7 Tips for Taking Care of Acne Prone Skin in the Summer

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7 Tips for Taking Care of Acne Prone Skin in the Summer
Author Name: Mia Barnes
Date: Friday August 14, 2020

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Having sensitive, acne prone skin often requires a bit of extra effort and care. With the abundance of grime and oil the summertime can bring, you might be experiencing extra breakouts that feel out of your control. 

While you certainly can’t control the weather, you can control your skincare routine. Especially if you’re acne prone, there are a few things you can do this summer to manage your complexion a little better.

1. Moisturize

People with oily skin often find it counterintuitive to moisturize, especially in hot weather when everyone is sweating buckets. However, moisturizing helps to hydrate your skin so that you don’t overproduce oils, which is often the issue with oily skin types. 

When the skin feels starved of natural oils, it overproduces, creating excess oils that can clog your pores and make you break out. It may take some getting used to, but moisturizing during the summer can serve as a hydrating and protective layer for your skin and leave you less prone to breakouts.

2. Remember Your Sunscreen

Sun protection is important for all skin types because it helps protect against damage and UV rays. Finding oil-free physical sun blockers not only protects your skin from the sun’s rays, but also offers extra moisture without causing irritation.

Wearing sunscreen is important to protect against long term damage, so it’s always crucial to put it on every day, especially when the sun is shining hot. 

3. Only Use Retinol Treatments at Night

Retinol is a chemical treatment often used to minimize acne and breakouts. If you use a retinol treatment, you’ve probably already been informed that it can make your skin more sensitive to light. While using retinol with an SPF could be fine for most of the year, moving it to your evening skincare routine is ideal for the summer.

4. Cut the Foundation

Although you might enjoy wearing makeup on your face to conceal breakouts or simply to experiment with your look and get creative, foundation and other facial cosmetics can often irritate the skin and clog the pores, especially when there’s sweat involved in the equation.

If you feel comfortable doing so, taking a few days — or even a few weeks — without makeup might help clear up some of your breakouts and blemishes. 

5. Stick to Your Routine

The summer is often a carefree time when routines take a backseat to fun and adventure. However, this might not be what’s best for your skin. Especially when you have acne prone skin, routine is key. Although it might not be easy, and it might not be perfect, it’s important to try to stick to your skincare routine as much as possible, even when you’re busy having fun in the sun.

6. Embrace Natural Exfoliants

Whether exfoliating is a regular part of your skincare routine or you do it every once in a while, the world offers natural exfoliants and skincare treatments of its own, ripe for the taking! Specifically, taking a beach trip could benefit your skin in a few different ways.

Sand and salt are both natural exfoliants. In addition, seawater has minerals that improve your skin’s elasticity, which is perfect for a dewy glow. The beach is a perfect example of the ways that getting out in nature could improve your skin, and how not all outside materials need to be scrubbed off the moment you walk through your door.

7. Drink More Water

You’ve probably heard this one a million times before, but there’s no harm in a gentle reminder. Water is crucial for skin health and recovery from breakouts. With the heat of the sun, it’s easier to get dehydrated in the summertime. Remember to drink your water all day, every day.

If you have acne prone skin, summer can bring on a new environment and a new set of challenges for your skincare situation. Even with these challenges, you can take charge of your breakouts by adapting to the changes, embracing some of the great things the summer has to offer and staying firm in the routines that work for you.

How do you plan to care for your skin this summer?

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