Don’t sweat your skin care routine this summer. Make the most of it with these expert-backed summer season skin care tips.
Summer is great for impromptu picnics, endless pool time, and good old fun in the sun…but it’s not so great for your skin. Rather than spending the summer months indoors, enjoy the warm temperatures and cool vibes while also protecting your skin.
Here’s a summer skin care routine that’s easy to incorporate into daily life, along with summer skin care tips from licensed esthetician and Skin Care Innovation Manager with Massage Envy Franchising, Adrianne Lackey.
What are the biggest summer skin care challenges?
Before we dive into these summer season skin care tips, it’s good to know what your skin is up against during the warmest season of the year.
Environmental factors
While the heat may feel like a nice change from the long winter months, it comes with its own set of challenges. In the winter, your skin may become dry and flaky. In the summer, you may notice the opposite: oily skin and clogged pores.
But don’t let oily skin fool you into thinking your skin is hydrated. The summer comes with dehydration risks, so you want to make sure you’re drinking plenty of water to keep yourself hydrated and maintain your skin’s elasticity.[1]
"Staying hydrated is important year-round, especially in the summer, but you don’t have to be limited to just drinking water!” recommends Adrianne. “Consider adding foods to your diet that are also high in water content. This includes fruits and vegetables such as cucumbers, watermelon, lettuce, and strawberries, plus many more!"
Of course, the other risk factor in the summer is exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) light. UVA, with its longer wavelength, is linked to skin aging while UVB, with its shorter wavelength, is associated with sunburn. Unprotected exposure to either UVA or UVB rays may permanently damage the DNA in skin cells over time, causing genetic defects or mutations that can lead to skin cancer.[2]
Summer skin conditions
Long, sunny days may be great for our mood, but not so much for our skin.[3] Here are some of the most common skin problems that may spoil your fun in the sun:
- Sunburn: Painful and damaging, sunburn face peeling results from overexposure to UV rays and can increase the risk of skin cancer.
- Heat rash: Also known as prickly heat, this is caused by blocked sweat ducts and can lead to uncomfortable, itchy red bumps in areas with skin folds or under tight-fitting clothing.
- Dry, irritated skin: Bouncing between summer sunshine, air conditioning, and chlorinated pools may keep you cool in the scorching heat, but this combination of environments can steal the moisture from your skin, leaving it dehydrated, itchy, and irritated.
- Breakouts: Heightened humidity levels and prolonged persistence of sweat can clog your pores and lead to blemishes, especially if you wear makeup or heavy sunscreens.
How to build a summer skin care routine
Clear, glowing skin is everyone’s summer skin care goal. And yet, hot weather, humidity, and extra sunshine can result in sweat-induced breakouts, sunburns and face peeling, and skin irritation. The best summer skin care routines should focus on two stages: preparing your skin for prolonged outdoor time and sun exposure, as well as skin repair and recovery afterwards.
Preparing your skin for the sun
Start with a cleaning routine. Adrianne recommends products that don’t feel as heavy or greasy in humid climates: “Use lightweight serums and lotions, or gel moisturizers. For some extra nourishment, include oils like sunflower or jojoba oil.”
Here’s a good starting routine:
- Gentle cleanser (to remove dirt, makeup, extra oil, and sunscreen)
- Lightweight moisturizer
- Vitamin C serum (or one with antioxidants)
- Sunscreen (for skin protection)
Summer skin care tip: Makeup with sunscreen (and even moisturizer that includes sunscreen) doesn’t always guarantee enough sunscreen coverage. While a good starting point, remember that sunscreen needs to be applied every two hours when you’re outdoors.[4]
Give your skin the daily protection and TLC it needs from the elements! More sunscreen diligence, lighter-weight products, and using the best summer skin care ingredients to protect against potential sun damage and photo-aging, while naturally revitalizing and hydrating your skin, are key.[5]
Leveling up your routine
"Enhance any routine by adding in more corrective serums like brightening serums, retinol, and eye cream,” says Adrianne. “Some corrective serums could be used day and night, while others (containing ingredients like retinols and exfoliating acids) are more appropriate for night use only. An esthetician will be able to provide the right guidance on when to use each product."
This routine is all about protecting, hydrating, and brightening. What’s an esthetician’s top summer season skin care tip? If you do nothing else, wear sunscreen every day, whether the sun’s out or not!
Recovering from a day in the sun
Whether or not you burned after a day outdoors, it’s important to take recovery steps in case damage has occurred. Soothe your skin with this after-sun recovery routine:
- Drink water: It might sound basic, but a day in the sun will lower your hydration levels as you sweat. Be sure to replenish what your body and skin thirst for: H2
- Cleanse gently: Cleansing is doubly important after a day in the sun. Sweat, dead skin, and sunscreen can build up, blocking products from penetrating your skin and doing their job.
- Exfoliate: If you’ve burned, skip this step, as exfoliating may be harsh on sunburned skin. But exfoliating a few times per week can help slough off dead skin cells caused by sun damage and promote cell turnover.
- Soothe with a face mask: There’s nothing better than a cooling face mask to soothe irritated skin. Choose a mask with ingredients your skin craves, like aloe vera, Vitamin C, and antioxidants.
- Moisturize: As you already know, a day in the sun can dehydrate your skin. Opt for a water-based moisturizer to lock in hydration. Anything formulated with aloe vera will help soothe burned skin.
