Summer’s Here: Support and Protect Your Skin All Season Long

When it comes to maintaining healthy skin and a glowing complexion, most people prefer the warmer temperatures and moisture-promoting humidity of summertime to the lower and desiccating indoor air of the winter season.

But summer’s arrival doesn’t mean it’s time to ease up on skin care; instead, it’s time to adapt your routine. Even here in Florida, warmer weather and more time outdoors carry new skin care challenges and concerns — your daily regimen should reflect that. 

At Florida Dermatology Associates, our board-certified dermatologists know that a flexible care routine is paramount to maintaining healthy skin and a luminous complexion all year. Here’s what that entails during the hot, sun-intensive summer season.  

Adaptive skin care

Gentle and simple, an adaptive summer skin care routine has three main components:

Proper cleansing

Proper skin cleansing is essential on hot summer days, when sweat, sunscreen residue, chlorine, insect repellant, and other skin-irritating contaminants sit on the epidermal surface, clog your pores, and leave you with a lackluster complexion. 

 Washing your face twice daily (in the morning and before bed) and after you sweat keeps your skin clean without stripping its natural protective barrier. 

How you wash your face is as important as when you do it. Use your fingertips to apply a gentle cleanser across the surface of your skin, resisting the urge to scrub. Rinse your skin with lukewarm water before patting it dry with a clean towel. 

Product simplification

You don’t wear heavy layers in the summer, and your skin shouldn’t either. The “lightweight” version of your normal skin care routine trades heavier cosmetic and skin care products for non-comedogenic products that are formulated without pore-clogging ingredients. 

 You can also lighten your summer skin care routine by minimizing the number of products you put on your skin. You only need a lightweight moisturizer containing a broad-spectrum (UVA/UVB) sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher. Save the foundation, blush, and concealer for important events, and let your skin breathe the rest of the time.  

Frequent exfoliation

Summer is the perfect time to incorporate more exfoliation into your skin care regimen. By sweeping away dead skin cells and opening your pores, routine exfoliation helps clear the way for optimal skin hydration from after-shower toners, moisturizers, and lotions. 

If you’re not sure where to start, try using a basic exfoliant like alpha-hydroxy acid (AHA) pads to open blocked pores and even out your skin tone. And remember, you don’t need to exfoliate every day to benefit — just a couple of times each week should do the trick.  

Sun protection habits

Sun protection is a year-round endeavor, especially here in the subtropical regions of Florida. But it’s even more important in the summer when the sun’s rays are more intense and outdoor activities take center stage. You should:  

Wear sunscreen

While applying a lightweight, dual-purpose moisturizer that contains sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 offers the right amount of protection for normal daily use, you should take a different approach when you plan to spend time outdoors.  

Before you head out for a day in the sun, apply a broad-spectrum UVA/UVB sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher to all exposed skin areas. Reapply as needed (i.e., after time in the water). Besides reducing your skin cancer risk, protecting your skin from harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays minimizes your risk of sun damage and premature skin aging.   

Stick to the shade 

Wearing sunscreen may protect your skin from damaging UV light, but shade is even better. Give your skin a major break by staying indoors or in the shade between 10am and 4pm, when the sun is at its hottest and harmful UV rays are more intense and direct. 

When you plan to be outdoors where shade may not be available, we recommend bringing your source of shade by wearing a wide-brimmed hat and loose, protective clothing. 

Summer skin support 

High summertime humidity may feel more “moisturizing” than drier winter air, but in the right conditions, summer weather and activities can be just as dehydrating. 

Hot, humid days can accelerate water loss through increased sweating while spending time in the sun, chlorinated pool water, salty ocean water, or air-conditioned spaces can leave your skin feeling dry and irritated.

Simply put, healthy skin is hydrated skin. To keep your epidermis well hydrated — both inside and out — this summer, you should:

• Drink enough fluids to maintain clear or light-yellow urine
• Rinse off immediately after you get out of the pool (or ocean)
• Take warm or cool showers (hot water can dry out your skin)  

For more summer skin care tips, call or click online to schedule a visit at your nearest Florida Dermatology Associates office in Palm Bay, Cocoa Beach, Cocoa, Melbourne, Titusville, or Rockledge, Florida, today.