Brilliant Summer Skin Tips

Summer is upon us.  Hello clear skies, pools and beaches and along with that the sunburns, bug bites, rashes, and weird bumps that sunshine season brings along.  Wish you had a way to keep your skin looking refreshed and brilliant all summer long?  We wanted to share with you some great tips to do just that.

1.      Stop breaking out from sunscreens this summer.  It can seem almost impossible to find a sunscreen that does not sweat off or burn during the midst of summer.  For those of us with acne prone skin, we have to be even more cautious.  What to do?  Find a sunscreen that contains the active ingredient, zinc oxide and or titanium oxide.  These types of sunscreens actively block UV rays.  You also want to look for sunscreens that state they are oil free and non- comedogenic like the Theraderm Platinum Protection Sunscreen.

2.      Get Rid of the Weird White “Sun Spots”.  Are you covered in white scaly patches that do not tan?  You might have a very common fungal infection called Tinea versicolor. This fungal infection interferes with the normal skin pigmentation and causes small white patches on the chest, back, arms and legs. This infection can easily be treated by your dermatologist, with a prescription topical shampoo and solution.  For severe cases, a one-time dose of an oral antifungal medication can be used.

3.      Stop Midday Shine Permanently. Overactive oil glands can wreack havoc on our skin and cause us to have the mid-day shine many of us dread.  Applying a retinol treatment to your skin every night can help reduce oil production as well as help diminish fine lines and wrinkles.  Use with caution though, not all retinol creams are created equal. Prescription retinol creams can cause irritation and redness if used too often.  You want to make sure you are using a retinol cream that is time released to minimize irritation like the SkinMedica TriRetinol Complex.

4.      Calm Razor Burn and Ingrown Hairs.  We have all been there. No matter, how careful we are ingrown hairs and razor burn are a common hazard of shaving.  You should start by cleansing the skin with a very mild cleanser such as Cetaphil, Cerave or Facial Cleanser from SkinMedica.   You can minimize razor irritation by applying a thin coat of a very mild cortisone cream immediately after you shave.  To prevent ingrown hair, men and women should apply a mild exfoliate moisturizer to their skin after they shave.  A great product to use is 15% AHA/BHA Cream from SkinMedica.  If ingrown hairs still persist, you may be a good candidate for laser hair removal treatments.  Laser hair removal treatments are an affordable alternative treatment for ingrown hairs.

5.      Use Antioxidants to Reduce Sun Damage.  Antioxidants are products that help reduce sun damage and production of free radicals by preventing oxidation.  They boost skin production against the UV damage that leads to skin cancer.  A great antioxidant is Vitamin C.  With so many antioxidants on the market, it can be hard to know what to look for.  Make sure your product contains the highest concentration and percentage of Vitamin C such as the C & E Complex from SkinMedica. Green Tea is another great antioxidant.  We recommend using TNS Essential Serum from SkinMedica.

6.      Relieve a bug bite without scarring. Taking an OTC antihistamine pill such as Claritin can    reduce itching caused by bug bites. You can also apply a topical cortisone cream twice a day to bug bites to help reduce itching and make the bug bite go away faster without scarring.

7.      Beat Summer Dandruff. Humid weather increases our oil production and causes our skin exfoliation process to slow down.  This causes dead cells to build up on our scalp and as a result, we get dandruff.  You can control dandruff by using a shampoo that contains zinc pyrtithione.  For more severe cases, your dermatologist can prescribe  medicated shampoos.