Fun in the Sun: Summer Skincare Tips

Each season presents its own set of skincare challenges. When temperatures drop, the dry air sucks the moisture out of your skin, and you’re forced to enlist the help of more aggressive products. In the summer, your focus must change to keep your skin protected from free radicals. Undoubtedly, you’ll be spending a great deal of time outdoors whether it’s for a barbecue, a day at the beach or a workout. With the following skincare tips, you can ensure you keep your skin in the best shape possible all summer long.

Protect Your Skin from the Sun
The foundation of great summer skincare is protection. Prolonged sun exposure without sunscreen or sunblock can lead to wrinkles, sun spots and even skin cancer. You can still achieve that perfect tan, but it’s important to do so while preserving your skin for the future. Make sure you use a sunscreen with at least SPF 15. Many day creams come packed with this level of protection already. If your skin’s especially sensitive, opt for a stronger SPF.

Once Isn’t Enough
Most guys think one application of sunscreen is enough, but most creams aren’t built to last for a full day of fun in the sun. Be sure to reapply every two hours for ultimate protection. Even if you feel like everything’s fine, don’t be fooled. Sunburn can take hours to set in. But then, it’s far too late to do anything but soothe your irritated skin.

Keep Moisturizing
When it’s hotter outside, our skin’s sebum glands tend to produce more natural oil than normal. This leads a lot of guys to think they can skip moisturizing. But that’s not the case. Moisturizers keep your skin hydrated, and this is necessary to help prevent acne and premature aging. During the summer months, use an oil-free moisturizer that keeps your skin soft but not greasy or weighed down with excess product.

Try Exfoliating
Exfoliating sounds complicated and unnecessary, like one of those over-the-top skincare steps reserved for the fairer sex. But it’s not an extra step. Exfoliating is actually a natural progression in the skincare process that you should be using. During the summer, your skin is picking up dirt and debris from a lot of different sources. You’re outside for long periods of time, you’re applying sunscreen and you’re wearing moisturizers. Even the best cleansers can’t remove all of that from your face. Exfoliating digs deep to remove everything your cleanser misses plus it gets rid of dead skin cells that clog your pores and cause acne. Start out with a gentle exfoliating wash a couple times a week.

Protect Your Gut, Too
Often, the appearance of your skin is a result of what’s happening within. If your diet is out of whack, your skin will follow suit. Keep your gut health in check with probiotics. Probiotics work to maintain the equilibrium of your digestive system and push out the harmful bacteria. The great news is probiotics come in pill form, as drinks like Yakult or kombucha, or even in foods like kimchi.

Summer may seem like a time to be carefree, but stick to a solid care routine so you can ease into the other seasons with great skin.