What happens to skin in warm weather?
Often, it turns dry-even if you live in a humid climate. And that’s dangerous, because dry skin looks like old skin.
Summer is also the time when we most expose our skin to UV rays-the number one cause of premature aging.
What can you do to maintain plump, hydrated skin even in the hot summer months?
Summer Can Cause Dry Skin
We all know that harsh, cold winter can dry out skin. We also know that dry, desert climates can cause flaky, dull skin in the summer.
But humid climates? There’s more moisture in the air. How could summer in these climates dry out skin?
Turns out that heat, no matter what time of year, can dry out skin.
- If you’re not drinking enough water, or you’re sweating too much, you could become mildly dehydrated, which dries skin from the inside, out.
- If you go swimming, the water and chlorine strips your skin of its natural oils, which can dry it out. (This is also why your hair gets dry and brittle after swimming.)
- Strong UV rays from the sun can affect the moisture on the face, causing dryness.
- When you wipe sweat off your skin, you wipe off natural oils, robbing the skin of its usual protective layer, which can lead to dryness.
- Frequent tanning causes dryness-say nothing of increasing risk of cancer.
- If you’re often in air-conditioned rooms, your skin can get dry and dull. Air conditioning robs the air of moisture, so it pulls it from your skin instead.
- More frequent showering (to wash off all that sweat) also strips skin of oils, resulting in dryness and dullness.
- If you’re out partying and consuming a lot of alcohol, you could be drying your skin from the inside. Drinks like whiskey, vodka, and gin are dehydrating.
All these factors can make it difficult to keep your skin hydrated. When you get dry skin, any flaws you have will be more visible. Say hello to new fine lines and wrinkles you didn’t even know you had!
UV Rays are the Number-One Cause of Aging
According to a 2013 study, the sun is responsible for the vast majority of visible aging. Researchers studied about 300 women. Half loved the sun, and the other half steered clear as much as possible.
Results showed that UV rays accounted for 80 percent of skin aging-including fine lines and wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, reduced skin elasticity, and poor skin texture. Those women who were sun-worshipers looked older than their real age after the age of 50.
An earlier 2005 study found that UV rays from the sun caused a series of changes in skin cells, leading to the formation of free radicals, which damage DNA, and to inflammation, which plays an important role in the aging of human skin.
Exposure to UV light also breaks down collagen and elastin fibers, which causes skin to sag and droop. This is where we get sagging and bagging, and yes, wrinkles.
10 Tips to Hydrated, Young-Looking Skin
To avoid all these damaging effects of summer heat and sun, try these ten tips:
- Use sunscreen: But use the right kind. Zinc oxide is the safest and offers the best broad-spectrum protection against both UVA and UVB rays. Choose one with an SPF of at least 30.
- Make sure you’re cleanser is not too harsh: If you’re sweating a lot in the summer, you may want to really scrub your face to get it squeaky clean. This can quickly lead to dryness and dullness, though, and will leave your skin vulnerable to damage. Avoid sulfates in your cleansers, and use a gentler cleanser with ingredients you can pronounce. Products with fruit extracts, essential oils (like tea tree) and moisturizing triglycerides are good choices.
- Don’t wipe, restore: Instead of wiping off the sweat, try patting it off with a clean towel, and then follow with our Rescue + Relief Spray. It’s cooling and calming, and will help remove the heat from your face without dehydrating it.
- Always drink water: We need more water in the summer months, but we often forget to step it up. Take a stainless steel bottle with you everywhere and get in the habit of sipping. Add some lemon for some extra antioxidant and inner-cleansing power.
- Consider a fish oil supplement: Skin thrives on essential fatty acids. If you’re not getting enough, you’re going to see dry skin in summer. Eat more salmon, anchovies, walnuts, flaxseed, and olive oil, and consider taking a fish oil supplement daily.
- Exfoliate gently: You need to exfoliate to get rid of that dull, dry layer of dead skin cells. Otherwise, you’re moisturizer won’t work as well. But you want to be careful not to be too harsh, or you will damage your skin. Nut scrubs and those with plastic beads are bad for your skin and bad for the environment. Choose natural exfoliants like fruit enzymes (pineapple and papaya are good ones), oatmeal, honey, clays, coconut, and the like.
- Naturally absorb extra oil: If you have oily skin, it may get worse in summer, which can have you sopping up your face on a regular basis. First, top wiping and use oil blotting paper instead, and always follow with a mist of our Rescue + Relief Spray. It will help cool your face while keeping it fresh. Then, try to step up your masks and see if that will help balance out your skin. Look for kaolin, Dead Sea mud, and other natural oil-absorbing ingredients. Don’t forget to moisturize afterwards, though. If you leave your skin too dry, it will react by producing more oil.
- Moisturize! You may feel with all that sweating that your skin doesn’t need moisture, but nothing could be further from the truth. Remember what we said about the sun and other summer factors drying out skin. CV Skinlabs Calming Moisture and Body Repair Lotion are both made with natural ingredients like turmeric, calendula, aloe, and deep-moisturizing triglycerides that help skin maintain its radiance even in the heat. Watch your skin for clues. If it feels tight, apply moisturizer more often.
- Limit your exposure to air conditioning: If you’re tempted to crank up the air conditioning in your home, reconsider. It’s very drying for your skin (and air passageways). Try limiting it to peak warmth times of the day, and counteract all that dryness with a humidifier, particularly in your bedroom.
- Eat more skin-protecting foods: Many fruits and vegetables have natural protective antioxidants that can make your skin more resistant to summertime damage. Berries, green tea, broccoli, kidney beans, and apples are good options. Read our post on damage-busting foods for more.
How do you protect your skin in summer? Please share any tips you may have.
Sources
Roger Dobson, “Blame the sun for your visible wrinkles: UV rays account for 80 percent of skin ageing,” Daily Mail, October 19, 2013, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2467385/Suns-UV-rays-account-80-cent-skin-wrinkles-ageing.html.
Pillai S., et al., “Ultraviolet radiation and skin aging: roles of reactive oxygen species, inflammation and protease activation, and strategies for prevention of inflammation-induced matrix degradation-a review,” Int J Cosmet Sci., February 2005; 27(1):17-34, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18492178.
