Summer skincare tips from a Dermal Therapist
Written by: Allie, Derm Haus Dermal Therapist
Summer in Queensland generally means lots of sun, sand, salt, humidity and, of course, the party season 💃
Our schedules are packed and there is often minimal time for self care. Because of these lifestyle factors during this time of year, it’s common to see changes in our skin, such as oiliness, thickening and breakouts, and we may even start to feel a little sluggish too.
The reason behind this, like many other of the body’s amazing protective mechanisms, starts in the gut. In this blog, I’ll explain how our summer schedules affect our skin and what we can do to help counteract it.
What causes skin dysfunction during summer?
I have to preface this part by saying that to explain why our skin behaves the way it does, I’ve put on my nerdy science hat. If that’s your thing keep reading, if it’s not your thing and you just want the summer skincare tips, click here to jump to the tips.
During Summer, especially in the lead-up to Christmas, we generally have a very busy schedule often with late nights that interrupt our circadian rhythm.
Our circadian rhythm is essentially our internal clock and sleep-wake cycle over the course of a 24-hour day.
Many of our other body systems rely on this sleep-wake cycle and when the cycle changes suddenly it affects our cortisol levels - this is our stress hormone.
When our stress hormone is signalled more frequently and at odd times this can lead to cell-energy-output dysfunction which can make us feel wired and frazzled, and because our metabolic rate has been interrupted our immune system can become weaker and we can find ourselves gaining weight quickly and getting more common illnesses.
The changes in our diet and altered sleep patterns at this time of year can also affect our gastrointestinal system
The gastrointestinal system is the system responsible for digestion, absorbing nutrients and excreting waste.
Our gut becomes more acidic and we experience many uncomfortable symptoms such as constipation, nausea, bloating, diarrhoea, and flatulence. This then leads to less of the nutrients in the foods we eat being absorbed and interrupts how our skin functions. Our skin’s cell cycle slows down and presents as blackheads, pimples, papules, and our skin becomes thicker, tight, shiny, and dull.
Summer skincare tips
There are many things that you can do to help your skin throughout Summer and the silly season. Here are my top tips.
1. Repair from within with a dietary supplement
One of the best things you can do to keep your skin in check in Summer is from within. As I spoke about above, our gut health can be the culprit of imbalances in the skin. It’s an issue I commonly see at this time of year with my clients.
Regul8 Maintain is a must-have as it has an impressive combination of plant-based pre and probiotic ingredients that work to:
Increase nutrient absorption
Restore and maintain beneficial gut flora
Nourish friendly intestinal flora
Maintain healthy gastrointestinal immune function.
All of these benefits help to restore the pH balance of the skin, help it to harbour more effective bacteria, and lead to less congestion, breakouts and generally clearer skin.
Another supplement I like to recommend at this time of year is Regul8 Relax, a botanical supplement packed with ingredients designed to stimulate the immune system and down-regulate cortisol peaks reducing the issues that too much stress hormone release brings. It even helps you get a better night's sleep!
Both of these supplements are available at Derm Haus Brisbane.
2. Make nutrient-rich smoothies
This is one of my personal favourite skincare hacks - green smoothies.
Making a nutrient-rich green smoothie can help with your gut microbiome, nutrient absorption, cell energy output and pH as they are full of phytonutrients that your skin LOVES.
I also like to start my day off with a large glass of lukewarm water with a squeeze of lemon juice, followed by a green smoothie. My favourite smoothie combination is kale green apple, lemon juice, a teaspoon of spirulina, and coconut water.
Before you start any supplements or dietary changes you should always discuss with your healthcare practitioner first.
3. Change your pillowcase
Your pillowcase can have a massive impact on your skin. Unwashed pillowcases can hold dirt, oils, dust, and bacteria which can cause our skin to break out.
I recommend changing your pillowcase every second day and using a silk pillowcase as they are less likely to spread bacteria. We recommend the Silvi Silk Pillowcases as they are treated with natural silver and are proven to be antibacterial and less aggressive on our skin.
Silvi ‘Anti-Ance’ pillowcases are available at Derm Haus Brisbane.
Make time to care for your skin
One of the most common concerns we hear from clients at this time of year is that they want to look after their skin but don’t have time for the ‘downtime’ that they experience from some treatments, such as skin needling.
So we created a treatment to help you get radiant, glowing skin for the party season, but without the downtime. Cue our ‘Summer Skin Glow Up’ treatment 🌟
This treatment combines a deep exfoliation to move along cell build up, LED light therapy to stimulate cell energy output, and a potent vitamin C infusion to oxygenate dull skin, leaving our skin energised, hydrated and smooth.
