Summer is the time for simple and relaxed skincare. You don’t need a 10 step skincare routine to achieve healthy glowing skin. In fact, using too many products can cause unwanted breakouts and reactions. My skincare philosophy is Cleanse, Treat, & Protect.
- Cleanse: to remove impurities. This creates a clean canvas and helps elevate the treatment portion of your routine.
- Treat: use a serum or product to target your specific skin needs whether it’s targeting hyperpigmentation, breakouts, sun damage, rosacea, or skin aging.
- Protect: with a moisturizer to strengthen and restore your skin barrier. Your moisturizer should also serve as your SPF in the morning so choose one with a broad spectrum SPF30 or higher.
These 3 essential steps make your skincare routine easy to maintain without overwhelming your skin so you have more time and money to hangout with your friends and family.
2. Up Your Exfoliation
During the summer, heat, humidity, and increased sweating can lead to clogged pores and buildup of dead skin cells making your skin appear dull. By removing dead skin cells and removing dirt and impurities from pores, exfoliating helps to
- Reveal fresh radiant skin
- Allow better penetration of skincare products
- Reduce breakouts, pigmentation, and blackheads.
While exfoliation is effective and beneficial, it’s important to listen to your skin. I recommend only exfoliating 1-2 times a week unless you’re using a very gentle exfoliant like Azelaic10 Serum or a cleanser like Exfoliating Cleanser with 2% salicylic and glycolic acid. Over exfoliation can disrupt your skin barrier leading to irritation and breakouts. For more, check out my YouTube on exfoliation below
3. SPF SPF SPF
Summer days mean longer days with more UV exposure at a higher UV index. Sun protection becomes more important than ever whether you’re going to the beach, a party, or a business event. Exfoliation also makes your skin more susceptible to sun damage. It’s so important to apply a broad-spectrum SPF30 or higher in the mornings. I recommend a comprehensive moisturizer formulated with a sunscreen. A tinted moisturizer with SPF can be a great way to simplify your routine by adding coverage allowing you to skip foundation. Tinted SPF moisturizers are also more effective at treating discoloration and hyperpigmentation as the iron oxide in them protects against HEV rays that come through windows and device screens. My personal favorite is Hydratint BB SPF44 formulated with hydrating ingredients like glycerin and hyaluronic acid as opposed to oils leaving my skin with a filter like appearance. Don’t forget to reapply throughout the day especially when going outdoors. Using an SPF powder brush like the UV Clear Powder Brush makes for an easy practical reapplication method. Plus it soaks up oil and moisture. As we come to the end of Melanoma awareness month, I can’t stress enough how important this step is to your daily routine.
4. Body Odor
It may be embarrassing for some, but it’s a common concern for many! Due to higher temperatures and humidity, bacteria breaks down sweat, making body odor more smelly. An easy and effective way to combat this is by using a glycolic acid based product in the armpits or washing the area with a Benzoyl Peroxide wash in the shower.. My favorite products are Clarify Pads to sweep the area daily or a stronger option is The One Body Spray a few times a week.
5. Lighter Moisturizer
Hydration without heaviness: lighter moisturizers have a thinner consistency and are typically water-based or oil-free. They restore the moisture barrier without feeling heavy or greasy. This is particularly important during hot and humid weather. Oils mixed with moisture lead to wax clogging pores and contributing to build up in the skin. Heavy moisturizers can feel uncomfortable and they don’t allow the skin to breathe.
Remember that you should still be choosing products specific to your skin needs. If you have dry skin, a heavier moisturizer may still be suitable for you even in the summer. Always adapt your skincare routine accordingly.
6. Protect Your Lips
This is an important one guys. As a dermatologist, I see a lot skin cancer on the lower lip. You may not realize when you’re out at the beach or the pool with shiny lip gloss, you are actually magnifying UV rays from the sun. The lips are much thinner than skin elsewhere and more prone to sun damage. If you love to wear lip gloss in the summer, choose one formulated with SPF. Aquaphor has a simple SPF lip balm or the Pout Plump SPF30 is a great lip gloss to plump, protect, and perfect.
I’d love to hear what tips or hacks you use in the summer to help elevate your skincare routine, let me know in the blog comments below!
