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Summer Skincare

By Dr. Lindsey Pennington

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Summer is officially here, and skin is in! With summer comes the heat and humidity that take a toll on your skin. Increased heat and sun exposure can worsen melasma or increase pigmentation. Heat congests pores and leads to breakouts. Sun exposure breaks down collagen, causing aging.

Now is the time to re-evaluate your skincare routine and get started if you don’t have one. It can be as simple as a cleanser and a sunscreen but picking the right ones for your skin type is very important. Here are some tips to help pick the best prod-ucts for you!

If your concern is Pigmentation

There are different types of pigmentation from sun spots to me-lasma, but the root cause of both are sun. The best way to pre-vent pigmentation is with a quality sunscreen, and the Ameri-can Academy of Dermatology recommends a minimum SPF 30. In addition, Board Certified Dermatologist Dr. Skylar Souyoul recommends using a sunscreen that provides physical protec-tion from the sun. These have an active ingredient of Zinc Oxide or Titanium Dioxide.

PREVENTION Avoid heat and direct sun and know that hor-mones can worsen it. Using a high quality, potent Vitamin C dai-ly can help prevent oxidative damage that can lead to increased pigmentation.

SkinCeuticals Phloretin CF is great for individuals with com-bination skin types who want to focus on preventing pigmenta-tion. This serum (10% I-ascorbic acid, 2% phloretin, 0,5% ferulic acid) improves the appearance of discoloration and overall skin tone. Effective for 72 hours, this is a must-have product in your morning summer routine!

TREATMENT Use products that contain glycolic acid, niacina-mide, and azelaic acid. Azelaic acid, in particular, is an excellent choice for individuals with redness in the skin, acne, and pig-mentation concerns.

SkinCeuticals Phyto A + Brightening Treatment contains 3% azelaic acid. This product pairs azelaic acid with a soothing, botanical blend to color correct, hydrate, and calm the skin. It doubles as a brightening treatment and a moisturizer: win-win!

SUNSCREEN SkinCeuticals Daily Brightening UV Defense Sunscreen SPF 30 is a daily corrective moisturizer+spf that not only prevents discoloration but reduces it as well. It brightens skin’s radiance, hydrates skin, and protects against UVA/UVB rays. With niacinamide and tranexamic acid for brightening and glycerin for hydration, this is a great everyday sunscreen for your summer vacations.

Colorescience Sunforgettable Total Protection Face Shield Classic is another daily lightweight option with universal tint. This oil-free, chemical- free sunscreen is another great bright-ening option. With niacinamide as the active ingredient, Colo-rescience Face Shield will brighten the skin while also protect-ing against blue light damage (the light damage that you can get sitting in front of a screen).

If your concern is Acne

Hot, humid weather can make some people’s acne worse due to increased oil production. In addition, when sweat sits on your skin, it mixes with surface bacteria, which can lead to clogged pores and breakouts.

PREVENTION Eat clean, drink lots of water, and rinse off af-ter getting overheated. Wash sweaty clothes, headbands, tow-els, and hats before wearing them again. Use non-comedogenic products on your face, neck, back, and chest. Labels may also say “oil-free” or “won’t clog pores.” Use cleansers with glycolic and salicylic acids.

SkinCeuticals Purifying Cleanser Gel with glycolic acid is a gel cleanser that speeds up cell turnover while improving texture.

TREATMENT SkinCeuticals Blemish + Age Defense is a great product because it has high concentrations of salicylic acid. It’s great for treating acne and preventing post inflammatory hy-perpigmentation.

SkinBetter Science AlphaRet Clearing Serum, which has a combination of retinol, salicylic acid, and glycolic acid to help improve cell turnover, is a great nighttime product to assist in keeping your skin clear during the summer. The salicylic acid will help to decongest pores and kill surface bacteria that can worsen acne.

SUNSCREEN Elta MD UV Clear Broad-Spectrum Facial Sun-screen SPF 46 is great for acne, hyperpigmentation, and rosa-cea. Another effective product with niacinamide, this is one of our best tolerated sunscreens for acne. The hyaluronic acid found in UV Clear is the perfect hydration to keep the skin’s barrier happy and healthy! This can be worn without makeup or as a primer for those who prefer to wear makeup. This is also a favorite product for males due to how easy it blends in and how effortless it is to wear.

If your concern is Aging

There are two things working against us when it comes to aging: sun exposure and time. While we can’t slow down time, there are plenty of things we can do to stop the external effects of pho-toaging from the sun causing fine lines and wrinkles in our face. Vitamin C, paired with an SPF 30 or higher, is so important in keeping the collagen and elastin in our skin protected against external factors that cause us to age faster.

PREVENTION Use sun protection, maintain a healthy diet, lim-it alcohol, avoid tobacco, and use Vitamin C to prevent oxidative damage.

TREATMENT SkinMedica TNS Advanced + Serum is a growth factor serum that should be included in every woman’s skincare routine! This product helps rejuvenate collagen and elastin in the skin, which is something we lose as we age. Patients see re-sults in as little as two weeks, with full effect at 12 weeks and patients looking six years younger. This is our holy grail for anti-aging and a must-have for those of us fighting the clock!

SUNSCREEN SkinCeuticals Physical Fusion UV Defense Sun-screen SPF 50 is a weightless, tinted, 100% mineral sunscreen that protects against UVA/UVB rays. We love this sunscreen for pool or lake days due to it being water-resistant for 40 minutes!

If your concern is Dryness

If you feel like your skin is drier in summer months, you are not alone. Things like chlorine, salt water, and air conditioning can lead to dryness. If your skin starts to feel dry and irritated de-spite the humidity, try to shower and shampoo immediately af-ter getting out of the pool.

PREVENTION As the seasons change, so should our skincare. In the winter months, our skin may be dry and dehydrated. In the summer, there is more moisture in the air, causing our skin to produce more oil. Adjust your products, like cleansers and moisturizers, to keep up with the changing seasons. Use a mois-turizer even in the summer but transition from a heavier to a more gel-based moisturizer.

SkinCeuticals Gentle Cleanser Cream removes impurities and excess oil while soothing dry skin.

SkinCeuticals Hydrating B5 Gel is an oil-free, hydrating serum with hyaluronic acid that puts moisture back into our skin for a smooth radiance. This is a great summertime moisturizer due to the lightweight feel of the product, and it is especially good for acne-prone skin.

SkinCeuticals Triple Lipid Restore 2:4:2 is an anti-aging cream that contains lipids, ceramides, and natural cholesterol to nour-ish skin and correct signs of aging. It is the ultimate night cream; some people love it so much they use it in the morning too!

TREATMENT If your skin is still dry, try SkinCeuticals Daily Moisture. This is a great lightweight moisturizer for dry skin. This product is also great for reducing the appearance of pores.

SUNSCREEN Intellishade Matte, an anti-aging tinted moistur-izer with SPF 45, is a great summertime sunscreen. The matte finish is great at absorbing the oil on the skin. This 5 in 1 anti-ag-ing product is a home run. Intellishade will moisturize, conceal, correct, protect, and brighten your skin to give you great cover-age without the heavy feel of makeup.

 

 

Dr. Lindsey Pennington is the only female double Board-Certified Facial Plastic Surgeon with a solo private practice in the State of Louisiana. She focuses on both non-invasive and surgical facial rejuvenation. She is joined by Dr. Skylar Souyoul, Board Certified Dermatologist, in Shreveport at their office on Line Ave, Lindsey Pennington, MD Facial Plastics. penningtonfacialplastics.com

 

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