Why You Should Always Apply SPF to Your Feet After Exfoliating — and the Skin Cancer Risk Nobody Talks About

Published: June 7, 2025

Written By Real Skin Retinue

Preservation is truth — and it starts within you!!. And it doesn’t stop at your face.

At Real Skin Retinue, we take a full-body approach to skin longevity, prioritising conscious care in a world oversaturated with actives, medications, and environmental stressors. While beauty culture fixates on exfoliating for “glass skin,” one area remains dangerously overlooked: the delicate skin on your feet.

📌 The Skin on Your Feet Is Different — and Deserves Protection

The soles and tops of the feet are exposed to unique pressures. While the soles have thickened skin designed to resist friction, exfoliating with AHAs like glycolic or lactic acid can thin this barrier, ( you find people do this right before a sunny holiday!) leaving behind newer, more vulnerable skin — especially on the tops of the feet, which are easily forgotten.

And yet, we expose them daily:

• Sunbathing at the beach

• Wearing sandals outdoors

• Skipping SPF after exfoliation

Freshly exfoliated feet are:
✅ More prone to sunburn
✅ Vulnerable to hyperpigmentation
✅ Susceptible to premature photoaging
✅ At increased risk for acral lentiginous melanoma — a rare but serious form of skin cancer, more common in people with melanin-rich skin

🔍 Studies show acral melanoma accounts for up to 70% of melanomas in Black individuals and 45% in Asians.

📌 The “Cocktail Effect” Nobody Talks About

Today’s skin is bombarded — not just by sunlight, but by the cumulative effects of internal and topical exposures, such as:

• Antidepressants, antibiotics, antihistamines, and contraceptives (many of which increase photosensitivity)

• Overlapping exfoliants (glycolic acid, lactic acid, retinoids)

• Excess UV exposure — without adequate SPF

This unspoken “cocktail effect” increases the risk of inflammation, pigmentation disorders, premature aging, and in rare but possible cases — malignancy.

Few studies have addressed this intersection, but it’s one Real Skin Retinue refuses to ignore.

📌 The Retinue Way: Preserve Everything

✅ Limit sun exposure for at least 7 days post-exfoliation — especially on exposed areas like feet and hands
✅ Apply broad-spectrum SPF to feet, toes, ankles, and hands — daily
✅ Avoid layering excessive acids if on photosensitising medication
✅ Support skin recovery with Savef Skin Essential Face Serum — even on sun-exposed feet

✅ If you do not wish to wear or reapply SPF then consider protective clothing with UPF of 50+

PRO TIP! ✨ Apply 1–2 pumps to cleansed face, neck, and décolletage. Then extend to hands and tops of feet post-sun for full-body preservation.

Some of the 17+ Hero ingredients:

• Acetyl Zingerone: Neutralises oxidative stress, inhibits UV-triggered collagen breakdown

• Astaxanthin: Clinically shown to improve skin elasticity, hydration, and reduce fine lines and sun damage

“From your face to your feet — preservation is truth.”

📌 Final Thought

Your feet carry you every day.
They deserve more than polish — they deserve protection.
In a world of overstimulation and oversight, being photo-conscious isn’t luxury — it’s smart, necessary care.

📌 Real Skin Retinue Is About Education

We don’t chase trends. We prioritise truth.
Real Skin Retinue is rooted in education, skin longevity rituals, and formulations that serve the whole self.

✨ Preserve wisely. Protect completely.
Discover more at: www.realskinretinue.com