At last we can say summer has finally arrived! If you live around the center of the country in general, we have had a long spring, plenty of rain and cold weather that still by mid-June wouldn’t quit, but we are finally getting straight days in a row with temperatures over 70 and some warm sun. With this comes a change in our routines, people are out more mowing yards, gardening, vacationing, getting some pool time and activities of that matter. Of course not me specifically cause I’m kind of allergic to feeling hot in general, but most people will be some kind of outside. This change should be accompanied with a different skin routine if you have one (and if you don’t this is a great time to get on it).
Why is this important? Surprisingly this doesn’t usually gets talked about enough but believe it or not, when it comes to skincare, makeup and our beauty care in general, it should change just as the seasons do. Each season brings its own personality and our surrounding atmosphere changes. The changes in temperature affect our own temps, our skin’s oil production and the amount of sun exposure we get among other things. What does this mean in layman’s terms? We will get hotter and sweat more, this can change how much oil we produce and/or with too much sweat our skin can get dry and dehydrated, rough feeling in texture and/or tight feeling after even a mild sunburn.
How can we manage? If you know me as a skin therapist, you know I like to focus on the foundations or how I like to call it, the basics. The minimum basics in skincare should consist of at least a cleanser, a treatment serum for whatever your skin concern is and protection during the day (am)/moisturize-repair at nighttime (pm). That’s it guys! That’s all! Don’t be scared of skincare by thinking you have to invest hundreds of dollars or that you need a 10 step system. (Yes they do exist, Korean skincare can be 10 or 11 steps and nobody got time for that when they’re trying to be out in the pool). So back to it, with just 3 or 4 esthetician recommended customized products you can be on your way to maintaining fabulous skin. Better yet professional quality products don’t have to cost more than $200 for a 3 month supply which is plenty reasonable plus there’s also other direct to consumer brands that can be even more budget friendly.
Here at Ana Fabulous Beauty we can suggest a customized plan for you that will be exclusive to your skin needs.
Alternative options: If your skin is usually dry or dehydrated you probably won’t feel quite as dry and tight during the hotter months as heat promotes sweat and oil production. If your usual cleanser is a creamy or oil based it may leave your skin feeling a little too slippery, an alternative can be a mild gel cleanser without acids. If your skin is normal to oily it may get even oilier during summer. You may change your cleanser to one for oilier skin types that may include salicylic or alpha hydroxyl acids in it. Another alternative is a charcoal cleanser, it’s a personal favorite as it’s a great detoxifier without stripping too many oils of the skin or leave it feeling overly dry. Your sun protection may also change as formulations have different oil content, some have matte and oil free formulas that won’t feel heavy on the skin.
What should you avoid during this season? Pretty much anything that will mistreat your pretty face. As far as professional treatments you should avoid anything that will over exfoliate the skin. Exfoliation by nature takes away by thinning the skin which exposes it to more sensitivity or damage. Be mindful of retin-a, dermaplanning and microdermabrasion facials as they leave your skin’s surface lightly exposed and be very weary of chemical peels during this time of the year as we can’t really avoid the sun. (Most reputable estheticians will not even perform peels during the summer at all). What else should we avoid? GUESS???? Yes! You guessed it! THE SUN!! (Or sunburns) I can’t begin to explain the cascade of damage a one-time sunburn can do to your skin, you would probably get bored specially if you like that tanned look, but believe me in the long run is really not worth it. This last year alone in my small country town, in a simple just me tiny salon, I saw 5 clients with skin cancer, 3 of which I identified myself as possible problems that should be looked at by a doctor. And let’s not even talk about brown spots (hyperpigmentation) and WRINKLES (EEWW!).
Alternative Options: For professional treatments you can choose to do milder types of facials; deep cleansings with enzymes as the exfoliator which can be milder than peels. Another option is to do more repair, anti-aging or restorative type of facials with peptide loaded ingredients. For advanced modalities you can try LED facials and the new favorite the infusion or hydro type facial, all which we offer. At home, a light pressure microneedling session with a roller can be an effective anti-aging routine. For homecare products you may choose nourishing ingredients without oil content like hyaluronic acid which maintains your skin nicely hydrated. As mentioned before, peptides are super food for the skin, aloe vera based products also work nicely this time of the year. If you have a strict antiaging routine and don’t want to completely give up acids, some pro lines now offer refining pads which give you a nice little amount of exfoliation without being too much. You can also add a toner to refresh or hydrate. Thankfully product technology has blessed us with toners that are not just alcohol based and drying anymore. After sunburns or any other sensitivities, ingredients like oatmeal can be very calming as well as placing some of your products in the refrigerator for a bit for a cooling sensation. But pleeeeease most of all, don’t forget to pick a good quality sunscreen with an spf of at least 30 that contains zinc oxide, titanium dioxide or even better both! This is what we call broad-spectrum physical sunscreen. And re-apply, re-apply, re-apply!
Other ideas; For great fun in the sun, (besides your daily sunscreen), there are a variety of items that can help protect you and your loved ones from sun damage. Some of this can be; adding polarized sunglasses to protect your eyes, adding a fabulous hat to protect your scalp skin and your hair color (that will fade faster in the sun), wear protective clothing (did you know there’s clothes with UVA/UVB protection in the fabric already) and did you know there is a product you can add to your laundry wash that will add sun protection to your clothing? Crazy right? You can also find hats with sun protection in them as well. As far as makeup, BB or CC creams are awesome, light enough for a hot day with some coverage integrated as well as spf factors in them. A makeup setting spray can come in handy so you don’t feel like that bad guy in Raiders of the Lost Ark that was melting. Those setting sprays can help keep a full makeup in place on a hot day. A sunless option all together is to get a professional spray tanning service if you feel like you have to have a tan color. Also tanning lotions are available commercially but remember there’s lots of harmful or unnecessary chemicals ingredients in those.
Be nice to your skin, look for shade, re-apply your sunscreen and stay hydrated (and not just in a summer day-drinking kind of way) but drink lots of water!!! After such a difficult last year (2020) when we had to stay indoors, I am wishing you all a fabulous activity-full fun summer, continue to protect yourselves in all aspects (specially the sunscreen one).
Muchos hugs Ana///
all skincare products and facial modalities mentioned are available @ www.anafabulousbeauty.com
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