I have been using hydroquinone and it works, but I want to go off that and use something else to maintain my results. Any product or ingredient recommendations?

Thanks, I do use a zinc sunscreen already!

Not to sound like a broken record but you can get much higher UVA protection (formulations are available with up to 10x more protection) with high PPD rated European formulations that include Mexoryl SX, Mexoryl XL, Tinosorb M, and Tinosorb S. PPD provides a measure of protection from pigment darkening. Zinc oxide has a good breadth of protection but is very inefficient, i.e. it covers the wavelengths but not very much.

You may think you don't need very high UVA protection but considering the fact that most USA ZnO based sunscreens provide PPD of 8 or less and that actual use factors (not applying enough, not reapplying often enough) generally bring this down to about 1.5-2, I'd say, yes, everyone benefits from much higher UVA protection. Most especially the manufacturers, but now and then they do a good deed. IMHO this is one of those few worthwhile pursuits.

I don't think 1/4 tsp is enough, 1/2 would be better. If it's a very light, elegant formulation 1/2 tsp might not be enough, either. Plus you must reapply and wear a hat/visor and sunglasses. I never trust sunscreen alone. If you can't see it and feel it, don't count on much protection. The most substantive formulations are most trustworthy on the face. Also check the expiration date, the potential interactions with other products on your face, and how it was stored/shipped. I keep mine in the fridge.

Yes, that's the most likely problem. Most sunscreens are formulated around neutral pH (7.0) and the Obagi stuff is on the acid side. Depends on which products. I don't know their clear and blender pHs but HQ is most stable at pH 4.0 or below so I am guessing that those products are probably around 3.5. So if you were applying your sunscreen over a thick layer of pH 3.5 yes you could be deactivating the filters.

I don't think it's a problem over C serums as much because even though many of these are at pH 3.5 or below, application directions typically specify use of 2-3 drops (1/10 of a ml or so) all over neck and face as opposed to several mls of products for face alone as in Obagi instructions for hydroquinone products.

So what is the ABSOLUTE best sunscreen out there to put on the face and body? I'm out in the sun every single day, unfortunately, as my boys like to swim in the summer and we are at the pool every day. I'm using Water Babies Pure and Simple right now, and although I never burn, I am getting extremely dark. Any idea why I'm getting so dark and what product will not let any rays to my skin? Thanks.

Thanks so much, kosmeds. Where do you order yours from? I don't know which sites are reputable for ordering that kind of thing.

Wait, is that 50 spf PPD stuff better than ultra high uv protection? I use the european Photoderm Max spf 100 during the summer. It's water resistant, but I still find that it doesn't hold up during jetskiing. Maybe saltwater has something to do with it. For my arms I use an american spray so it can easily go between all the crevices like between fingers and stuff- Spf 80 with helioplex-(whatever that is).

Another question I have is with SPF. When I looked up the term SPF years ago in the dictionary it said that it was merely a bar which determined how LONG an SPF lasted rather than how much protection it gives. I remember the dictionary had an actual mathmatical formula which showed you how you can use the number on the SPF bottle to show you how long it was going to give protection. So I got the impression that an SPF 15 works just as well as an SPF 100 if & only if you're only in the sun for a few minutes- at which time you would have to reapply the SPF 15 to get any further protection. Am I wrong about this?

Photoderm max does have a very high PPD. You can scarcely do better.

[It's water resistant, but I still find that it doesn't hold up during jetskiing. ]

Nothing will hold up to jetskiing.

[Another question I have is with SPF. When I looked up the term SPF years ago in the dictionary it said that it was merely a bar which determined how LONG an SPF lasted rather than how much protection it gives. ]

SPF is merely

time to change on protected skin/time to change on unprotected skin

where the change is reddening. Skin protected with
higher SPF formulations take a longer time for the skin to turn red than lower SPF formulations.

PPD works the same way but the color change is brown, not red.

[So I got the impression that an SPF 15 works just as well as an SPF 100 if & only if you're only in the sun for a few minutes- at which time you would have to reapply the SPF 15 to get any further protection.]

Well, SPF is defined by a ratio of changes over time. Five minutes is not enough to burn most people. So not getting burned isn't saying much. You're still going to get more UV radiation with a lower SPF and PPD formulation, and even doses too small to produce a color change will damage. The damage is cumulative, so it's best to block out as much as possible if you care about your looks. And get your D from a pill.

I don't believe the Innuit are dark because of what they receive from their optic nerves. I believe they are dark because snow reflects UV radiation.

Sunglasses are good for protecting the eyes, provided they wrap-around. I've mentioned wrap sunglasses repeatedly, because some rays will get through the sides otherwise.

I went looking for the article again to be sure. It actually says melanin- it's at the end of the 4th paragraph. http://www.scienceline.org/2007/06/18/ask-dricoll-inuiteskimos/

I believe it concludes with what you said about their ancestors originating from elsewhere, and then attributes their skin not going lighter to adjust over the centuries due to vitamin consumption. Seems a little weird to me that vitamin consumption would prevent evolution's adjustment to the environment, but what do I know.