When we see advertisements showing the sun sucking away our energy and moisture, we might feel like they’re exaggerated. But the honest truth is that sun exposure does have a significant impact on the body in many ways. While our body loses energy, our skin also loses moisture when faced with high heat. That’s why summer skin care is as essential as caring for the body.
Taking care of your skin in the summer is not easy. You might think that using sunscreen is the end all of summer care but that’s not true. Our skin faces a lot of issues due to sun exposure and heat in summer. Sunburn, dehydration, and acne are only a few of these issues. Tackling these skin concerns requires time, patience, and the right products in your arsenal. But it is not an insurmountable task either. With thorough preparation and suitable summer skin care products, you can beat the heat this summer. Let us look at some easy ways to prepare your skin for a beautiful, stress-free summer!
Main Skin Concerns in Summer
Indian summers are hot, humid, and very dry. In most parts of the country, heat is often unbearable in the summer. Whether it’s visible or not, our skin gets affected by this heat too. Excess heat causes more sweat and our skin starts losing too much moisture. This makes the skin dry and can also cause sunburns and heat rashes. The obvious solution here is to keep the skin hydrated. But it’s easier said than done! Our skin produces some natural oils which get depleted due to loss of moisture, making the skin dry. To compensate for this, our skin produces even more oil which leads to other issues like blackheads and acne breakouts.
As they say, prevention is better than cure. Instead of trying to deal with summer skin concerns, it’s better to moisturize and nourish the skin and avoid these issues altogether. Some changes in your daily skin care routine to adjust the intense summer heat is all you need to prevent sun damage. Here are some pointers to help you make your summer a refreshing and chilling time:
Keeping Your Skin Moisturized
As we already discussed above, hydration is essential in summer skin care. The intense heat of summer can lead to the drying of skin which causes many skin issues. But keeping the skin hydrated helps you avoid these issues. What’s more, keeping the skin moisturized also helps keep it youthful and supple for a longer time. Sun damage is one of the main reasons for premature aging of skin. It causes fine lines, wrinkles, pigmentation and many other issues which are a direct result of lack of hydration. If your pores are moisturized, they will be able to maintain skin’s natural barriers and combat the heat effectively.
Hydration is the very first requirement to meet in your summer skin care routine. But choosing a good moisturizer that suits your skin type is also very important. Don’t just pick any cream that looks good. Check out if the product meets your skin type. If you’re using a serum for targeted treatments, you can use it before your moisturizer. For oily skin, if your serum is packed with hydrating ingredients, you can skip the moisturizer to avoid that shiny look.
Shielding Your Skin from Sun Damage
Skin care in the summer season revolves mainly around protecting the skin from sun damage. The sun’s UV rays can cause a lot of harm to the skin. With regular sun exposure, these rays can cause sunburns, heat rashes, and also lead to premature aging. Hence, it becomes essential to prevent the skin from too much sun exposure to keep it healthy, supple, and youthful.
What is SPF?
SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor. It is the measure of sun protection that a skin care product offers. Sunscreens and other summer skin care products use SPF to show how much protection they can bring to the skin when exposed to the sun. Normally, an SPF of 30 or higher is the minimum requirement for sun protection, especially in hotter regions like some parts of India. Many sunscreens offer a good range of SPF for summer like SPF50 or higher to give more skin coverage and longer lasting protection. However, most sunscreens tend to be heavy and leave an oily, shiny look or a white cast after application. To get the maximum benefit of sunscreens, choose a product that is lightweight and suitable for your skin type. Dry skin types can go for lotions and creams while oily skin types should prefer gel-based sunscreens to get a matte shine-free look.
Reducing Oiliness and Breakouts
Another consistent and equally important skin issue in summers is the problem of breakouts. As we mentioned previously, in summer our skin tends to produce more oil as the sebaceous glands try to compensate for the loss of moisture in the skin. This leads to oil filling up the pores and causing blackheads, whiteheads, and acne breakouts. The best way to avoid these breakouts is to regulate the oil production and keep the skin hydrated. Use serums that help balance your natural oil production and combat acne to reduce breakouts. Simply adding these serums or equivalent skin care products in your summer skin care routine can work wonders in reducing acne breakouts and keeping the skin refreshed and revitalized in summers.
Conclusion
Summer skin care is not as easy as it sounds. Sun damage and environmental stressors take a big toll on your skin, making it look dry, dull, and lifeless. Taking precautions and making timely changes to your summer skin care routine can go a long way in keeping your skin fresh, glowing, and blemish-free in summers. With the above tips, proper nutrition, and proactive skin care, you can beat the summer heat and enjoy a beautiful summer!
