Summer’s here ladies!
Fun Fact: June 20th is the official calendar day that marks the “First Day of Summer” in the US and as the temperature keeps rising in favor of cute tank tops, breezy sundresses and sandals, it’s only natural that you’d want to emerge from your winter cocoon of comfy sweaters and start showing some skin – especially if you’ve been putting in the work and self-care this winter to get your body swimsuit-ready! And just like you’d naturally want to switch up your wardrobe once the temperature heats up, you should also consider making a few tweaks in your skincare routine as the seasons change. Not sure where to start? Here are 5 essential tips to get your skin healthy, glowing, and summer-ready:
1. Drink More Water and Get More “Beauty Nutrients”
The look and even the feel of our skin is a direct reflection of our diet and the way that we treat our body. That’s why you’ll constantly hear me emphasize the importance of drinking enough water each day to hydrate your skin and maintain your skin’s moisture balance. Plus, you should also do your best to eat a healthy diet and load up on foods that provide essential “beauty nutrients” for healthy skin like vitamin C, amino acids and antioxidants that are very important for maintaining healthy skin, stimulating collagen growth and also protect against premature skin aging.
Now when it comes to drinking water, it’s even more important to pay close attention to how much water you drink during the summer months since warmer weather and sweating will put you at an even greater risk for dehydration. Don’t know how much water you should drink to keep your body properly hydrated? Find out here.
2. Switch Up Your Winter Moisturizer
During the colder winter and spring months, it’s not unusual for women to prefer using a richer cream moisturizer to help keep skin hydrated and protected. But when it’s warmer outside, you may find that this type of thicker moisturizer can feel a bit “too heavy” or may even start to clog your pores, and this is when you switch things up and opt for a more lightweight moisturizer that still offers the same level of hydration and protection. As far as brands, there are many to choose from with excellent ingredients, so it will all come down to your personal preference when deciding which to purchase. That said, it’s always a nice bonus when you can find a daily face moisturizer that contains SPF for added sun protection, and I would also recommend that you stick with water-based moisturizers that are formulated with ingredients like aloe vera that can help nourish and soothe your skin while also providing even more long-lasting hydration.
3. Fight Body Acne Before It Starts
With summertime comes with more sweating and this can create the perfect storm for annoying and potentially serious skin conditions like back acne (a.k.a bacne), chest acne, butt acne (a.k.a buttne) and general body acne, which can leave you feeling incredibly self-conscious when it’s time to show some skin. Now when it comes to body acne, this saying holds very true: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. So to help prevent body acne during the hotter summer months, you’ll want to take preventative measures like changing out of those sweaty gym clothes ASAP and hitting the showers right after a workout. Also make sure to use an antibacterial body wash with ingredients like salicylic acid, which can help kill certain bacteria that cause body acne and breakouts.
Take a moment to also check out this very popular video I did last year on How to Get Rid of Butt Acne and Body Acne. To be honest, before I did this video I never realized how butt acne and body acne was such a widespread problem for so many women but I was very happy to read the hundreds of comments from women who said that the tips in this video were extremely helpful.
Finally, if your body acne is more severe, you should consider seeing a dermatologist for a prescription-strength topical or oral antibiotic, which can help resolve your skin issue in time for tank top season.
4. Exfoliate Those Knees and Elbows (Fitness mag – exfoliate: let’s move from head to toe (hyperlink you how many times to exfoliate)
Skin Fact: Every day our body sheds millions of dead skin cells, and our elbows and knees are the parts of our body most likely to retain these millions of dead skin cells which can then lead to a buildup of dull, dark, rough, scaly, and thickened skin.
So to prevent this and keep your elbow and knees smooth and soft, make sure you pay closer attention to these areas when washing and exfoliating skin. Physical exfoliants like body scrubs and body mitts can work well for removing dead skin cells on your knees and elbows, and you should also consider using body washes and/or body lotions with chemical exfoliants like alpha-hydroxy acids (e.g glycolic acid and lactic acid) to help hydrate skin, unclog pores, slough off dead skin cells, and brighten skin.
Overall, regular exfoliation is a “must-do” if you want to keep your skin feeling soft and smooth, and also looking more radiant and even-toned. So make sure to regularly exfoliate all over your body from head to toe – while paying special attention to often-neglected areas like your knees, elbows, and arms. Plus, an extra benefit of regular exfoliation is that it makes your skin very receptive to absorbing moisturizers and lotions more deeply and more evenly into skin.
Bonus Skincare Tip: Exfoliating body cleansers and skin moisturizers that contain alpha-hydroxy acids can also help cure skin conditions like Keratosis Pilaris (KP) which is also commonly referred to as “chicken skin” and typically appears as rough, goose-bumpy skin on the upper arms.
5. Give Your Feet Extra TLC
During the colder months (when feet are tucked away most of the day in warm socks and shoes) it’s not uncommon for women to neglect our foot care and slack off on pedicures since our feet will be rarely exposed. But now that we’ve officially hit “sandal season,” this means your feet are about to be front and center and we all know how soft, freshly manicured feet can be a showstopper. Can’t make a trip to the salon for a pedicure? No problem! You can easily set aside 35 minutes each week to pamper yourself with a foot soak, then buff your feet with a gentle body scrub, rinse, moisturize with a rich lotion that contains soothing and simulating essential oils like eucalyptus and peppermint, and then follow up with a cute nail polish of your choice to show off those 10 little piggies while you catch some sun!
And that concludes today’s blog on 5 Tips for Glowing, Summer Skin. Thanks for stopping by ladies, and I hope you enjoyed reading!
Stay Beautiful!
XO,
Dr. Phoenyx
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