Unless you are among the lucky few blessed with glowing skin round the year, chances are that the winters have left your skin looking dry and dull. Now that a good deal of it will be exposed in your summer clothes and swim wear, it?s a good idea to spruce up your skin. Here are a few steps that can give you a glowing skin in summer. In addition we are sharing with you some tips to deal with the common skin problems such as heat rash and sunburns that often come along with summer.
Get your Skin Summer-Ready
Take-Off your winter skin: Exfoliating regularly with a mild scrub will remove dead skin cells that tend to accumulate over the dry winter season. Scrubbing two to three times a week with a fruity scrub will bring out healthy glowing season.
Change your Moisturizer: Do not make the mistake of discontinuing the use of a moisturizer when summer arrives as your skin still needs to be hydrated. But do switch to a water-based moisturizer if you have been using a thick creamy one for winter. Look for a non-comedogenic product, which basically means that it is less likely to clog your pores.
Get a Good Supply of Sunscreen
Do not depend on your last year's half-bottle of sunscreen if you mean serious sun protection, which you always should. Get a good sunscreen with SPF of 15 or higher with a broad-spectrum agent that protects against UVA and UVB rays and do what it takes to make it work ? Use It. The right way to use it would be to apply it about fifteen minutes before stepping out and reapply every couple of hours when outdoors or after swimming or sweating heavily.
Treat Your Feet
Your feet will now be in open sandals and flip-flops. They surely deserve a treat, meaning a pedicure before they go on display. You can get one done at a beauty salon, or always do a basic one at home. Soak your feet for fifteen minutes in warm soapy water, clear the dead skin and trim your nails. Women can apply some fresh summer colors to their nails. Continue using your crack treatment cream to make your heels heal faster.
Keep Prickly Heat Away
If you live in hot humid climate, in all probability you have had your stint with those tiny red bumps called prickly heat or heat rash. Medically termed as miliaria, this condition begins with skin damage due to excessive sweating. Understandably, wearing loose cotton clothes and staying in a cool and airy environment where you do not sweat much is the best way to avoid heat rash. If you do get it, just take care to keep the affected area cool and dry. Skip the towel and let your skin air dry after a shower. Heat rash usually goes away on its own in a couple of days. Avoid experimenting with home remedies for prickly heat as many of them can potentially worsen skin irritation. Prickly heat powders can be used for some temporary relief. If needed, you can also use calamine lotion to soothe the itching.
Enjoy the Sun without Sunburn
The one word answer to protection against sunburn is sunscreen. Although sunscreen is for everyone round the year, it is mandatory in summers for people prone to sunburns. Other than confining yourself indoors, the only way to avoid sunburn is to use a broad spectrum high SPF sunscreen before stepping out and reapplying it after every couple of hours. Though prevention is the best approach, if you do end up with mmild sunburn, you can try cool compresses with equal parts of milk and water. Commercially available aloe-based lotions also provide relief from mild sunburn. Over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medicines can be used if the pain is too bothersome. If the sunburn does not heal by 4 to 7 days, or you notice blistering or signs of infection, you should see a doctor.
Deal with Suntan
If a tan does not flatter your skin, you need to take steps to protect yourself from getting the additional bronze color in summer. Tan is essentially the result of sun exposure. Some simple additions in your wardrobe, like a wide brimmed hat, some full sleeve shirts, and a nice umbrella will minimize the extent to which you get tanned. Note that dark colored cclothes rather than light colored ones are more apt for blocking the sun. Also, a net top is unlikely to stop the sunrays from reaching your skin. Go for closely woven fabric, if you are looking for effective sun protection. In addition, you should add some tan removing steps to your usual skin care regimen. Cleansing the face with raw milk or curd is a popular home solution. You may also go for commercially available good quality whitening or bleaching agents that contain lactic acid.
Beware of Skin Infections
Humidity and sweating form the breeding ground for skin infection in your armpits, groin, feet and sometimes even in other parts of the body. Before you know it, you find yourself with itchy lesions on your skin. Some of these red, round rashes could actually be a fungal infection. Of course, meticulous hygiene is the best way to avoid them, but all said and done, one can get them once in a while. Avoid steroid containing over-the-counter preparations for a suspected fungal iinfection; because though they may bring down the itching and redness, they will depress your skin's natural ability to fight germs. As a result, your next bout of infection could be much worse. If you're prone to fungal infections, get an antifungal powder from a trained skin specialist and use it regularly through the summer.
Hold off Body Odor
You walk up to a group of friends, and within the next couple of minutes one pperson makes a face and another complains of a bad smell. Does that sound much too familiar? If yes, you could be suffering from body odor, a problem that gets worse when you sweat a lot. Sweat itself is nearly odorless. The smell is caused by the countless bacteria that enjoy thriving in the sweat in your armpits. Cleaning sweat prone areas with soap and water thoroughly and frequently is the first step towards avoiding body odor. After drying completely, you should apply an antiperspirant, an agent that reduces sweating. A deodorant alone may not be sufficient as it works only by masking the smell. Wash your gym clothes often as your sweat soaked gym clothes may be harboring tons of smelly bacteria. Shaving off unwanted body hair will also helps reduce body odor. If you feel you always sweat much more than others (hyperhidrosis), do consider consulting a doctor.
Source:
HealthcareMagic.com
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