Summertime is here to stay! As the days heat up, the sun’s rays are ready to make their impact. It can seem difficult to avoid those painful sunburns and dry skin during this time of year, but it does not have to be. The best way to avoid these problems is to prepare your skin for summer before spending all of that time outside. With four simple steps, you’ll be on your way to a worry-free skincare routine this summer.
Methods To Prepare Your Skin For Summer
At Blue Ridge Dermatology, we know the summer can seem like a never-ending cycle of sunburns and dried-out skin. If you are looking for expert recommendations for products this summer, we are here to help. Don’t sweat your skincare this summer!
Hydrate Your Skin
Moisturizer is one of your skin’s best friends in the summer. It can be easy to enter a cycle of dry skin when you start to cleanse but leave out added moisture. Especially with more time in the sun, your skin needs that added hydration.
The Mayo Clinic also details the importance of finding a hypoallergenic option. This leaves out the fragrance chemicals that even products that claim to be “Unscented” can have. Petroleum jelly is often considered one of the most inert natural hypoallergenic products.
Don’t Forget Your SPF
The most harmful part of the summer months for your skin is the sun’s rays. Johns Hopkins Medicine defines the two different types of rays that affect us as UVA and UVB rays. The UVB rays are the ones that cause the greatest risk of skin cancer. On the other hand, UVA rays cause aging, wrinkling, and loss of elasticity in the skin.
Neither of these rays are good for your skin. This is why it is so important to apply a strong SPF sunscreen every day. While it may seem like this only applies to those very hot days spent entirely in the sun, this is not true. The sun’s rays can have an impact on anyone on any day. SPF is important in the summer, but it is also a product to keep in use all year.
Stay Hydrated
Keeping your skin hydrated is one thing, but it is also essential to keep your body hydrated. Drinking water is the best way to keep your body feeling hydrated and strong. This also applies to your skin. By keeping your body hydrated, your skin feels the effects as well. Dehydration leaves its mark on every part of the body, even the skin.
Keep Exfoliating In Your Routine
It may seem counterintuitive to keep exfoliating in the summer months, but it is an important part of the routine. Exfoliating gives your skin the chance to shed the dead skin that comes from sunburns and other methods. The key to keeping exfoliating effectively is to pair it with moisturizer and ensure that the fresh skin left after the treatment does not get burned right away. This skin is even more sensitive after exfoliating, so it would be even more damaged by a burn at this stage in its development.
There is nothing fun about handling harsh skin issues in the summer. Prepare your skin for summer this year with these four easy tips. You barely have to make a change to your skincare routine! The best part about it is that these are tips you can carry on all year long. Are you struggling with your skincare routine? Blue Ridge Dermatology is here to help provide you with a consultation and resources that best suit your situation. Give us a call at (919) 781-1050 for more information.
