Taking good care of your skin is important year-round, but the summer months bring warmer temperatures and, often, more time spent outside. Exposing your skin to the sun's harsh UV rays and neglecting your body's largest organ during the hot days when sweat and oil build up can have drastic short-term and long-term consequences. Practicing smart summer skin care will help keep you safe in the sun and minimize common summer skin problems.
Types
The most important element of summer skin care is applying sunblock whenever you will be outside. If you do get sunburned, treating it appropriately is vital to minimizing damage and relieving the symptoms quickly.
Keeping your skin hydrated is also important because fine lines, wrinkles and other signs of aging are more noticeable on dry skin and the sun speeds up the aging process.
Another threat to your skin are insects, including wasps, bees and mosquitoes, which come out in droves during the summer months. Wearing insect repellent can help prevent bites and stings.
Time Frame
MedlinePlus recommends applying 30 SPF or higher sunscreen 30 minutes before sun exposure. Reapply sunscreen every two hours or more often if you are swimming or sweating excessively, even if the product claims to be waterproof. The sun is brightest between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., so try to avoid exposure during these times as much as possible. If your skin starts to turn red or pink, get out of the sun immediately and apply cool compresses or aloe vera gel to soothe the burn.
For a bee sting, scrape the stinger out with your clean fingernail immediately to prevent releasing more venom from pulling on the stinger, recommends Aubrey Vaughn of Mother Earth News. Wash the area with soap and water immediately and apply a cool compress to help relieve pain and swelling.
Significance
Both UVA and UVB rays from the sun penetrate the skin and can lead to discoloration and wrinkles, and can increase your risk of melanoma. Sunburns during childhood can lead to skin cancer later in life, so it is especially important to protect the younger members of your family with a high SPF sunscreen.
Children are also more likely to have an allergy to insect bites that you may not be aware of, so it is important to care for stings properly and monitor children for signs of an allergic reaction.
Considerations
Some sun exposure without sunblock can be beneficial. Ten minutes of daily sun exposure is enough to help your body get the vitamin D it needs to encourage bone health and help combat depression, according to BreastCancer.org. But medical professionals disagree on whether the vitamin D from the sun is worth the risk of exposure. Ask your doctor to test you for vitamin D deficiency and recommend whether you should spend any time outdoors without sunblock, as certain medications and medical conditions can increase your skin's sensitivity to UV rays.
Warning
While you can treat most minor sunburns and insect bites at home, seek medical attention if you develop a serious sunburn or have symptoms of an allergic reaction after an insect sting or bite. Symptoms of sun poisoning and heat exhaustion include nausea, rapid breathing, heart palpitations, dizziness, fever and chills. Get emergency medical help if you experience symptoms of anaphylaxis after a bug bite, which include fainting, dizziness, difficulty breathing or swallowing, speech problems, abdominal pain, heart palpitations and confusion.
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