Summer Skin Rescue: The Solutions to Your Summer Skin Concerns
Summer brings plenty of sunshine and great weather. However, increased heat and sun exposure brings irritations to the skin. Hot weather in drier environments increases water loss from the body making the skin dehydrated and irritated. Contrasting to this, environments with humid weather are generally more gentle on the skin. Yet, this weather also causes plenty of sweat which can result in a sweat-induced acne breakout. Aside from dehydrated skin and acne, the summer climate also makes you more prone to bug bites and sunburns. These are all frustrating concerns to deal with, but there are numerous solutions to help your skin feel less irritated and soothing while still being able to have summer fun.
Let’s learn how to solve your summer skin concerns!
Sunburn
We speak more than enough about protecting your skin against the sun and avoiding sun damage
Sunburns are very painful and more importantly, are harmful to our skin short-term and long-term. Exposing your skin to the sun, sunburn or not, raises the risk of skin cancer. Your skin should heal but that doesn’t mean neglecting your skin in the future. So, you find yourself with a burn, what’s the next move?
If able, immediately cool down in the water for a few seconds after you get burned; whether it be in the pool, shower, or ocean. While your skin is healing, it’ll be more sensitive; keep this in mind while you go out for extended periods. If you’re going to be out in the sun, protect yourself from the sun; wear sunscreen, big hats, and comfortable loose clothing. To soothe your skin, try an aloe plant and a gentle moisturizer to keep your skin hydrated. Aloe can help avoid the peeling that comes with sun damage; aloe and moisturizer will not cure your burn but it does help cool the skin and keep it hydrated.
For more hydration, be sure that you’re drinking enough water and loading up on fresh fruits and vegetables. Sunburns draw fluid to the skin’s surface and away from the rest of the body. When you are properly hydrated, it will replace the lost body fluids and help the burn heal more quickly.
Dehydrated Skin
If you live in a dryer climate, you might experience dehydration in your skin. In SoCal, we’re known for our great weather but this can show to be a challenge in the summer. Record-breaking temperatures and exposure to UV rays can impact the health of our skin greatly. How do we hydrate our thirsty skin?
Firstly, keep your skin moisturized not only with moisturizer but with the indoor AC. It’s understandable to crank up the AC during the summer, but this tends to remove moisture from the indoor environments. This eventually makes your skin feel itchy, irritated, and dry. To make up for the loss of moisture, try using a humidifier to keep moisture indoors and in your skin; not only can you use this tip in the summer but all year long as well.
Similar to sunburn solutions, keep your skin hydrated by keeping your body hydrated with water. If you frequently spend your time in the pool your skin can feel itchy and dry, mostly due to the chlorine. Once you’re out of the pool, get in the shower as soon as you can to flush out the chlorine. In the shower and out, continue to use skincare that is moisturizing without irritating ingredients and fragrance
Sweat-induced Acne
Whether it’s the heat or working out, the sweat can be part of the reason for your breakouts. The hot temperature requires your body to release toxins through your pores producing sweat to cool down your body. This doesn’t mean that sweating is bad for your skin and you need to avoid it - what causes the breakout is when you let the sweat sit on your skin for a longer period, especially if in contact with sweat-soaked clothes.
This can create clogged pores resulting in an acne breakout or skin rashes. The best way to avoid this is to cleanse your face and body as soon as you’re able. Keeping your skin cool and retaining moisture keeps a hydrating mist handy; something you can spray on when you start feeling too hot to cool your body down. Don’t touch your face to wipe the sweat off - your hands most likely have a ton of bacteria on them and adding that to your face will not be good for your skin. When you get home from a sweaty day out, cleanse any of the makeup, dirt, sweat, or bacteria that have accumulated on your face with a gentle oil-based cleanser followed by a cream-based cleanser.
Remove any sweaty clothing you were wearing and throw them directly into the laundry - you don’t want to be laying around any longer to avoid body acne and rashes. Take a shower and cleanse the sweat and bacteria off your body.
Bug Bites
Probably the most annoying of summer skin concerns are bug bites. Bug bites are mostly harmless and it’s less likely you’ll get a dangerous disease, however, it’s still best to take necessary precautions to try to avoid itchy bumps this summer. To prevent bites, try insect repellent on your exposed skin and clothing. If you know that you’ll be outside in a densely wooded area, cover as much exposed skin as you can with the appropriate clothing. As much as you may try, you could still end up with itchy bug bites.
Fortunately, most bites and stings can be treated safely at home. If you experience a painful bite like a bee sting, take acetaminophen or ibuprofen to ease the pain a bit. For the itchy bites, apply an ice pack or an anti-itch cream, like hydrocortisone. Applying the ice pack will help to reduce the swelling and the anti-itch cream will aid in relieving the itch from bites
Some products I recommend.
Skin So Soft Bug Guard Plus Picaridin Pump Spray
Alba Botanica After Sun Aloe Vera Gel
Sonage Soothe Set for Acne and Hyperpigmentation - get 20% off
Iso Cell Recovery Solution - great for soothing sunburn and bug bites
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