4 Summer Prep Tips for your Skin
June 4, 2012 1:51 pm
As the summer season approaches, you can almost cut the excitement (and anxiety) with a knife for women and men who will soon bare it all — or close to it. After being bundled up all winter long folks are ready to show some skin. But the problem with “summer skin” is “winter skin”. Our skin has become dry. Here are some 360 Skin approved tips to help your skin get a healthy glow with results designed to last through Labor Day and beyond.
Exfoliate!
The best way to get your skin glowing and ready for summer is with regular exfoliation. This gets rid of dead, dry surface skin cells. You can use a mechanical or personal exfoliation to help your skin regenerate quicker and to get rid of dry flaky skin. At 360 Skin we recommend regular Microdermabrasion to help quickly and painlessly slough off the first 2-3 layers of the epidermis and stimulate the lower layers to kick it up and send fresher new, plump skin to the surface. This also is seen by the skin as a wound and as we know the skin responds to this by producing collagen and elastic: the key components to warding off wrinkles and fine lines.
Also don’t forget to exfoliate your body as well. We posted a much loved blog a few months ago about how to make your own, inexpensive body scrub. Here is a link to that blog: 360 Skin Body Scrub
But keep in mind, don’t go overboard with exfoliation, less is more; don’t “scrub like a madman”, be gentle and exfoliate no more than a couple of times a week to allow your skin to positively respond to the stimulation.
Moisturize, Moisturize, Moisturize
After you exfoliate, moisturizing your new skin is key. If your skin is only a little dry, you can use a lighter moisturizer but if it’s very dry use a more cream based moisturizer. We recommend Image’s Max Creme Moisturizer. After trying Lord knows how many moisturizers, this one just blew us away. Derived from two different types of plant stem cells and pumped full of peptides to fight free radicals, this product not only prevents, but can help reverse, the signs of aging. We carry this in the studio and really can’t recommend it enough to nourish and hydrate your skin.
Remove Unwanted Hair
Waxing away unwanted hair is not the most joyfully anticipated part of this posting, I’m sure, but with the proper prepping you can make it go much more smoothly.
Before you have any waxing done, start by getting your skin in “ready mode”. Waxing is a pretty good exfoliation in itself but if your skin is sensitized or dry because of tanning, sunburns, or using harsh chemicals, then you really can’t wax over that. Waxing can inflame or even tear at damaged skin.
The best thing to do is scrub the area (gently!) a few days before to remove any dead skin cells that can clog pores and grip hair follicles. A simple granular scrubs (mentioned above) can be gentle enough for the body and prep it for the “letting go” process. Let your skin rest for at least 48 hours before waxing.
Always goes to a professional to have your waxing done. At 360 Skin we use only professional grade products and manage a clean, focused environment to provide you with the best process with minimal discomfort and downtime.
Body hair to be waxed should be at least a quarter-inch long and no more than half an inch. If it’s too short, the wax may not adhere to the hair and it actually hurts a bit more. If it’s too long the wax may not come off cleanly. We can easily trim your hair in the studio for a minimal extra charge.
After waxing wait 48 hours before prolonged sun exposure—and even then use sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30. You are more prone to sun damage after waxing as the skin is a little more sensitize.
Sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen
Sunscreen confuses SO many people but it doesn’t have to be a crazy numbers game. How high a number of sun protection factor (SPF) you need depends on how fair you are: people with fairer skin, lighter hair, and lighter eyes need stronger sun block than their darker counterparts.
Everyone should wear a sunscreen with SPF of 15 or higher with zinc or titanium as an additive to help protects against both UVA and UVB rays. Some moisturizers only protect against UVA so make sure to check the label. I recommend a 30 SPF cream based sunscreen, and make sure you reapply every 2 hours.
Apply it generously, don’t skimp. Many people tend to under apply sunscreen. Put on enough to cover your entire body, no matter how much it takes. Sunscreen takes 15 to 20 minutes to kick into high gear, so apply it before you leave the house, not when you get to the beach.
As a survivor of stage 3 skin cancer I can’t agree with you more about the use of sunscreen. However, I would like to add the importance of finding paraben free sunscreen.
Parabens are the chemical perservatives that are found in hundreds of beauty products – in everything from shampoos and conditioners to lip balms and yes, sunscreens. So why is it so important to find sunscreens without parabens.
A study from the Environmental Working Group found that if parabens they reach the skin’s inner layers – potentially damage the reproductive system. They are also been directly linked to breast cancer. In fact 18 out of 20 breast cancer tumors have parabens in them. Parabens have also been found in the first urine of new born babies!
Around 60 percent of the sunscreens currently on the market contain parabens so make sure to use natural skin care products including paraben free sunscreen.
Hi Jan, Thanks for the reply! Great to hear that you are healthy and cancer free! You offer a great bit of truth in that everyone should steer clear of paraben containing products! All of the products I carry in the studio are organic and paraben free.