Fend off temporary dehydration and lasting sun damage with these expert-approved tips.
With more sunlight to enjoy, beachside vacations booked, and barbecues, baseball games, and pool days on the agenda, you’re likely spending plenty of time outdoors this summer. The bad news: Those extra hours in the sun will affect your skin. The good: You can adapt your routine to prevent skin irritation and lasting skin damage.
My goal as an esthetician is to ensure everyone has a skincare routine that will support them through every season, including the hottest time of year. Here’s how to treat your skin this summer.
Step 1: Understand What Summer Does to Your Skin
Summer calls for a delicate balancing act to ensure your skin functions at its absolute best. In parts of the U.S., high humidity can work in your favor by slowing down water evaporation from the skin's surface, thereby increasing the skin's hydration levels. This can benefit people with dry skin and older individuals, as it helps to lock in moisture and improve skin texture. On the flip side, heat and humidity lead you to sweat more, increasing your risk of dehydration. This could lead to dehydrated skin (though research is still inconclusive here) and cause other forms of irritation, such as heat rash.
Then there’s sun exposure, too much of which can cause skin sensitivity, wrinkles, aging, dehydration, and skin cancer. Ultraviolet rays can burn the skin and reduce its elasticity, leading to premature aging. Two types of ultraviolet radiation affect the skin: UVA light damages skin at all levels from the surface layer (epidermis) down deep into the dermis, while UVB light increases the risk of hyperpigmentation and skin cancer. The goal of summer skincare is to prevent both kinds of skin damage while also keeping the skin soothed, hydrated, and balanced.
Step 2: Prevent Skin Damage
You’ve heard it before, but I’ll say it again and again: Every single person needs to wear sunscreen — men included. Apply sunscreen every morning and reapply every 90 minutes, especially if you’re spending time outdoors. Don’t forget your neck and ears!
As for choosing the right sunscreen, look for a product that provides at least SPF 30, is broad-spectrum (meaning it protects against both UVA and UVB rays), and is water-resistant, according to the American Academy of Dermatology Association. One of my favorites, Supergoop! Unseen Sunscreen SPF 40, is even available in The Shop at Equinox.
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Step 3: Hydrate
First, let’s clarify the difference between dry and dehydrated skin. Dry skin (a skin type) usually lacks oil, while dehydrated skin (a skin condition) lacks water. If your skin feels tight, rough to the touch, or prone to cracking, you most likely have dry skin. If your skin feels more oily and has open pores, you most likely have a dehydrated skin condition.
Whether your skin is dry, dehydrated, or both, there are ways to help bring skin more into balance. To keep your skin hydrated year-round, but especially in the summer heat, follow these guidelines:
• If you smoke, please stop. I can’t tell you how bad it is for the skin (and overall health).
• Drink less alcohol. While summer often goes hand-in-hand with margaritas and backyard beers, alcohol can lead to skin dehydration, among other skin issues.
• Drink more water. In the summer, and especially during heat waves, you need more water than usual, which means changing your water drinking habits. Add an extra glass or two into your day.
• Eat water-rich foods like celery, cucumber, melon, and berries. Berries are also rich in antioxidants and conveniently plentiful in the summer — a win-win.
• Use gentle face and body cleansers.
• Add a hydrating serum containing hyaluronic acid to your daily routine.
• Book a regular cleansing facial and follow up with a hydrating mask.
• Refresh your skin with facial hydrating sprays throughout the day.
• Moisturize every time after washing your face and body.
• Exfoliate one to two times per week (more on that in Step 5).
• Apply sunscreen that offers SPF 30 or more every day.
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Step 4: Sleep
About one in three people don’t get enough sleep each night, and as the days get longer, some people may sleep even less. I believe everyone should pay more attention to sleep as a form of recovery. Sleep allows the body to recover, and the skin is the body's largest organ. Skin needs sleep to regenerate. Try to stick to a consistent sleep routine, even if you’re tempted to stay up later on hot summer nights.
Step 5: Be Careful with Actives
Whether you’re on a prescription retinol, use a vitamin C serum, or regularly apply AHA or BHA exfoliants, you’ll need to adjust your active routine in summer. These anti-aging products can greatly benefit the skin but also make it more sensitive to UV rays, increasing the risk of sun damage. If the goal is to prevent evidence of aging, you take one step forward and two steps back when you expose unprotected skin that’s been treated with actives to direct sunlight.
Exfoliation: During the summer, I recommend either rotating between two different types of exfoliation (e.g., mild microbeads and an enzyme peel) two to three times a week or using one mild exfoliator less often than you do in other months. You can also avoid more sensitive areas, such as the cheeks and chin, exfoliating only the parts of the face most in need. Follow any exfoliating product with a hydrating mask or cooling aloe vera gel to soothe the skin and prevent any acne flare-ups.
Vitamin C: Vitamin C is highly stable and easily penetrates the skin, so it’s great for use in anti-aging formulations to promote collagen production, reduce wrinkles, and improve skin texture. By all means, keep using it in summer; just follow it with a light daily lotion or moisturizer. Always apply and reapply sunscreen after using a vitamin C serum to protect, especially during the summer.
Retinol, Microneedling, Laser, Botox, and Other Treatments: If you use retinol or receive any other skincare treatments, pay even more attention to applying sunscreen than usual. Especially right after the laser or Botox treatments, you must avoid being directly under the sun to prevent skin damage. Follow your dermatologist or esthetician's directions for how long to avoid sun exposure after a treatment or procedure.
RELATED: The Essential Skincare Guide for Men
Step 6: Combat the Damage Already Done
You’ve likely gotten too much sun at one point. When you were younger, you may have spent hours outdoors without giving it much thought — or applying sunscreen. The result: sun damage, with symptoms such as wrinkling, pigmentation changes (e.g., age spots, liver spots, freckles), decreased elasticity, broken capillaries (usually around the nose and cheeks), redness, blotchiness, and rough, uneven skin texture.
In my opinion, seeing a skincare professional every three months after the age of 22 is essential. As you age, it should become a part of your monthly routine. Working with a professional will ensure that you’re doing everything you can to improve symptoms of sun damage and prevent future damage. Some of the services offered at Equinox specifically for sun damage include:
• The Renew Facial with a chemical peel add-on that is suitable for most people of all skin types who suffer from age spots, melasma, and hyperpigmentation.
• The Renew Facial with a vitamin C add-on. This active ingredient is one of the most effective over-the-counter treatments for hyperpigmentation. Also known as l-ascorbic acid, this treatment contains antioxidants that effectively treat spots and patches.
• Microdermabrasion, a well-known exfoliating treatment for hyperpigmentation that uses tiny particles to sand away dead skin and damaged cells to give you a softer and more even skin tone.
• The HydraFacial with a Brightenol add-on. This treatment not only has all the benefits of microdermabrasion but also hydrates sun-parched skin.
Each of these steps can help your skin thrive this summer. So drink another glass of water, reapply your sunscreen, and enjoy this beautiful weather.