Come summer, there tends to be a few things on my mind. Which cap to stash in my bag (sun damage will get you rain or shine), how much more water I need to drink, and what the actual hell is going on with my skin. While warmer weather tends to nix my eczema and pesky reactivity, the extra sweat, extra running around, and layers of dutifully reapplied SPF tend to result in unwanted breakouts and a rough texture I just can’t get to grips with.
In pursuit of answers, I reached out to GP, skin expert and founder of The Face Bible, Dr Raj Arora, to explain how to best take care of your skin during a heatwave. “Increased exposure to sunlight can lead to higher risks of sunburn and skin damage,” she begins, naming one of the key ways we traumatise our skin from May through September. “This can result in long-term effects such as premature ageing and pigmentation issues.” Besides damage, warmer temperatures can also lead to increased oil production, Arora goes on. This can exacerbate acne and other skin conditions. So, if you feel like your skin is more reactive or breaking out more than usual, you’re not imagining it – it probably is.
Acne aside, Arora says that skin starting to appear more dehydrated is also a major concern in the summer. “Sweating can deplete moisture from the skin, which leads to dryness and irritation,” she says. “Plus, more regular use of sunscreen products, while essential for protection, can clog pores in some people.” This, she explains, is what makes it so important to pick the right sunscreen for you.
Down to the nitty gritty, though. I want to know which issues she sees most in her clinic in summer, and how she would go about remedying them. Here are her top five pieces of advice for looking after your skin when temperatures soar.
1. Up your cleansing routine
The first thing to do is re-examine how well you’re cleansing. “Heat causes you to break a sweat and increases sebum on the skin,” says Arora. When sweat and sebum mix with dead skin cells, make-up and grime, it can cause breakouts. Double cleansing, using a clean washcloth, and starting with a micellar water or picking up a silicone-based cleanser device can help ensure you’re getting rid of every (well, almost every) last bit.
2. Rethink retinol
Retinol is a brilliant ingredient to include in your skincare routine. It helps with texture, tone and sloughing off the dead skin cells that can leave skin looking dull and lacklustre. However, using retinol comes with a large caveat. Because vitamin A has such a profound effect on the skin, it can also increase the skin’s sensitivity to sunlight, irritation and pigmentation.
“I often ask my clients to reduce the frequency of retinol application or switch to a gentler formulation,” Arora tells me. “And, I always emphasise the importance of using sunscreen (when using retinol) to protect against potential damage.”
3. Gentle exfoliation
If you think of everything that sits on your skin like the layers of a baklava, you’ll start to understand why adequate cleansing and regular exfoliation are so important. No matter how thin they are, they accumulate, sandwiched together with natural warmth, sweat and sebum. “Gentle exfoliation can help remove dead skin cells and prevent breakouts,” Arora explains. However, there is such a thing as too much of a good thing, and over-exfoliation can irritate, especially in those with sensitive or easily sensitised skin.
4. Regular hydration
Lightweight, hydrating moisturisers and gels are your friends in warm weather, says Arora. “Products with ingredients like hyaluronic acid can help retain moisture without feeling heavy.”
5. Pick an appropriate SPF
Oily skin? There’s an SPF for that. Skin that needs hydration but also brightening? There’s absolutely an SPF for that. In fact, insert any issue or preference and – you guessed it – there’s an SPF for that. The main thing to look for, says Arora, is sunscreen with broad-spectrum protection. This is what shields your skin from UVA and UVB rays.
