Glam Slam: Summer Skin Care

For most of us, summertime means spending as much time as possible outside, but the extra exposure to the elements creates new issues for our skin.

“The challenge many of my clients have with the warm summer season is the battle of the heat, sun and humidity with your skin,” says celebrity skincare guru Sonya Dakar (www.sonyadakarskinclinic.com). “It brings along a number of problems such as rashes, acne, burns etc. But do not worry. Here’s a list of things you can do to make sure you have a flawless and glowing skin at this time.”

Exfoliate:
It’s so very important to exfoliate your skin. Your body sheds skin cells at an amazing rate every minute of every day. If you don’t get rid of them, they’ll just sitting on your skin making you look dull and dry. No matter how much lotion you use, you’re never going to have glowing skin if you don’t exfoliate.

For The Face: Depending on how sensitive your skin is use a gel based exfoliator 1-3 x week. Particle & acid-free exfoliators are ideal for more mature or sensitive types. If your skin is on the oilier side you can use a traditional scrub 1-3 x week. Look for natural ingredients such cocoa, ginger and flax seeds.

Try: Sonya Dakar Flash Facial

For The Body: Use a body scrub in the 2-3xweek shower. Gently rub your exfoliator in circular movements on your entire body from the shoulders down and rinse clean.

Don’t Scrub Too Hard:
Your skin produces oil to help seal in moisture and keep the skin hydrated. Your skin also produces oils to compensate for minor skin irritations. When you scrub oily patches with too much gusto and use alcohol-based cleansers, you actually stimulate the oil glands [Gentle skin cleansers that don’t irritate or over dry skin will keep oil production low. Less oil production to start with means less oil on the skin.

Cleanse Your Face:
No matter what time of year it is, it’s always important to cleanse your skin. However, in the summer, this step is extremely critical. Between being out in the warm weather your skin will develop an excess amount of sebum. This is the result of the warmer temperatures that cause you to perspire. Over production of sebum can lead to breakouts and clogged pores. While you should never over wash your skin, it is important not to skip your AM or PM regimen and start with a thorough cleansing. Look for oil absorbing and clarifying ingredients such as salicylic acid, silver or probiotics.

Try: Sonya Dakar Silver Clarifying Wash

Don’t Wash Too Frequently:
Washing your face twice a day is enough to remove dirt and oil buildup. Washing more frequently could stimulate extra oil production. During the summer months, you also might consider using a cleanser with salicylic acid These cleaners gently remove dead skin cells that may clog pores.

Stop Midday Shine, Permanently:
No one likes an oily t-zone, but it’s especially embarrassing with summer heat makes your makeup look like its sliding off your face by noon. Apply a retinol treatment to your T-zone nightly and over time, it helps slow down overactive oil glands, so you’ll be less likely to develop that afternoon oil slick.

Treat & Prevent Pigmentation:
Now that summer is approaching we want to also transition into effortless and minimal make-up. Nothing looks worse than the sun reflecting on caked on make-up that’s attempting to cover up an uneven complexion. So now is the time to not only lighten uneven pigmentation- but prevent it as well. Try wearing lightening treatment underneath your moisturizer. Look for ingredients like Bellisperennis (extracted from a Daisy flower) that works to lighten and brighten spots as well and protect skin from reacting to the sun and developing future damage. This is a genius breakthrough ingredient – I find it so helpful and have been working with it on a daily basis to help treat my clients. I recommend using a product like this 1-2 times a day with an spf30.

Try: Sonya Dakar Fade Away

Wearing Sunscreen Everyday Will Significantly Cut Back On Accumulative Sun Damage:
Recent studies show 78% of all the sun damage incurred in a lifetime is from incidental exposure. You may say “I’m not out at all during the day” but just walking to your car, and even driving in your car will expose you to unnecessary sun damage. However if you start wearing SPF 30 now (and EVERYDAY) you can reverse the signs of photo aging by 24%. You must wear an SPF 30 every day. Apply it in the morning so you’ll be covered all day.

Try: Daily Body Shield

Update Your Skin Regimen:
In the summer, many women don’t change their skin care products, so they use a heavy moisturizer which isn’t necessary. You will need to change to lighter products like serums and an exfoliating cleanser as the weather gets warmer.

— Ryan Patterson