Summer is coming and, as always, brings the desire to lie in the sun, spend long hours in the water, play sports outdoors and enjoy meeting friends outside, especially this year. However, we shouldn’t forget that in this time of the year we must be very careful so that our skin does not suffer. In today’s post we give you some recommendations to maintain your skin as healthy as possible during this summer, with especial advises for people with sensitive skin.
- Protect your skin from the sun
The sun is essential to keep us healthy. Among other actions, it stimulates the synthesis of vitamin D, which participates in calcium absorption and plays a beneficial role in the immune system or the metabolism of essential molecules, but it also oxidizes and ages the skin and can cause irreversible damages. Here we offer some tips that will help you to protect from the sun without missing its beneficial effects:
- Use always sun protection factor (SPF). Sometimes, we tend to think that we only sunbathe when we are lying on the beach or in the swimming pool, but in this period of the year walking in the streets, going shopping or even being outside expose us to the effects of the sun. To avoid the damage in our skin we recommend you to use daily a cream with sun protection factor, especially in areas of sensitive skin such as our face.
Nowadays, you can find products with SPF in a wide range of formats: oils, creams, sprays…Choose one that fits your daily routine and your skin type. In order to maximize the skin protection, buy products with a high SPF (50) and UVA and UVB filters. In contrast to popular belief, SPF does not prevent tanning.
If you have sensitive or atopic skin opt for a product that also moisturizes your skin and does not contain aggressive ingredients. We anticipate that in Prospera Biotech we are developing an everyday cream that not only protects from the typical sensitive skin but also incorporates SPF.
A very common doubt is how often should the cream with SPF be applied. Read carefully the instructions of the product you buy. Some are water resistant whereas others are not. In any case, if we are exposed to the sun on the beach or the swimming pool or hiking, applying the cream every two hours is a sensible recommendation.
- Try to avoid the maximum solar radiation hours. From 12 PM to 4 PM sun radiation is very intense, therefore sunbathing during this time should be avoided. We know that it could be difficult not being outdoors during that period of the day, but you can use a hat or a sunshade to protect yourself from the sun while enjoying.
- We are dying to lie in the sun and watch the hours go by, but remember that even using SPF you can get burned if you sunbathe for several hours. Try to expose gradually to the sun. Thus, we let the body synthesize melanin that protects us from radiation.
- As you know, sun radiation promotes the appearance of free radicals that accelerate aging and deteriorate the aspect of our skin. In order to protect ourselves from their harmful action we can incorporate antioxidant rich food in our diet, such as fruits and vegetables, and add to our daily routine moisturizing lotions with antioxidant components for our skin. The formulas developed by Prospera Biotech are always enriched with antioxidant elements in order to protect your skin whatever your routine is.
2. Keep yourself hydrated
Swimming, sunbathing or sweating can make you dehydrate, debilitate our skin and worsen its appearance. Remember that it is important to hydrate the outside but also the inside.
- Drink a lot of water
- Add to your diet, food with a high content of water such as fruits or fresh vegetables,
- Do not forget to use moisturizing cream every day. You can use it before other products with SPF.
3. Use clothes with appropriate fabrics for this time of the year. Synthetic fabrics and warm clothes can make us sweat and this can result in skin irritation. Choose clothes that let your skin breathe, made of from natural fabrics, and wear them not very tight so that you feel comfortable in hotter days. Remember that in order to prevent irritation in areas of sweat (the folds of the arms, behind the knee, the neck, the groin…) you should keep those areas moisturized.
4. Be careful with cosmetics abuse!
Self-tanner, gloss cream, makeup, deodorant, perfume … In summer we like to show a tanned and radiant skin but some ingredients or the interaction between them can cause discomfort and skin damage. Use cosmetics that are respectful with your skin, that allow your skin to breathe and that do not contain aggressive ingredients.
5. Air-conditioned, friend or foe?
We won’t deny that air-conditioned helps us to endure the intense summer heat. Living without it could seem impossible but a direct exposure to a continuous source of cold air can dry our skin. Whenever possible it is preferable to establish a natural draft to the use of air conditioning, but when this is impossible, try to stay in an area where the air does not reach you directly and (no, we won’t stop saying it) keep your skin moisturized to avoid dryness.
6. Clean your skin
Having a good skin cleaning routine is important during the whole year but in summer we expose our skin to circumstances that require extra care. Frequent showers, the aggressive chlorine of the swimming pools or the friction that the sand can cause spoils damages our skin. Have a shower and clean your skin when you are back from the beach or the swimming pool and moisturize it afterwards in order to nourish it after suffering.
7. It all seems that this summer we are going to have two new inseparable complements: facial masks and gloves. Since this is inevitable, let’s anticipate the uncomfortable sensations that they can cause to our skin. Use the face mask whenever it is indicated, but do not exceed the number of hours of use. If wearing the mask hurts you, try to adapt it to the shape of your face, otherwise it will cause marks or dermatitis that can be very uncomfortable. Strengthen moisturizing in the areas of the skin that will be in contact with the masks / gloves.
Last, do not forget that if you get a sunburn you should not expose that area to the sun again and ask your dermatologist if marks appear.
