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The summer sun is here to stay, earlier than ever this year.
With the summer season comes skin tan, skin burning for the sensitive ones, pigmentation of the skin and other sun & heat associated skin issues like fungal infections, excessive sweating, and body odour.

Most frequently I am asked the following questions by my patients

- How to protect my skin this summer from the sun and damage?
- What sunscreen shall I use?
- What do I do before swimming or a picnic?
- How can i prevent a tan?

Here are a few tips to protect your skin this summer:

CLEANSE THE SKIN:
The skin sweats more in summer hence increased dirt and grime. Wash the face with plain cool water every few hours; this will wash off the dirt and sweat. There is no need to use a cleanser more than twice a day unless it is after playing sports.

Use a soap free or PH balanced cleanser so that the skins acidity is maintained.

MOISTURIZING THE SKIN:
If the skin is dry to normal or stressed out by constant exposure to air condition make sure you apply moisturizer to the skin before heading out.Otherwise apply the moisturizer at night before bed time on a clean face.

USE SUN PROTECTION:
Use a sun protection cream –sunscreen or sun block with SPF of at least 24 daily.

There are many options available. Creams / lotions / gels. If you have oily skin, use a lighter formulation like lotion or gel, for normal to dry skin use a cream form.

The sun protection has to be applied every 3 - 4 hrs liberally onto areas of exposure from face, ears and neck to arms and feet. Don’t be stingy with the sun protection.

If you are going to be outdoors for a long time you can use SPF of 50+. For water based and active sports use a sweat proof and water proof sun protection cream.

The ideal amount to be used is 5 ml. But it is slightly impractical as the face gets a whitish or grayish sheen. Use a 50 paisa coin size amount for the face. Apply the sun protection at least 20 mins before stepping out. Time is required for the absorption of the sun protection cream / lotion.

Don’t forget to reapply, as the protection only lasts for 3 – 4 hrs.

After water sports or sweating, wash the area with cool water and reapply the sun protection cream.

The sun protection cream is the last layer to be applied. All other creams / lotions should be applied beneath this.

EXFOLIATE YOUR SKIN:
At the start of the summer exfoliate your skin at least once a week to remove all dead cells and flakes left over from the winter. Exfoliate gently using micro beads as opposed to harsh exfoliation with larger beads as this can injure the skin and make it sun sensitive.

After about 4 – 6 weekly exfoliations, bring it down to once in 2 weeks in the summer.

SHOWER TIPS:
A hot shower might feel great, but cool water is better for the skin, especially in the summer. The cool water cools the body and skin temperature and retains oils and moisture in the skin.

Don’t dry the skin roughly with towel. Gently pat it dry. Do leave some moisture on the skin so that when you apply the moisturizer the skin can absorb it fully and seal it in.

Follow these few tips and your skin will be at its glowing best this summer.