Skin is important. The largest organ in the body, it acts as a protective barrier standing between your insides and everything else in the world. Skin serves as a filter and helps regulate body temperature. Healthy skin is better equipped to heal faster, fight against the signs of ageing, and stave off the threat of disease than can unhealthy skin. The latter also appears dull and sallow, whereas skin in the blush of health looks vibrant and full. Dehydration and poor health cause wrinkles to develop more easily and be more deeply etched; they lose skin its elasticity, causing it to sag and seem thin.
Poor skin care habits often result in the likelihood of sores, rashes, and acne, as well as wrinkles. Unhealthy skin is more likely to result in scarring after an injury and is more susceptible to infection and disease. Because skin is constantly changing and growing, it must be cared for vigilantly with a proper regimen, appropriate products, healthy diet, and plenty of water. These tips will help maintain healthy, glowing skin all summer long, when the sun is at its most harsh and heat causes the most sweat.
Evaluate Your Needs
First, you have to figure out your complexion and skin type. Lighter skin that contains less melanin will require stronger protection from the sun’s rays. Darker skin still requires sunscreen, it just need not be as high an SPF. Oily and dry skin have different requirements in skin care products and sunscreens. For the latter, gel-based sunscreen is recommended for oily skin, while dry and combination skin should receive a cream-based type to be well absorbed. Remember that both women and men need to take care of their skin, and their needs are not as different as commercials would have one believe.
Stay Steady with the Basics
While it may seem like winter has the monopoly on drying out skin, summer presents its own causes to dry skin out, such as travelling back and forth between air-conditioned areas. This affects the whole body, not simply the skin of the face. The old principle of nightly cleaning, toning, and moisturising before sleeping is a good one to follow. Because sweating causes skin pours to open up, a toner–after the skin is cleaned–helps to close those pores. Sticking with these basics is even more important during summers given the propensity of the sun’s UV rays to result in premature wrinkles and ageing.
Use Sunscreen
Even if your goal is to get a tan, you need to use sunscreen. If you hope to avoid the increase of melanin, a heavy-duty sunscreen is paramount. Ensure that sun protection for your body and face is a key part of your daily skin care routine in the summer months. It can help emphasise the importance of sunscreen if you understand what you’re using. While it’s one thing to know you should use a variety with a minimum of SPF 30, what does that mean? The SPF is the Sun Protection Factor and it measures protection against sunburn, primarily from UVB rays. You may have gotten sunburn despite using a high-SPF sunscreen; it is important to remember to re-apply at intervals for healthy summer skin.
Remember to Protect Your Scalp
When outside soaking in the sun or playing in the water, remember to apply sunscreen to your part as well as your hairline. Long hair offers some sun shade, but the sensitive hairline skin can still get burned. Using a spray along the part is easier than creams, because it is more difficult for cream-type sunscreens to be absorbed there and burns are still a risk.
Stay Hydrated
When establishing proper summer skin care, hydration does not solely refer to drinking the vaunted eight glasses of water a day–although that helps, and should be continued. The skin needs extra care to stay hydrated. The fundamental overall well-being and health of skin relies heavily on it remaining properly hydrated. Dehydrated skin not only feels and looks uncomfortable, but its key functions may be compromised, which leads to skin that does not appear healthy and suffers premature ageing. Try a serum rather than a face lotion or basic moisturiser. Supplements such as fish oils can help generate and maintain hydration as well, advises Alina Gonzalez, Executive Director of Global Innovation Marketing for Avon.
Eat Melon and Cooling Foods
What foods are used to fuel the body’s processes also has an impact on the outside. Good summer skin care therefore also relies on a healthy diet. Diets rich in carbohydrates, sugar, and grease are closely associated with poor skin health and acne. Heavy food also leads to feeling sluggish in the more oppressive summer heat. Seasonal fruits and vegetables are cooling and light as well as promoting healthy skin. Melon, particularly cantaloupe, is also a treat of choice according to New York dermatologist Nicholas Perricone. He shares that it delivers a unique hydrating factor to the skin for a radiant complexion, as well as being rich in antioxidants.
