Summer Care Skin Tips
By: Raechel Cunningham Lowe, LE
With summer on the rise, there are a few staples that you must follow to keep your skin healthy and glowing during the summer months. Most of us can’t wait to spend more time outside, enjoying summer’s bliss. There are things you can do to allow for more time outside without spending more money down the road correcting your skin from summer sun damage. Most of us don’t think about taking simple precautions to protect our skin until we are in our mid to late 40’s. If we start wearing sunscreens and antioxidants on a daily basis at an early age, we can prevent spending more time and money on upkeep for our skin down the road.
Here’s how the sun affects our skin; UVA and UVB rays penetrate our skin and over time can create abnormal cell behavior. Abnormal cells can start to become pre-cancerous or they can look like darker sun spots on the skin. Many times these spots are benign. Sunspots are over stimulated melanocytes (pigment cells) that are on a super charge frenzy to produce pigment which is a byproduct of sun exposure. Over exposure to the sun also creates our superficial blood vessels to dilate, open, and move closer to the surface of the skin. This result can lead to more diffuse redness in our skin tone. Our skin also produces more oil when exposed to the sun or heat; this can lead to acne or enlarged pores.
My simple daily tips are to use a good antioxidant topically on your skin as well as a daily SPF of 30 or higher. These are usually applied in the morning after washing your face. It is extremely important to also use an exfoliating product nightly or a few times a week depending on the sensitivity of your skin. One of the best exfoliates to use is Retinol. This stimulates your skin cells to turn over at a higher rate stimulating your skin to produce collagen at a quicker rate which results in healthier skin.
There are various products that you can use at home to prevent and maintain your skin’s even tone such as products with Kojic acid, Hydroquinone, Vitamin C and Glycolic Acid. You don’t have to spend a large amount of money on skin care products; you just have to know which active ingredients are beneficial. There are many moisturizers available to consumers that are packed full of antioxidants and contain an adequate SPF of 30 or higher. These are the easiest to use and will save your skin from pre mature ageing and uneven skin tone. Antioxidants prevent free radicals (scavengers from our environment) from taking molecules from our skin's surface. Over time the effects cause early ageing and sun damage. Some great antioxidants to look for in your skin care products are Vitamin C, Green Tea and Peptides.
If you want to lighten up your sunspots the best thing to do is to consult with a skin care professional and see what options are best for your skin type. Certain lasers are attracted to pigment and are extremely efficient at removing the brown spots with little down time. Redness is also best addressed by certain lasers that are attracted to a special pigment in the vessel wall. Not everyone is a candidate for this procedure so make sure you consult with a professional.
Raechel Cunningham Lowe is an Aesthetician at Synergy Medical Centers in Acworth - 770.975.1299