Gear Up to Face the Summer Sun
Gear Up to Face the Summer Sun!
If it was possible, we would never let go of the moderate and soothing spring season. However, even before we can enjoy to our utmost satisfaction, spring makes way for a body scorching summer season. With increasing temperatures come a series of health implications for our body and skin. The harsh sun, the heat, the infections, the bacteria, all take a heavy toll on the skin. Dehydration, tanning, and sun burns are some common problems we face during summers.
Human skin is very sensitive to the sun and if not protected, brown spots, wrinkles, and dehydration can cause damage to the skin. Exposure to UV radiation can also cause skin cancer.
People often visit us during summers with complaints of sun burns, excessive tanning, red rashes and itching on their face, arms or neck. Extreme sensitivity to sun exposure is also known as ‘photosensitivity’ and can cause photodermatosis. Sun exposure is also one of the leading causes of skin ageing. However, with some care and caution and a few skincare practices, one can easily tide over the summer woes.
As you gear up to face the scorching summer, here are tips you need to remember and follow:
Feed your skin: You are on the outside, what you feed yourself. The skin needs greater resilience and nutrition to keep itself healthy in the hot summers. As the temperature starts warming increase your dose of fruits, raw vegetables, green juices, cucumber, and sea food. A good dose of vitamins and minerals will not only keep your skin health and glowing, it will also give it greater protection against sun and free radical damage.
Don’t shun moisturizer: Most people tend to believe that they don’t need moisturizer in summers. It is a myth. The skin needs hydration all year round; the intensity of the moisturizer used may vary with the season. As summers approach, turn to lighter water-based moisturizers but apply them daily morning and night after washing and cleansing. Lack of moisture accelerates ageing and makes the skin vulnerable to environmental damage.
Re-apply sunscreen: While most of us do apply sunscreen daily, very few realize that one application is not sufficient. You needs to re-apply ever 4-5 hours to keep your skin protected. Even if you are indoors, you should keep a layer on because UV radiation can travel indoors through glass windows. A number of the skin problems are a result of sun exposure. Sun burns, tanning, rashes, itchiness, even skin cancer are caused by exposure to sun’s harmful radiation.
Cool your skin: After a day of scorching heat, particularly when you have spent some time under the sun, your skin needs to cool itself down with some help. Applying cooling agents like aloe vera gel to the skin or sandalwood or multani mitti packs in the evening can sooth down the skin. At the same time, keep dabbing your skin with a napkin soaked in cold water repeatedly throughout the day to keep it cool.
Hydration is the mantra: Applying moisturizer, though necessary, is not sufficient in summers when moisture escapes your body and skin every hour. Drink a lot of water to keep replenishing the skin, better carry a bottle with you all the time, never mind the weight. Eat fruits rich in water-content like watermelon, pineapple; drink coconut water regularly.
Enriching skin procedures: Medi-facials that can hep your skin fight the summer damage; hyaluronic acid based fillers like Juvederm Refine to nourish, hydrate and provide a sparkling effect to the skin; and vitamin infusion therapies to help the skin fight free radical damage are just some enriching skin procedures that can help in summers. Meet a dermatologist who can advice you about the same.
Get rid of sweating: Sweating and body odor is a major summer concern. Increasing intake of water, reducing intake of caffeine, turning to deodorants and anti-perspirants are some ways people use to minimize body odor. However, if you need a more durable and effective solution to excessive sweating or hyperhidrosis, try onabotulinum toxin type A, popularly known as Botox. Administering Botox under the arms can rid you of the sweating problem for a good 6 months. With sweating almost stopped, body odor is taken care of too.