As you prepare to show more skin, get ready to face the sun's rays with our top 6 summer skin tips!1. Exfoliate for clearer, smoother skinWhat it does: Exfoliation removes dead, dulling skin debris to prevent congestion and improve hydration from toners and moisturizers.When: Perform in the mornings prior to toner, moisturizer, SPF and make-up application. Tip: Make-up will last longer on an exfoliated skin!Don’t forget: After you exfoliate, follow with a hydrating body cream to seal in moisture, and always shield freshly exfoliated skin with an SPF (as recommended by the FDA). Recommended: Daily Microfoliant®, Body Hydrating Cream. 2. Keep skin hydratedHow: Up your regimen’s level of hydration with intensive masques, perfect for use one to two times a week. Boosters are a great fit, working best when layered underneath a moisturizer. Toners are a refreshing moisturizer prep, working to even out skin porosity. Tip: Refresh with a revitalizing toner spritz at your desk, in the car, at the gym, on the plane!Recommended: Antioxidant HydraMist, Skin Hydrating Booster, Skin Hydrating Masque. 3. Make friends with H20Why: Higher temperatures and more time outdoors leads to internal dehydration, which can result in headaches and dizzy spells!What you can do: Eight 8-ounce glasses of plain, filtered water every day help maintain critical moisture balance of the body and skin, and assist in detoxification. Tip: If you drink caffeinated beverages, you must triple the amount of water you drink!Recommended: Plain and pure water! 4. When in doubt, apply (and reapply!)Why: It’s not enough to just apply sunscreen.: you must apply enough, and apply frequently. Studies indicate that most people do not apply nearly as much daylight protection as they should.How much: A teaspoon for the face. For the body, about as much as would fill a shot glass.How often: Re-apply every two hours. Tip: Stay out of the midday sun from mid-morning to late afternoon whenever you can.Bonus: Today’s sophisticated formulas and technology let you select sun protection that works with your skin condition. That means you can choose oil-free, mattifying formulas, extra emollient formulas for dry skin, or chemical free formulas for sensitized, reactive skin.Recommended: Oil Free Matte SPF30, Super Sensitive Shield SPF30. 5. Soothe over-exposed skinWhat: You forgot the sunscreen, didn’t apply enough, or got caught in a sunny spell.What’s next: Unfortunately, the damage is done, but you don’t have to suffer in pain! Super-soothing botanicals and cooling gels can help prevent peeling and reduce redness and inflammation.How: Apply cooling balms generously over-exposed skin, preferably at the first sight of a pink glow. Prevent: One blistering sunburn doubles your risk of melanoma -- remember to get a yearly skin exam by a doctor and perform a self-examination once a month to detect early warning signs of carcinomas and malignant melanoma. Look for a new growth or any skin change.Recommended: 6. Repair and treat sun damageWhat causes skin damage: UV light causes photoaging in the form of brown spots, coarse skin and wrinkles, whether you have burned your skin or not. When sunlight comes in contact with skin a cascade of damage results (including the stripping of barrier lipids) causing inflammation, production of reactive oxygen molecules that affect healthy cell growth, and stimulation of collagen destructing enzymes.What to do: A tan may be a popular summer look, but it indicates damage. Bombard your skin with age-fighting ingredients to help undo any damage that may occur, and to further protect it from the aging effects of UV.Recommendation: Power Rich™, MultiVitamin Power Recovery® Masque
