Summer Skin Care Tips

Summer has finally arrived in the northern hemisphere. As the temperature rises, the time you spend outside increases. While being outdoors and getting exposed to the sun have a great impact on your health, your biggest organ – your skin – needs extra attention during this time.

Even though the sun is the perfect mood booster, unfortunately, too much of it is bad for your skin. The sun’s ultraviolet light can cause major damage. The outer layer of the skin has cells that contain the pigment melanin. Melanin protects the skin from the sun’s ultraviolet rays. These can burn the skin and reduce its elasticity, leading to premature aging. So it’s very important to protect yourself from too much exposure to the sun.

But don’t panic! We’ve compiled a handy list of our top tips for your summer skin care:

Become best friends with your sunscreen

Wear a broad-spectrum sunscreen of SPF 30 or higher on all your sun-exposed areas. Don’t forget about your hands, feet, ears, and lips. Reapply your sunscreen every 2 hours too. Don’t sit in the direct sun. Always find a place in the shade and wear a hat and sunglasses.

Exfoliate regularly

Over-exfoliating may not be recommended, but slowly and gently exfoliating your facial skin is crucial, especially during summertime. Sweating accelerates the blockage of pores, but exfoliating it will clear the pores of excess oil and dirt. Summertime is a great season to slough away dead skin.

Starting with once-a-week exfoliation will be enough. You can use products that contain alpha-hydroxy acid (AHA). Just be mindful to exfoliate in the evening, because many exfoliators make your skin photosensitive and prone to burning.

Shorten your shower time

Between workouts and days at the beach, many of us shower more than once a day during summer. Dermatologists recommend keeping showers short. Taking long showers or showering in hot water will overdry your skin, making it more sensitive to the sun and its effects. Pat yourself dry with a towel after showering to retain the moisture in your skin.

Add vitamin C to your routine

Add a topical antioxidant, like vitamin C, to your summertime skin care routine. Using antioxidants adds another layer of protection and helps prevent and treat unwanted pigmentation that shows up in the summer months. Apply your vitamin C product right after cleansing your face. You can use it both day and night.

Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!

Drink plenty of water and keep your skin hydrated. Be more careful about hydration during summer as you will be losing water by sweating. Drinking lots of water is way more important than using facial masks and serums for hydration, and it’s more affordable too. Hydrating your skin from the inside out flushes all the toxins out of your body. It also keeps your skin radiant and soft. Eating water-rich fruits and vegetables such as melons, strawberries, pineapple, peaches, cucumber, and tomatoes will also help with hydration.

To sum up

Your skin care routines should change for each season, but these changes don’t have to be very complex. Just try out our easy tips and see your own skin change – for the better!