School busses have stopped rolling, people are hitting the beaches, and summer has officially begun! We love the warm sun, the sparkling ocean and ahh, the swimming pool! A chilled rosé in air conditioned comfort at the end of the day is bliss. I’m the first to long for summer as soon as temps dip below 60 degrees. I’m also passionate about skincare, so my head is out of the summer sand and filled with information that I want to pass along.
Bottom line, I want you to take extra care while you’re having fun this summer! If you have kids, do the “future-them”, as well as yourself, a favor.
A tan can be beautiful. Vitamin D is good for us. The warm sun is relaxing. Heads-up: Sun is damaging, even to protected skin. UV exposure is responsible for as much as 80% of the visible changes attributed to aging. Ugh. Don’t skimp on the sunscreen! Apply, apply and reapply!
Salty ocean water is dehydrating. It is beneficial in that it opens up pores and removes toxins from the skin. It can also heal cuts or abrasions. Heads-up: salt water exacerbates dryness. Rinse that sea water off and use a moisturizing sunscreen as soon as possible after you stroll out of the waves.
Chlorine does a great job of killing the bacteria that would definitely keep you out of the pool! Heads-up: Chlorine is drying, irritating, and strips the skin of natural oils. While it’s comforting to know that the pool is clean, your skin pays a price. Again, rinse off asap and apply moisturizer (with sunscreen).
Air conditioning feels amazing, as it draws uncomfortable humidity out of the air and turns hot air to cool. Heads-up: Your skin is also losing its moisture and that air conditioned atmosphere is throwing your skin’s healthy balance out of whack. Stay hydrated, inside and out, to boost the moisture in your body and skin.
Wine. A cold beer. An icy margarita. They sure can speak to you when you’re in vacation mode! I love a glass of chilled Sauvignon Blanc, honestly, any time of year! Heads-up: aside from undermining our attempts to avoid junky food, alcohol saps the body of moisture, dehydrating skin, causing puffiness BUT deflating skin cells. What to do? Drink water, stay away from the more sugary drinks, and embrace moderation.
Where is this all leading? To me! A timely, deep-cleansing, antioxidant-boosting, hydration-replenishing facial can improve your skin’s condition and boost its element-fighting ability, so you can look as beautiful and youthful in September as you do in June!
