The official start of summer is right around the corner! The dry, cold air of winter is behind us, so it’s time to prepare our skin for the warmer weather. Let’s face it; we can’t hide under long sleeves and pants anymore. Summer is all about shorts, sundresses, open-toed shoes, sleeveless blouses and, dare I say… bathing suits. So, I have put together some tips to get your skin ready for summer and how to keep it beautiful all summer long. 

Preparing Skin for Summer

Exfoliation/Detoxification – First things first, you’ve been cooped up all winter long and probably neglecting your skin a little bit, so it’s time to get rid of some of that dry, winter skin by exfoliating. Grab a body scrub and hit the shower to shed some skin cells to reveal glowing skin. If you don’t exfoliate, you’ll be left with skin that makes you look dull and dry. Now is also a good time to detoxify your skin. Head to a sauna or steam bath and sweat out all those toxins.

Manage stress – Stress can lower your body’s levels of estrogen and thyroid hormone, which can lead to dry skin. Find at least 15 minutes of time out of every day to unwind and decompress. Go outside and take a walk, practice yoga or tai chi, go get a mani/pedi, sit on your porch with a good book, whatever it is that you enjoy.

Eating well – Beautify your skin from the inside by eating a well-balanced diet and taking a high-quality multivitamin to give your skin a nutritional boost. Foods rich in antioxidants and protein, such as fresh produce, fish and eggs, can stimulate collagen growth, which keeps the skin elastic and helps prevent wrinkles. Vitamin E helps keep skin glowing, protects skin from ultraviolet light, improves the effectiveness of sunscreen and helps with stretch marks, so look for vitamin E-rich foods like sunflower seeds, greens like spinach, almonds and asparagus. 

Topical treatments with key ingredients – Products that contain vitamins A and C improve skin with their antioxidant effects. Have a little cellulite you’d like to minimize? Look for creams with collagen, a naturally-occurring substance that keeps skin firm. (Or check out Louisa’s feature below for a home remedy to blast and prevent cellulite.)

Maintaining and Protect Your Skin in the Summer

Sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen – The most obvious way to protect your skin in the summer is to use a high-quality sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30. Don’t grab last year’s bottle though, sunscreens do have expiration dates. So, go out and get a new bottle that has broad spectrum UVA and UVB protection. Sunscreen isn’t just for the days when you’ll be spending a lot of time outside. Everyone should apply a daily moisturizer with SPF all year long. And, obviously if you’ll be outside for a long period of time, use a sunscreen on other exposed areas of skin and reapply every couple of hours. You should also wear a hat and sunglasses and apply a lip balm with SPF protection.

Apply aloe – A day at the beach or in the pool can be harsh on your skin. Chlorine can dry out skin, hair and nails. So be sure to rinse off after a dip in the pool and apply a moisturizer with aloe to replenish dry skin as well as to relieve any potential sunburns.

Hydrate your skin – The beating sun can dry your skin, and not to mention cause you to sweat more, so staying hydrated is very important. Drink lots of filtered water to keep your body and skin hydrated.

THE NEW BUZZ in age-proofing skin care is a scientifically proven ingredient called Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF). It’s perfect for women 40 and up, or for those going through menopausal changes and are experiencing dryness, wrinkles, loss of elasticity, and lost volume in the face and neck. EGF helps increase lost volume in the face, hydrates, thickens, and firms thinning or sagging skin.

I have spent several years consulting with skin care manufacturers looking to create new cosmetic formulations. In fact, one year ago, I helped create a very popular face cream, called De-Aging Solution. It contains the maximum percentage of EGF allowed in a topical formulation, along with antioxidants and super hydrators. It’s designed for women with sensitive, mature, dry or menopausal skin as well as for those who prefer skin care products that are free of parabens, fragrance, color, peptides, or retinol. EGF helps regain lost volume in the face, increases elasticity, hydrates, smoothes, and thickens thinning, mature skin.

De-Aging Solution is a “sensitive skin”, alternative EGF cream that offers more hydration and antioxidants to protect, nourish and repair the skin; and it’s priced at just $46.95 at www.hollywoodbeautysecrets.com. That’s 3 x less than what many doctors charge for EGF creams. Apply De-Aging Solution onto clean face, neck, around eyes, and tops of hands both morning and evening. Mention Dr. Stanton’s newsletter when you order and I’ll include some free skin care samples in your package.

De-Aging Solution with EGF, Antioxidants & Super Hydrators is for dry, sensitive mature skin and is free of peptides, parables, fragrance color and retinol.

Did you know that our skin is an organ in our body that depends on hormones too? The skin has three layers; the dermis, epidermis and subcutis. Cells within these layers actually have receptors for the hormones estradiol, progesterone, testosterone, human growth hormone (HGH), thyroid, melatonin and Vitamin E. This is why hormone imbalance in our bodies can show up in our skin.

Estrogen provides the skin with a number of benefits including improving inflammatory skin disorders and protecting against skin photo-aging from the sun. It has the ability to protect from free radical damage similar to antioxidants like vitamins C and E. Estrogens help to build up the dermis by increasing cell division and growth of the skin. They also hydrate the dermis and epidermis which makes the skin look fuller and reduces wrinkle depth. There are variations in skin thickness consistent with the variation in our hormones during the menstrual cycle. During menopause, as estrogen levels drop, your skin becomes thinner, drier and less firm with an increase in number and depth of wrinkles.

Progesterone is considered the hormone of wisdom. It tightens connective tissue by remodeling collagen, the tissue that supports our skin structure. Progesterone also stabilizes and regenerates the epidermis which keeps skin looking younger. On the other hand, testosterone is known as the hormone of power. It tightens skin structures, stimulates the breakdown of fat and strengthens the collagen strands that support the skin. This stabilizes the connective and fat tissues within the skin which creates a firmer looking skin.

So what can you do to protect and improve your skin? Start with a well-balanced diet supplemented with a quality multi-vitamin. The B vitamins are also good for healthy skin. Quit smoking! Use skin products that contain vitamins A and C for their antioxidant effects and creams with collagen help firm the skin. Use a high quality daily sunscreen or moisturizer with an SPF of at least 30. Stress can lower your body’s estrogen, progesterone and testosterone so try to unwind a little bit. Get some sleep! And of course, hydrate your skin by drinking lots of filtered water.