Summer breakouts can become a thing of the past. Here’s how to play skincare offense and avoid those dreaded acne flare-ups this season.
You’ve spent a good 40 minutes on your hair and skincare routine, dabbed on a bit of tinted moisturizer or makeup, lined your lips, made those lashes pop, and now it’s time to head out the door. But the moment you open the door to your car and discover you’re about to enter a sauna, or saddle up on your bicycle and feel the hot nylon seat against your thighs, you quickly wonder if your efforts were all in vain.
We all love the summertime, but it doesn’t always love us back. It flattens or frizzes out our hair (and whichever it is, it’s the opposite of what you want it to be doing), it melts our makeup leaving unsightly streaks, and worst of all, for some of us, it wreaks havoc on our complexion.
WHY DO YOU BREAK OUT IN THE SUMMER?
The weather conditions in the summer months are not exactly ideal skin habitats. This obviously depends on where you live, but just like the depth of winter, the height of summer brings with it seasonal extremes. Whether it’s the dry air of the southwest or the high humidity of the pacific northwest, our skin tends to freak out a little when weather changes hit.
To add to the wabbly weather, we’re slathering on SPF under our usual makeup and moisturizers. The moment you exert any type of physical effort, little beads of sweat make their daily debut. Your skin tries to compensate. And inevitably, with all of those products intermingling with drips and dribbles of sweaty saltwater, skin gets confused and overworked.
And then…we make it worse. Yes, we are all partially to blame for further irritation because we just can’t seem to keep our hands off of our faces, especially when we’re in a fight with a blemish. All of that fussing over our unsightly spots makes them worse because we’re poking and prodding them with our dirty little fingers. The dirt and oil and debris that our fingers encounter only add to our complexion problems.
For those of us prone to acne flare-ups, that’s when the dreaded demons start to rear their little heads. In these uncomfortable conditions, what’s a microbiome to do? Well, we’ve got some solutions. Besides not touching your face (especially mid-flare up), we’re going to tell you how to calm down that inflammation by sharing 3 tips that’ll help you avoid summer breakouts altogether.
HOW TO PREVENT BREAKOUTS IN THE SUMMER
To know how to prevent breakouts, we first need to understand why they happen, particularly those that show up in the summer. The real culprit when it comes to these seasonal breakouts is inflammation. Inflammation is the irritation that results from your microbiome trying to keep up with the unique blend of conditions that your lifestyle and environment present.
CONSISTENCY IS KEY
Before we get to the tips section, it’s important to talk about consistency. Consistency gives your skin a chance to normalize conditions. In short, don’t keep swapping your products out every couple of weeks. Most dermatologists agree that a new routine should be followed for between 1-3 months (28-days is a full skin renewal cycle) for you to gauge whether or not it’s working. Only then will you have a good idea of how your microbiome is responding.
Once you’ve committed to giving your skin a consistent care regimen, then it’s time to put some thought into what that entails. You have to think about the type of products that help keep skin calm during the hotter months, which differ somewhat from those you might rely on to keep inflammation cool and under control in the winter.
3 TIPS FOR STOPPING SUMMER BREAKOUTS
The summer sun and SPF are like avocado and toast. They should always go together. When your skin is exposed to too much sunlight, it becomes inflamed. So the last thing you want is to add oil to the mix. Sunscreens containing oil will easily clog your pores, leading to further inflammation and ultimately, breakouts. Opt for oil-free versions of sun protection to keep your pores clear and you can cross one inflammation culprit off the list!
Slather more of the good stuff on your face in the form of prebiotics and probiotics. The state of your skin lies in the balance of bacteria being tipped in the favor of the good guys. The more good guys, the fewer bad guys that can cause irritation and inflammation. A probiotic skincare routine is a good idea any time of year and will help get you through the summer season comfortably.
Here are a few to look for:
- Inulin: This powerful prebiotic nourishes the good bacteria and it keeps your skin hydrated by retaining more moisture, performing better than hyaluronic acid. You can find it in our Balancing Milky Cleanser.
- Lactobacillus Ferment: This protective probiotic soothes and hydrates while fortifying your skin barrier against external stressors. It helps to repair damaged skin, rebalance skin flora, and reduces harmful bacteria growth. Our Renewing Probiotic Serum gives you a daily boost of probiotics!
- Oral Probiotics: Taking a daily oral probiotic helps your skin from the inside out. Studies have shown that specific strains can target conditions like acne, psoriasis, and other skin ailments that are related to inflammation. Our Daily Glow Probiotic Supplements contain a proprietary blend of 5 skin-supporting probiotics that can help calm inflammation and bolster overall skin health.
A double-duty cleanser performs two important roles. The first is obvious; it cleanses your skin so that any buildup from makeup, sunscreen, and sweat is washed away. Secondly, you want to rely on a cleanser that gently but effectively increases epidermal turnover. It’s important to slough away dead skin on the regular so that unnecessary skin cell build-up doesn’t clog pores. A daily probiotic cleanser with Lactic Acid is key to a good skin cell slough sesh that doesn’t cause irritation.
Summer should be the season to let go, hang out, and not worry about annoying breakouts. Struggling with skincare stress doesn’t have to be the norm. The good news is that there are ways to keep your skin calm and reduce the burden of breakout-prone skin. Let these tips be your roadmap to a brighter, healthier summer complexion!