And then there is your homecare. The products I like to recommend to clients during Summer are:
Daily Microfoliant from Dermalogica: It’s a cult favourite. It leaves you feeling silky smooth every day without any cellular damage and is suitable for almost everyone.
Active moist from Dermalogica: is a saviour for dehydrated skin that gets a shiny film throughout the day as it contains probiotic factors to help rebuild microbiome.
Revitosin from DMK: a powerful vitamin A blend that regulates the skin, slows oil production and increases cell turnover rate gently and effectively which means less pimples!
Acu Masque from DMK contains a unique blend of kaolin clay to draw impurities and BHA salicylic acid to soften congestion. This also has a unique probiotic profile to restore skin microbiome too.
SPF, SPF, SPF!
I know you’ve probably heard it before but proper UV protection is THE BEST thing you can do to protect your skin from the harmful effects of the sun. Wearing SPF in our climate is critical, ALL YEAR ROUND.
When I ask clients if they’re using an SPF every day, I often hear: “I don’t go outside much” or “I work indoor all day”. But, you’d be surprised how many incidental times a day your skin is exposed to UV radiation - driving your car, waiting for your coffee, walking to the shops, even sitting in a shady spot.
Incidental sun exposure is a major contributor to tissue breakdown and pigmentation over time. So if you’re getting out of bed in the morning, put on your SPF.
And make sure you’re using a quality broad spectrum SPF that is 30+.
SPF in your makeup is not adequate sun protection. Makeup with an SPF 15, once applied can become SPF 8 due to spread and heat. Makeup changes under heat and once you start to perspire your SPF will disappear. This is similar for low-SPF moisturisers.
Apply your SPF to your face, hand, arms and any other body parts that are exposed to the sun EVERYDAY, not just when you’re going to the beach!
The best SPF you can invest in are those that are separate from your makeup and moisturiser, and those based on titanium dioxide and zinc oxide as they are broad spectrum and block the sun’s UVA and UVB radiation from being absorbed into your skin.
My personal favourite SPF to use on my face is Mesopretech Melan 130 Pigment Control SPF50+ by Mesoestetic. I’ve tried hundreds of SPFs and this is hands down the best SPF I've used. It has won numerous international beauty awards over the years and won the worlds best SPF again this year. It contains a chemical compound that stops hyperpigmentation and provides extremely high sun protection. However, if this is not in your budget, Mineral Pro SPF30+ Tint by O Cosmedics is next in line for me. It’s a simple zinc oxide compound, smells divine, has a beautiful glowy dewy finish, and is suitable to put under make-up and doesn’t budge.
As for the body, Soleil Defence 50+ by DMK is always in the beach bag! It’s suitable to use on the kids, has great coverage, is water resistant for 4 hours, and there are no nasties in it.
At Derm Haus Brisbane, we stock a wide range of SPF (include the above mentioned products) and can help you select the perfect sunscreen for your skin.
Skin checks
If you live in Australia and you’re over 20 years old, you MUST be getting your skin checked regularly by a skin doctor or GP.
We have some of the highest skin cancer rates in the world due to our levels of UV radiation being so high.
So set a reminder alarm in your phone to check your own skin once a month. Look for changes in any existing moles and freckles, such as shape, colour and texture, and keep an eye out for new ones.
Don't forget to check in places like between your toes, your nail beds (if you have gel or false nails, remove them so you can see!), in your mouth and around your groyne. Although some of these areas are not your obvious sun exposed regions, melanoma does not discriminate. Having worked in skin for a long time I have seen first hand the shock, damage and devastation that an unexpected and late diagnosis has. I can’t stress enough what a vital part of your self care routine this is.
There you have it, my top tips for summer skincare. Although it is a busy time of year, it is important to prioritise what's important to you. There's only one of you so make sure you look after yourself.
And if you need a little extra help looking after your skin, book in for a Skin Consultation with me and I can point you in the right direction.
~ Allie
About Allie
Allie is a Senior Dermal Therapist at Derm Haus Brisbane and is highly trained in all things dermal science and clinical skin treatments. Her deep knowledge on how and why our skin behaves the way it does, along with her extensive experience with clinical aesthetic treatments, allows her to provide you with a holistic approach (that actually works!).
If you've got a particular skin concern that you'd like to discuss with Allie, book a Skin Consultation - it’s a great opportunity to get advice on your skincare routine, clinical treatments and discuss any skin concerns.
