I was born with extremely sensitive skin and being fair skinned just added to my misery; then I learned I had hormonal disorders and would have to remain on hormone therapy for the remainder of my life, so you take all that and you get someone who is intolerant to the sun. Yes, I’m literally allergic to the sun’s rays, which makes life difficult – no, make that nearly impossible especially when traveling or living in a sunny area like Houston. So when I found out about Fallene’s COTZ with SPF58, I was in hog heaven.
Fallene has made my life worth living again; now I know that might sound like an exaggeration, but I’ve had many a vacation ruined from my sun allergies (despite my using regular sunscreen and wearing a long sleeve shirt). I remember one vacation in Alicante, Spain where a rash developed all over my face and body and was made worse when I went into the ocean. Besides feeling like a freak, I became withdrawn, cranky and I ruined my husband’s vacation as well. No one should have to live being a hermit because of the sun.
I don’t remember exactly how I found out about Fallene’s COTZ but boy am I glad I did. COTZ is an acronym for “Contains Only Titanium and Zinc” since it contains 10% Titanium dioxide and 3% zinc oxide; however, there are inactive ingredients. COTZ is dermatologist recommended for sensitive skin and is also water resistant. COTZ claims it dries clear but I think it dries with a whitish color on my face. It is fragrance, oil, and PABA free, and is very gentle even on the most sensitive skin, like mine.
COTZ sunscreen provides both UVB and UVA protection; most people assume that you do not need protection when it’s a cloudy day but I found that I developed the most damage on those days. UVA rays, unlike UVB, are present all day long and can cause just as much damage in December as they can in July. UVA radiation can actually enter the skin deeper than UVB. UVA also penetrates through glass so you’re not even safe when driving your car.
I use COTZ in the morning when I walk my dog but I also dab it on when I know I’m going to be out in the sun for more than 15 minutes or even when dining outdoors. It should be applied 15 minutes prior to sun exposure and re-applied every two to three hours, but I find it does the trick for longer than three hours. Fallene recommends that you re-apply the sunscreen after excessive sweating and swimming; however, but I’ve had rain fall on my face, I’ve worn COTZ while working out at the gym, and I have splashed my face with water, and still the COTZ did not come off.
Not once did I develop a rash or redness when out in the sun while wearing COTZ, and I noticed that on the days I do not wear it (e.g. when I was visiting my family in Arizona), I developed brown spots around my eyes.
I recommend COTZ for everyone but especially for those with sun allergies, fair skin, freckles, anyone on hormone therapy whose skin has become more sensitive to the sun, people using Retinol, and babies.
The only bad thing about COTZ is the fact that it is not available over the counter. I order mine from Coolibar.com because I find they have the best prices and they ship quickly; however, you might be able to have your pharmacist order it for you.
For more information, visit http://www.totalblock.com/html/fallene_total_block_cotz_spf_5.html.
