Skin Care

Beauty Procedures
Avoid intensive peelings, serious dermabrasions or any other serious invasive/abrasive beauty procedures in late spring and summer. Such treatments make skin more vulnerable to sun damage and can lead to pigmentation and scaring problems.

Skin Type
In the summer skin type tends to change from dry to normal or normal to oily. Now is the time to lighten up – choose a moisturizer with a lighter texture with less (or no) occlusive ingredients. As for the cleanser, if your skin is getting oily and your pores clogged, you might want to use a more effective cleansing product. And moistirize lot!Summer is the time to treat your skin to some extra moisture.

Sun Awareness
Sun protection is a very important topic and requires a separate article. However, just in short, the rule is: the brighter the sun, the higher should go the SPF in your daily moisturizer. SPF measures the level of protection against UV-B (ultraviolet radiation). It indicates how long you can spend in the direct sunlight without getting sunburn. Remember that except from UV-B rays that cause burn there are UV-A rays that do not give sun tan but do produce accumulative damaging effect on the skin. A lot of sun protecting products offer broad spectrum sun screening. Switch from the winter-spring SPF of 15-20 to the summer strength of 25-30.

Do not forget about protecting your hands from the damage of UV rays. Very often, hands are the first to show signs of pigmentation disorder.

Do not Forget Your Sunglasses
Even if you are using a special sun screen for the tender eye area, it will not save you from developing crow lines if you squint all the time. The solution is a pair of dark sunglasses and do develop a habit to always put them on when you leave the house.

Sun Allergy
If you notice your skin going bright red and burning, or you develop an itchy red rash during or after sun exposure, it means you are allergic to the sun. The most common locations for such reaction include the "V" of the neck, the back of the hands, the outside surface of the arms and the lower legs. You can develop sun allergy at any stage of your life, so don’t be surprised if last year you have spent a month at the Canaries and this summer you develop a rash in the sun light. Allergic eruptions can be also a result of your skin reaction triggered by the effect of sunlight on a chemical that has been applied to the skin (often an ingredient in sunscreen, fragrances, cosmetics or antibiotic ointments) If you notice any of the symptoms described above, the first aid (for mild symptoms), would be a cool compress (such as a cool, damp washcloth) to the areas of itchy rash.
Further on, consult your doctor who will prescribe you internal and external anti-histamine medicine with the help of which the problem should be quite easily solved.
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