It’s been a long time coming, but summer is here.
Keep your skin looking and feeling great.
by Owain Williams
If you guys are anything like us, you will be looking forward to getting outdoors, soaking up the sun and enjoying the longer days. Whether at home or travelling further afield, we all love to show off our healthy summer glow.
Although exposure to the sun provides us with healthy amounts of vitamin D, there are also downsides. Exposure to UVA can reduce the elasticity of your skin and speed up signs of ageing. UVB can also have a negative effect, causing sunburn, which can increase the risk of developing skin cancer.
Whether for health or aesthetic reasons, having the right knowledge to hand will keep your skin looking and feeling great.
Everything in moderation
The commonly adopted phrase ‘everything in moderation’ can make us yawn.
But when it comes to sun protection, it truly is the key to success.
The amount of time you should spend in the sun differs depending on a number of factors. These range from the colour of your skin, your age and your location in the world.
For example, the further north you live the longer you will need to be exposed to the sun to get a healthy dose of vitamin D. Those with a darker complexion will also need prolonged sun exposure to meet their needs. The general idea behind healthy sun exposure is to get enough without going pink, which is an indicator of too much UVA & UVB.
This is the precise reason why we should also build our exposure to the sun as summer goes on. Slowly building a healthy tan will up our resistance to the unhealthy impact of the sun, meaning longer can be spent in direct sunlight over time.
Protecting your skin properly can also prolong the time which is healthy to stay out in the sun.
Protect
There are two key ways to protect yourself from harmful ultraviolet rays; find shade and use SPF.
Using shade is pretty simple to understand. By putting a physical barrier between yourself and the sun, that barrier absorbs the majority of the UVA and UVB rays. Great news for skin health, not so great for your tan.
SPF works in a similar way by creating a barrier between your skin and the sun. The higher the SPF, the longer it will protect your skin. Take for example that your skin usually starts to burn after 10 minutes in direct sunlight. With SPF 30 this extends your resistance by 30 times, meaning 300 minutes without burning.
Using SPF is a good way to protect your skin whilst also slowly building your tan. No SPF will stop 100% of rays getting through, meaning a small amount still reaches your skin, therefore boosting your tan.
SPF 15 & SPF 20 are ideal for this, blocking around 93% of UVB rays. This means prolonged exposure to the sun is still noticeable in the shade of your skin. However, these lower SPF’s will need reapplying more often than those with a higher rating.
Using an SPF which is combined with a high quality moisturiser is a great way protect your skin from harmful rays whilst stopping it from drying out in the hot climate. The Dr Jackson’s 01 Day Cream with SPF 20 is a perfect option for this.
Protect your skin from harmful rays.
Restore
Protecting your skin whilst in the sun is just part of keeping it looking and feeling great. Equal in importance is how you treat your skin after the sun goes down.
Cooling your skin after it has been exposed to the sun not only helps you feel more comfortable, but can also limit and treat any damage if it has occurred.
This can be done in a number of ways, although a combination approach will yield the best results. Taking a cool shower followed by the application of a cooling lotion will help to draw much of the heat away from the skin.
Using a lotion, toner or gel created specifically for the face will cool and moisturise the skin which is unique to that part of the body. For example, the Dr Jackson’s 05 Face and Eye Essence is a perfect and refreshing gel for doing this. Equally, the 06 Body Perfecting Gel will help cool the parts of your body that have been extensively exposed to direct sunlight.
Use a lotion, toner or gel to cool and moisturise the skin.
Hydrate
Looking and feeling great on hot summer days isn’t just about protecting and treating your skin, we also need to drink plenty of water.
Although there is some debate over whether staying hydrated actually improves the look of your skin, keeping your water levels up is a key part of feeling good on warm days.
How much water you should drink varies on how active you are being and your body. General guidelines highlight that adults should be drinking around 8 8-ounce glasses of water a day.
Consuming that much water can be quite a challenge. Especially when you consider that cocktails don’t count as a hydrating beverage – life is unfair.
But worry not. You can make that water much more appetizing.
Try brewing a jug of our Expedition Tea and leaving it to chill in the fridge for a low tannin, caffeine free, tasty way to hydrate. Not only does it make water taste better, but the rooibos, honey bush and baobab funicle also provide more minerals, vitamins and antioxidants.
Alternatively, if you prefer a more subtle taste, take a note out of chef Peter Gordon’s book. Try freezing cubes of the tea, using it to gently flavour and chill your water.
Keep your water levels up to feel good on warm days.
We should be able to enjoy summer without the need to worry about our skin and how we feel. Taking into consideration the tips we have highlighted above will go a long way to putting these concerns out of mind. Just taking a few simple steps will help protect you from the harmful rays of the sun and benefit from the healthy glow of summer.