If summer's perspiration has you showering more often, make sure you moisturize as soon as you get out. "Showering can dry out your skin, but applying moisturizer right out of the shower or bath helps to lock in water molecules," says Gregory Papadeas, D.O., a Denver-based dermatologist and past president of the Colorado Dermatologic Society.
How to achieve that summer glow
How do you get perfect skin in the summer? Strike the right balance between professional treatments and embracing a diligent at-home summer skin care routine. Get the healthy looking, glowing skin you’re after with these summer skin care tips:
Essential ingredients for your summer skin care
When it comes to the best summer skin care, the right ingredients make all the difference. These are some of the best ingredients to look out for when building your at-home skin care routine for the warm weather months:
- Zinc oxide + titanium dioxide: These powerful sunscreen ingredients protect against sun damage and photo-aging by physically blocking and reflecting UVA and UVB rays. Unlike chemical-based sunscreen ingredients that absorb into the skin, mineral-based sunscreens stay surface level to physically block and reflect harmful rays.[6]
Try: Marini SkinSolutions® Physical Protectant Tinted SPF 45 & PCA SKIN® Sheer Tint Broad Spectrum SPF 45.
- Hyaluronic acid: A hydration hero that helps lock in moisture and keep skin looking dewy and fresh, even in sweltering heat and intense sunshine.[7]
Try: Marini SkinSolutions® Hyla 3D Face Serum® & PCA SKIN® Hyaluronic Acid Boosting Serum.
- Salicylic acid: Penetrates deep into the skin to gently exfoliate, remove pore-clogging impurities, and help prevent pesky summer breakouts.[8]
Try: Marini SkinSolutions® Bioclear® Face Lotion and PCA SKIN® Acne Gel.
- Vitamin C: Helps address skin tone and texture and reduce the appearance of blemishes while giving skin a radiant glow.[9]
Try: Marini SkinSolutions® C-ESTA® Face Serum & PCA SKIN® C&E Advanced.
"Other beneficial ingredients include niacinamide, amino acids such as glutamic acid or arginine, or natural humectants like aloe vera or glycerin,” recommends Adrianne.
The best summertime superfoods
What you eat can impact how your skin looks and feels. Incorporating these seasonal favorites into your diet can help support healthy-looking skin all summer long.
- Watermelon, pineapple, cucumber, and cantaloupe: Packed with Vitamin C and high water content to help nourish and hydrate the skin.[10]
- Raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries: Loaded with antioxidants that have been shown to improve skin appearance, structure, and texture.[11]
- Leafy greens like spinach and kale: Contain ingredients that help combat UV damage and environmental aggressors.[12]
- Avocados: Packed with healthy fats and oils that help keep skin moisturized from the inside out while soothing and protecting against sun damage.[13]
Professional treatments take your summer skin care to another level
Sun, sweat, and other warm-weather factors can change the needs of your skin quickly. Routine professional facials and advanced skin care treatments are a great way to stay ahead of issues and complement your daily summer skin care routine.
"Regular facials are a great way to help your skin stay smooth and hydrated and can begin to address some of the concerns around sun damage,” says Adrianne. “You can also incorporate more advanced services like Chemical Peels or Microderm Infusion to help address skin care concerns from previous sun exposure."
No matter your skin type or concerns, your local Massage Envy franchised location has a service to help your skin stay fresh all summer long.
Summer skin care tips for common skin concerns
Keeping your skin happy can be a challenge in the summer, especially if you know your skin has specific struggles. Here’s how to tackle it.
Soothing sensitive skin
For those with sensitive skin, summer can feel less like a season and more like a series of flare-ups. Heat, sweat, friction, and prolonged sun exposure can all trigger redness, stinging, or irritation, especially if your skin barrier is already compromised.
For sensitive skin, prevention starts with minimizing triggers, not piling on products. Adrianne recommends limiting prolonged heat exposure when possible and choosing breathable clothing and wide-brimmed hats to reduce direct sun contact. When you’re outdoors, opt for gentle, mineral-based sunscreen formulas and reapply every two hours to avoid irritation from over-rubbing or harsh ingredients.
If your skin starts to feel hot, tight, or inflamed, your goal should be to cool and calm. Skip exfoliation and active ingredients until your skin settles. Instead, focus on soothing relief. “Keep some cooling globes or an ice roller in the fridge for emergencies like this! They will help cool down your skin, which will feel amazing after being in the sun all day,” says Adrianne.
Embrace your summer glow with Massage Envy
As much as we look forward to sunny days and sandy beaches, the harsh reality is that summer presents us with a unique set of skin care woes. The scorching sun, endless heat, persistent sweat, and increased humidity can strip our skin of its natural radiance, leaving pesky breakouts, blemishes, and heat rashes in their wake.
Regular scheduled facial treatments can help address many of these concerns by thoroughly cleansing the skin and getting rid of impurities, excess oil, and debris. Chemical Peels and Nourishing Light Treatments can address specific summer skin care concerns to help lock in your radiant summer glow.
Book a facial with an esthetician at a Massage Envy franchised location to set you on the path to looking and feeling your best, all season long.
Looking for more advice? Check out the Self Care Blog for more skin care advice, including which skin care trends estheticians recommend.
