Summer is here and we are ready to revel in its warmth and sunshine! Before you do though, you should consider how the extra hours in the sun can impact your skin. From the occasional summer sun burn, UV rays can also accelerate some common signs of skin aging like fine lines, wrinkles, age spots and sagging skin.
Take Care Of Your Skin This Summer Using These Tips:
Keep Skin Hydrated
Up your regimen’s level of hydration with intensive masques, perfect for use one to two times a week. Boosters are a great fit, working best when layered underneath a moisturizer. Toners are a refreshing moisturizer prep, working to even out skin porosity. Tip: Refresh with a revitalizing toner spritz at your desk, in the car, at the gym, on the plane!
Make Friends With H20
Higher temperatures and more time outdoors leads to internal dehydration, which can result in headaches and dizzy spells!
What you can do: Eight 8-ounce glasses of plain, filtered water every day help maintain critical moisture balance of the body and skin, and assist in detoxification. Tip: If you drink caffeinated beverages, you must triple the amount of water you drink!
When In Doubt, Apply (And Reapply!)
It’s not enough to just apply sunscreen, you must apply enough, and apply frequently. Studies indicate that most people do not apply nearly as much daylight protection as they should.
How much? A teaspoon for the face. For the body, about as much as would fill a shot glass.
How often: Re-apply every two hours. Tip: Stay out of the midday sun from mid-morning to late afternoon whenever you can.
Soothe Over-Exposed Skin
Did you forgot the sunscreen, didn’t apply enough, or got caught in a sunny spell?
What’s next: Unfortunately, the damage is done, but you don’t have to suffer in pain! Super-soothing botanicals and cooling gels can help prevent peeling and reduce redness and inflammation.
How: Apply cooling balms generously over-exposed skin, preferably at the first sight of a pink glow.
Prevent: One blistering sunburn doubles your risk of melanoma — remember to get a yearly skin exam by a doctor and perform a self-examination once a month to detect early warning signs of carcinomas and malignant melanoma. Look for a new growth or any skin change.
Repair And Treat Sun Damaged Skin
What causes skin damage: UV light causes photoaging in the form of brown spots, coarse skin and wrinkles, whether you have burned your skin or not. When sunlight comes in contact with skin a cascade of damage results (including the stripping of barrier lipids) causing inflammation, production of reactive oxygen molecules that affect healthy cell growth, and stimulation of collagen destructing enzymes.
What to do: A tan may be a popular summer look, but it indicates damage. Bombard your skin with age-fighting ingredients to help undo any damage that may occur, and to further protect it from the aging effects of UV.
Article by Dermalogica
