Summers heat can affect your skin and bring about changes. It’s necessary for you to gear up and take necessary preventive measures for your skin care during this time. As the temperature changes, we need to change our summer care routine to make sure that the skin stays young and fresh.
If we tend to get lazy during summers and do not follow a proper skin regimen, the effects of this season tend to stay with us for a long time. Prickly heat, body odour and fungal infections, acne breakouts, on the face and body and hyperpigmentation can make the skin appear dark, and exposure to sun without protection can cause skin cancers and permanent damage to the skin.
Some basic changes in daily routine and a diligent use of the right sunscreen is all it takes to sail through the season. Dr Madhulika Mhatre, dermatologist at Wockhardt Hospitals, suggests the skincare regimen according to skin types:
Oily Skin Type
- Cleansing your skin is essential: Use specific salicylic acid-based oil-control cleansers twice on daily basis
- Use a Exfoliate: Use a mild exfoliating product to scrub off oil build up and clear pores
- Moisturise without fail: It is a common notion that moisturising isn’t necessary in summers as we perspire. It is extremely important to keep skin hydrated to prevent oiliness. So, use an oil-free, lotion-based moisturiser in the day, and add it with a retinol-based moisturiser at night to keep oily skin hydrated
- Don’t go outside without your sunscreen Use a sunscreen with a gel or lotion formulation and repeat it every four hours spent in the sun.
Dry Skin Type
- Use a micellar cleanser water or no-foam, no-lather, soap-free cleansers. Steer clear of salicylic acid-based face washes
- Use a Moisturise a lightweight moisturiser containing almond or jojoba oil
- Use an oil-based sunscreen and repeat every two hours spent in the sun
If you have Combination Skin:
- Cleanse: This skin type needs a cleanser that will not only take away the oiliness but also do so without drying out the skin much. Use a gentle face wash containing glycolic acid or mandelic acid, and avoid salicylic acid-based face washes altogether
- To tackle the oiliness over the T-zone, a once-in-a-fortnight exfoliation routine helps. However, do not do it too aggressively, for it will dry out the skin.
- A light moisturiser, preferably a gel- or lotion-based one is preferred for a combination skin type. Steer clear of heavy, occlusive creams and ointments
- Use light and oil-free formulas and repeat every three hours spent in the sun.
Other summer care regimens for taking care of you skin should be followed:
- Drink plenty of water and liquids like juices and coconut water.
- A combination of Cucumber juice, rose water and mint like a spray can be applied to the face every few hours on the skin to keep it cool and hydrated.
- Applying Almond and Rose Face Mask overnight, make a paste out of them in the morning. Mix it with rose water and apply it on the skin for 15 to 20 minutes before rinsing it off with water.
- Fruit masks like Papaya face mask or Cucumber and sugar mask can hydrate the skin and keeps it younger looking too.
- Heat rash usually goes away on its own within a day or two, but a hydrocortisone cream can help alleviate any discomfort in the meantime. Avoid tight-fitting clothing.
- In case of itch skin apply a cold, wet cloth or ice pack to the skin that itches and apply moisturiser and cooling agents, such as menthol or calamine.
- To prevent fungal infections stay clean by rinsing your body after a sweaty day.
- To prevent hair from drying wash your hair 2-3 times a week to keep it clean and less greasy. Use a mild shampoo followed by a good conditioner on the hair ends. Use a medicated anti-dandruff shampoo once a week if you are prone to dandruff.
- Avoid direct sunlight as far as possible. Apply sunscreen with SPF 20 or 30 and repeat the application every 2-3 hours. Wear appropriate clothing which covers the exposed areas of the body to protect it from sunlight.
For any further information and treatment on various skin disorders please visit our dermatology department at Wockhardt Hospitals. Wockhardt Hospitals, a pioneer in skin treatment in India, offers high quality dermatology treatment. We have a team of highly educated and experienced dermatologists that evaluate and treat a variety of simple and complex skin disorders with latest innovative techniques and modalities.
