Your skin is your bodies largest organ that shows whats going on, on the inside. The less you take care of it now, the more concerns you might face down the road. As the weather gets warmer and we start spending more time outside, here are 3 very important things to keep in mind when it comes to your skin health.
Before someone tries to argue that the sun is super good for our skin, here’s a link to my article discussing the suns benefits and knowing when too much is dangerous.
The difference between SPF 30 and SPF 100 is very minimal
SPF 30 has a 97% protection rate from UVB rays hitting your skin while SPF 100 has a 99% protection rate from UVB rays. They both only protect the skin for a short period of time so what really matters the most is how often you reapply. I found this interesting article that talks about the protection duration for each SPF, which would help indicate how often you should reapply.
Some of my favorite reapplication SPFs are:
- Powder SPF (SuperGoop or ColorScience)
- Misting SPF (SuperGoop or Kopari Beauty)
- SPF Stick (Dermalogica, SuperGoop, etc)
High UV increases skin sensitivity
With more direct sunlight and spending more time outside in the sun, we are exposed to a slightly higher dose of UV in the summer months. Higher UV on the skin means that our natural recovery time is impaired and we need to change our home routine to help fill in the gaps. That means cutting back on actives like, vitamin a, acids, and other exfoliants and filling in the gaps with hydrating and anti inflammatory topicals. This article from the National Library of Medicine highlights the role that UV plays in the skin no matter your Fitzpatrick Type.
Vitamin C before SPF for ultimate protection
Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that protects the skin from oxidative stress. Things like where you live, air quality, lifestyle factors, and how much unprotected UV rays you get, all play a part in breaking down the skin barrier. Vitamin C stops them and keeps the barrier strong by helping to produce and keep collagen levels full, impacting overall skin health. Read this article from Baylor to understand the different types of Vitamin C and its purpose for the skin.
My favorite Vitamin Cs to reach for:
- Serums for AM use (Circadia and Dermalogica)
- Eye Cream for AM use (Dermalogica)
- Moisturizer for PM use (Dermalogica)
One important thing to note, Vitamin C and Vitamin A do NOT work well together. Vitamin A increases skin cell turnover rate and using a Vitamin C with that can cause irritation. Use them at separate times of the day or on rotating days.
In the treatment room this summer
In the summer I tend to gear my treatments to calming down the skin and protecting the barrier, my favorite treatment in the summer is a cold therapy toning facial with the use of LED and microcurrent. We also spend a lot of time fine tuning your home care moving forward into fall for some more aggressive treatments like peels and dermabrasions to see stellar results.
Be sure to try these tips out this summer for healthy and glowing skin!
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