Summer is just around the corner and most of us are more than ready to embrace the heat. However, warmer weather may cause a number of potential skin issues to pop up. As we dive into summer, let's take a moment to review simple steps you can take to ensure your skin looks its best and healthiest.
Summer Foods that Keep Your Skin Clear and Healthy
When you give your body the nutrients and vitamins it needs on the inside, the outside will show the beauty-boosting effects. A healthy, balanced diet is the best way to keep your skin healthy and clear of breakouts. Summer is a great time to enjoy fresh produce in season. Load up on fresh berries, greens, tomatoes, melons, cucumbers and all other super-nutritious fruits and vegetables which are all packed with beautifying nutrients. You will be thrilled to discover how fresh, delicious, and satisfying they all taste.
Healthy smoothies that incorporate the power of probiotics are also a great and refreshing option for summertime. Mix fat-free yogurt with berries and ground flaxseed powder for a beautifying and satisfying smoothie. Probiotics have been shown to have powerful skincare benefits, helping your skin stay balanced and free of breakouts, berries are packed with antioxidant properties, which neutralize free radicals in your body, while flaxseed is full of fiber and omega-3 fatty acids to promote heart health.
Summer Skin Care
Although we all love this time of the year, the heat wave can cause a variety of skin issues. Here are simple tricks that can help you deal with the most common summer skin problems.
Dehydration: Heat and sun flush the water out of your skin. In addition to drinking the recommended 8 glasses of water each day, enrich your diet with water-rich foods such as berries, apples, watermelons, salad or broccoli to add extra hydration. Supercharge skin hydration by choosing skincare products that protect you against environmental damage and encourage collagen production. Powerful skin-protecting and collagen-boosting ingredients include Vitamin C, amino acids, probiotics, blueberries or many other fruit extracts with antioxidant activity. With enough collagen, your skin will stay plump and hydrated, sealing in its own moisture.
Sun spots: Although it might be hard to practice sun avoidance in the summer, try to limit the time you spend in direct sunlight. Sunscreen is the number one defender against wrinkles and sun spots as it blocks out the harmful rays that age and burn the skin. That's why it is important to wear it year round, paying special attention in the summer. Make sure to apply your sunscreen of at least 30 SPF everywhere, even on not-so-obvious areas like your neck or décolletage and reapply every 2 hours. When you properly protect your skin from the effects of the sun, elastin and collagen are better preserved, which leads to healthier and younger skin. To maximize sun protection, apply topical antioxidants to your skin. They can help prevent free radical damage from the small percentage of sun rays that still enter the skin.
Breakouts: Sweat, dirt and buildup of foundation and sunscreen may lead to clogged pores and breakouts. Make sure you thoroughly clean your skin at night using cleanser. Mild exfoliation every two weeks is beneficial to all skin types. For troubled skin that is prone to breakouts, it can help keep acne and breakouts at bay by keeping the pores clear. For dry skin, exfoliation not only helps remove dead cells from the surface of your skin, which cause the feeling of roughness and dryness, but it also promotes new cell renewal and smoother and softer skin. Plus, regular exfoliation encourages better product penetration that might interfere in absorption, thus increasing the efficacy of any skincare product you use.
Younger Skin Through Exercise
Exercise is a summer skincare must do. By promoting health circulation and bringing more oxygen to the skin, it nourishes skin cells and helps keep skin healthy and vibrant. The increase in blood flow caused by moderately intense exercise helps flush cellular debris out of your body, cleansing your skin from the inside. In addition, exercise not only appears to keep your skin younger, it may also reverse skin aging in people who start exercising late in life, according to surprising new research. Exercise is also a great way to relieve stress. One exercise session can generate up to 2 hours of the relaxation benefits. We all know that there is a strong connection between stress and an increase in skin problems. Our skin is in many ways a window to our psyche, and the hormones we release when we are stressed can affect our skin. Outdoor yoga or medication can make your skin look great by reducing your stress levels and easing your mind. There are dozens of yoga and meditation techniques available. Just keep trying until something feels right.
By following those simple steps, you can greatly improve the health and appearance of your skin even throughout the summer months. I want to wish everyone a happy and healthy summer!