Erythrocin). In more severe cases, such as cystic acne, a doctor might prescribe oral antibiotics, like doxycycline (Vibramycin Hylate) or minocycline (Minocin).

Another common medication for acne is isotretinoin (Accutane). This is a very strong retinoid, and doctors mostly recommend it for very severe or recurrent acne or for acne that hasn’t responded to other treatments.

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Online care for acne

Acne is generally manageable with the right treatments.

Online care services, including Optum Perks Online Care, may make getting treatment easier. With these services, you can submit an online form answering a few questions about your symptoms, and a US-licensed healthcare professional will respond soon after to prescribe a treatment plan.

Summary

Many people believe that sunlight can improve acne, but there’s little evidence to suggest that this is the case. Sunlight may temporarily dry the skin and reduce the appearance of breakouts, but this is unlikely to last very long, and it only masks the symptoms.

UVB radiation from sunlight can increase inflammation in the skin, as well as increase oil production and contribute to further clogging of the pores. All of this can actually worsen acne.

It’s important to keep your skin safe in the sun to prevent worsened acne and other damage from the sun.

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