Try Going Natural
Ingredients in the refrigerator may also come in handy when applied to the outside of the skin. Tomato and lemon are both good at maintaining fresh skin. One easy way to use tomato is to juice them, without adding water, and freezing the juice in ice cube trays. Simply use one as a gentle and refreshing scrub every other day and let the juice fully dry on the skin before washing it free. Tomato contains lycopene which is wonderful for the skin of the face.
Wear a Broad-brimmed Hat
While casual days may generally call for a simple baseball cap to keep the rays from the eyes and face, the bill is too narrow to truly offer protection. A broad-brimmed hat is not only a stylish choice, but it protects from the sun striking the face at an angle.
Choose Breathable Fabrics
Lighter fabrics such as cotton are indispensable in tackling the heat. Loose fitting is also better. Tight clothes are at risk of causing irritation in addition to making already sweaty body parts itch more severely. Prolonged exposure to these conditions can lead to everything from rashes to more serious skin infections.
Pay Attention to your Face
If the skin is like a book’s cover, the face is the title and front image. It is the identity to the world and should be looked after all year round, not only in the summer. This season, however, warrants special care: a regimen that hydrates and keeps the face clean and free of grime. Splashing the face with clean water three or four times a day can help people who encounter increased pimples and break-outs in the warmer months. Weekly scrub use to exfoliate is also beneficial in keeping clean facial skin.
Remember Eyes and Lips
Especially between noon and four in the afternoon, when the sun is at its harshest during the summer, it is important to cover eyes with sunglasses and lips with a protective balm. While avoidance is the best protection, proper pre- and post-care are the next best alternative. It is easy to forget how delicate the skin around the eyes is and how it needs extra attention. If the heat is causing your eyes to burn, a wash with cold, clean water can help. A pair of cold cotton pads that had been dipped in potato juice can also be soothing. The lips can be kept smooth and soft by using a rich balm with an SPF of at least fifteen, if not thirty.
Exfoliate
The skin works overtime in the summer as it tries to heal away burns and irritation. If exfoliation isn’t already a part of the summer skin care routine, implement it to slough away dead skin. An effective means is to use a scrub before a shower, while the skin is still dry, paying particular attention to elbows and knees. Shower and finish the process with a rich body cream within a few minutes of towelling off.
Mist in the Sun
While at the beach, help stay cool and fresh with a bottle of face mist. Some products contain nutrients and antioxidants to soothe and hydrate in addition to adding moisture to your skin for the breeze to freshen.
Moisturise
In summer’s intense heat, the skin releases moisture at a high rate to cool the body internally. Regularly engaging in high impact exercise or sports leads to the even more pronounced loss of this moisture. With this, the skin can readily become flaky and dry in the summer. It is important to use moisturiser in generous amounts. Look for products containing vitamin E and aloe vera to provide additional nourishment.
Try a Cool Shower
Not only will a cool shower be a relief from scorching temperatures, but it also helps the skin. Avoid showers that are too hot after sun exposure, as they will further dry skin. After excess sweating, a cool shower will help to keep skin clear and decrease acne breakouts. Lower water temperatures also help to close pores, where as warmth opens them.
Don’t Scratch Bug Bites
A bug bite can leave a bump or welt that itches and lingers for a week or several after the first bite and inflammation. Most insect bites, although minor, cause the skin to swell, turning it red and itchy. Instead of satisfying that impulse and digging in with your fingernails, soothe itchy bites with an ice pack or an anti-itch cream such as hydrocortisone that can be purchased over-the-counter.
Tan Properly
Many unhealthy myths pervade the tanning world. However, credible sources of summer skin care advice will warn you to steer away from tanning lotions and oils. No sunscreen can manage to completely protect from all of the sun’s rays. While preparing against skin cancer adequately, a good accumulation of colour is still possible.
Finally, don’t let all of these precautions and others scare away from the sun. It is a mood enhancer; sunlight aids in the production of more serotonin, which is a mood lightening hormone. Simply be sure to balance time in the sun with time spent caring for healthy skin. Keeping skin bright and healthy will make it look youthful longer, protect against infections, and simply create a more comfortable layer within which to live. Follow these steps and discover the benefits of healthy summer skin care.
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