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Spring is here and we’re very excited to see the sun! With summer just around the corner it’s time to start thinking about switching up your skin care routine to ensure your skin is happy and protected throughout our favourite season…
With every summer that goes past, unfortunately, however glorious the sunshine is, it takes its toll on our skin. The combination of heat, pollution and humidity can wipe your complexion of its natural glow and can even invite skin infections. To keep your skin looking beautiful and radiant, I’ve put together a list of top tips on how to look after your skin this summer.
Exfoliate your Skin
The foundation for good skin care is to exfoliate - this applies to your face and your body. Your skin cells shed all the time every day and if you don’t get rid of these dead skin cells, your face can begin to look dull and dry. The key is to not exfoliate your face too much (other areas of skin on the body is fine) otherwise you can strip it of all its natural oils. Exfoliate your body 2-3 times a week and once or twice a week on your face to ensure your skin glows during every season.
Wear Sunscreen
Using SPF on your face is something you should really be doing all year round - just make sure you’re not using last year’s bottle! This summer get yourself a new sunscreen that has UVA and UVB protection for both your face and body. It’s no secret that sun damage causes skin to age prematurely, causes uneven skin tone, blemishes and wrinkles so ensuring your skin is protected from the sun this summer will help you in the long run.
If you’re not sure which strength of sun lotion to wear, there’s an easy formula to work out which SPF is right for you: Think about how quickly you burn on a sunny day (e.g 10 minutes), multiply this in minutes by the SPF you’re thinking of using (burning in 10 minutes means SPF of 15 will offer you 150 minutes of sun protection).
Opt for Minimal Make-up
During the summer, we believe that less is best! More natural looks don’t only fit better with summer style and fashion, it also gives your skin the opportunity to breathe. During summer, foundation is prone to becoming patchy, so ensure that you use a light face powder over the top to stop this from happening. Often, people can forget to protect their lips from the sun so we recommend using a lip balm or gloss with an SPF of at least 15 to keep your lips fresh and hydrated.
Make your Water Bottle the Latest Accessory
Hydration is key for keeping your skin looking great this summer. To ensure you get the optimum amount of fluids to keep your body healthy, you should be having at least 8 glasses of water a day. Carry around a water bottle and be sure to drink at least once every 30 minutes - not only will this help you to feel fresh, but it will prevent dehydration so your skin will look great.
Invest in a New Moisturiser
During the winter, we tend to use thick moisturisers that are buttery in texture and great at penetrating deep into the skin for protection against the cold and central heating. During the summer, only lighter moisturisers are needed to keep the skin supple and happy. Heavy moisturisers can unfortunately sometimes induce acne, so switching to a light lotion should hopefully help to eradicate unwanted acne blemishes caused by winter’s moisturisers. Make sure your moisturiser is applied straight after you have dried from your shower/washing your face for maximum impact.
Create a Natural Looking Summer Glow
Whilst a lot of us want a bit of a glow during the summer months, getting a tan can cause a lot of issues for your skin both in the short term and the long term. In the short term, burning and dry skin not only looks bad but feels bad too and in the long term, skin cancer can develop from over exposure to the sun. To give yourself a natural looking summer glow that won’t put your skin at risk, I recommend using a gradual fake tan moisturiser on your face and other areas of your body. This way, you can create a flawless summer look without putting your skin at risk. This also applies for winter - when you’re at your palest and want a tan, we highly recommend moving away from sun beds and towards moisturising fake tans.
For information on our skin treatments to help your skin look even better this summer, get in touch and I will be happy to help and discuss your individual needs.
