Westlake Derm's best-selling Alastin HydraTint Pro Mineral
Neil Farnsworth, an MD at Westlake Dermatology, has come to the rescue with tips to continue all year long in our sunbelt city. Farnsworth is a board-certified dermatologist with longstanding ties to Houston. He grew up in New Orleans, graduated from Harvard University, and later earned his MD at Baylor College of Medicine in the Texas Medical Center where he fell in love with the diversity of challenges found in dermatology.
His first word of advice: All sunscreens are not created equal. “Ultraviolet light is categorized as either shorter-wavelength UVB or longer-wavelength UVA. SPF is a measure of a sunscreen's efficacy against UVB, which causes short-term sunburns, but it turns out that the more deeply penetrating UVA is the worse culprit for causing long term sun-damage and skin cancers,” he says. “We don't have a number-system for grading UVA-protection, only the term broad spectrum. Individual chemical sunscreen ingredients only protect against narrow ranges of the UV-spectrum, and the chemicals for UVA break down easily. Physical or mineral sunscreens are literally microscopic umbrellas and can protect against the full UV spectrum.”
Farnsworth advises that we seek out mineral sunscreens. Higher-end mineral sunscreens have finer particles of zinc, titanium, and sometimes iron, allowing them to blend more naturally with little to no white caste or sheen. Cheaper mineral sunscreens can look quite opaque, especially on darker skin. So, the next best thing to completely mineral sunscreens are hybrids containing chemical ingredients to protect you against UVB, and just enough zinc for UVA protection, but not enough to look pasty.
“Sweat and water resistance formulas are obviously more useful during the summer, though it's important to remember that labeling only must prove that it lasts longer than 80 minutes in those conditions, and so re-applying is of paramount when engaging in outdoor activities,” says Farnsworth.
Lotions or Sprays?
Farnsworth prefers lotions over sprays. Almost all sprays are completely chemical, and therefore inferior to mineral sunscreens or hybrids, and studies show that almost no one puts on spray sunscreens correctly. “You're supposed to apply it as if you were spray-painting a door, not dash it on like bug spray,” he advises.
Farnsworth
Product Faves
He strongly recommends using the hybrid sunscreen Elta MD Sport for yardwork, pools, sports and beaches. “For pure mineral protection I love ISDIN Eryfotona Actinica, with zinc particles so elegantly fine that it blends invisibly even on Black skin. For those who like to wear concealing makeup, an excellent moisturizing substitute is Alastin HydraTint Pro Mineral, one of Westlake Dermatology’s best sellers.” Ideally, we're supposed to re-apply our sunscreen whenever we leave our office or homes throughout the day, but that can be a tough sell in hot, sticky weather. “ISDIN Mineral Brush is a pleasant option for reapplication — you can keep it in your car and just brush the lightly tinted powder on exposed areas before driving anywhere,” says Farnsworth.
Makeup as Sunscreen?
Farnsworth says that Alastin Hydratint is their best-selling foundation-substituting sunscreen, but SkinBetter Science Tone Smart is also quite popular and comes in both a pump and a more classically makeup-style compact. Other popular alternatives to foundation are Elta MD's UV-Elements and UV-Physical sunscreens. “Each product differs in their level of moisturizing and tint, and ideally should be tried on before buying.”
What about applying sunscreen to your face first and then finishing it off with foundation? “Applying foundation on top of sunscreen won't diminish its efficacy, but necessary reapplication of sunscreen later in the day then may require reapplication of your foundation. A mineral sunscreen powder like the ISDIN Mineral Brush may be more practical for such top offs,” he explains.
Other Common-Sense Reminders
Even on cloudy days, don’t forget to apply sunscreen to your feet, exposed scalp or hair part (or wear an SPF hat), and wear a lip sunscreen and protective sunglasses.
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Located across the mixed-use development’s courtyard from Austin-based Picnik, Fiora’s comes from partners Natalie Navi and Amir Sed. Navi brings her sandwich and kitchen experience from working as general manager at Paulie’s while Sed has worked in multiple Houston hospitality concepts. Sean McNeely, who was employed at Camerata before working for a wine distributor, is the general manager of Fiora’s and curator of the thoughtfully sourced wine collection. The team has been working on opening Fiora’s for the last few years.
Bottles span the globe with some natural wines, conventional picks, as well as overlooked regions and varieties that are not as common. “We want to offer a creative, quality wine program in an unpretentious setting, maybe like you hanging out in a friend’s backyard,” says Sean McNeely. Fiora’s chic aesthetic has a garden party vibe with floor to ceiling windows, arched brass shelves and rose gold light fixtures and accents, greenery, and whimsical wallpaper in unexpected places. There’s a shaded two-sided patio and roll-up garage door style windows “which will be open during the fall and spring,” assures McNeely.
Sandwiches, crafted with deli-style meats, local Slow Dough bread and homemade condiments, are pricey but huge; ample enough to split. Some options include a deli-style turkey and Swiss on sourdough ($14), boquerones with vegetables and burrata on baguette ($18), and mortadella with prosciutto, and chile pesto spread on focaccia ($16). The signature is The Goat — a 14-inch masterpiece stacked with mortadella, applewood smoked ham, pepperoni, vegetables, provolone, American cheese and Fiora spread made with vinegar, herbs, garlic, lemon and olive oil ($25). Craving something classic? Try the cooling house made chicken salad with tarragon and sprouts on brioche.
Pair them with the wine for a few matches made in heaven. Expect about 15 selections by the glass (choose half or a full glass) and a rotating inventory of around 50 bottles from myriad regions in a variety of styles including Champagne and several Texas wines. Texas is also represented on the beer menu. McNeely says they will be adding a happy hour soon highlighting sustainable selections in alternative packaging such as kegs, bag-in box, and cans for $6 per glass. “These are friendly, high quality and responsibly made wines that would be at home as the house pour in a Paris bistro or an osteria in Venice,” says McNeely. By the end of August, the team hopes to open for lunch at 11am. Other plans in the works include expanding their private event business and catering services.
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