Summer is here, and there are some steps you really shouldn't overlook. Neglect them, and your skin could be suffering without you even realizing it! Learn the three golden rules of summer skincare to sail through the season with ease.
The surface of your skin has a natural lipid barrier that protects it, preventing dryness while providing supple elasticity. It shields you from external irritants like air, dust, and sunlight. Since your skin naturally produces more oil in the summer, opting for products with overly harsh cleansing power is a major mistake. Doing so will only disrupt the lipid barrier, allowing external irritants to take hold, which in turn stimulates excessive sebum secretion and leads to constant moisture loss. This can cause breakouts, while also leaving your skin feeling dry, itchy, or even flaky. It also weakens the skin's ability to react to climate changes, making it prone to inflammation and redness. Therefore, to protect your skin, you must first prioritize protecting your lipid barrier.
Don't Forget to Protect the Lipid Barrier While Cleansing
However, excess sebum, residual makeup, and airborne pollutants can clog your pores, so cleansing your face every morning and night is essential. Be sure to choose a mild, thorough cleanser so you don't strip away the very lipid barrier that protects your skin.
Recommended Cleansing Routine:
Protect while you remove makeup: For dry and dehydrated skin, use makeup removers rich in Vitamins A and E, or those formulated with botanical oils. This leaves a nourishing, protective layer on the skin's surface after cleansing.
Lifting Massage Technique:
When massaging your skin, all circular motions should be directed diagonally upward to ensure a lifting effect. Never apply pressure while moving downward.
Rinse with warm water:
Rinsing with warm water helps protect the natural oil layer on the skin's surface; water that is too hot will only damage the lipid barrier.
The importance of skin pH:
The lipid barrier is naturally slightly acidic. Cleansing with ordinary tap water causes natural damage, so remember to use a hydrosol (floral water) to balance your skin's pH.
What to do as you age and the lipid barrier thins?
As we age, the lipid barrier naturally becomes thinner and less resilient, making it prone to invasion by sensitizing substances. Opting for skincare products that contain Vitamin A or natural oils helps balance internal secretions and keeps the skin balanced and supple.
Seasonal Adjustment for Your Summer Moisturizer
It is true that oil production is more active in the summer than in other seasons, so you may not need as much oil as you do in winter—unless you have naturally dry skin. Even so, using skincare oils is recommended to strengthen the skin's moisture levels and water-locking capabilities, preventing evaporation. In Hong Kong's sweltering summer, nighttime temperatures often stay above 30 degrees Celsius, and sleeping without air conditioning is nearly impossible. Therefore, it is advisable to use slightly nourishing products at night to prevent moisture from being sapped by the AC.
Sunscreen: Defending Against the Harsh Sun
Everyone knows how damaging UV rays are to the skin—they are the cause of wrinkles and spots! Therefore, sun protection is the most important part of summer skincare!
UVC → Does not reach the ground and does not cause direct harm to the skin.
UVA → Has a longer wavelength and stronger penetrating power, reaching deeper into the epidermis and dermis. While its energy is lower, it causes skin tanning and aging. Even though UVA energy is lower, the high amount of radiation reaching the ground and its high penetrating ability make it difficult to guard against, leading to long-term accumulation that can cause skin lesions and other issues.
UVB → Has a shorter wavelength and lower penetrating power, with damage occurring mainly in the epidermis. Because its energy is higher, it often causes skin redness and sunburn. Accumulated long-term energy may even lead to skin cancer.
What is the difference between SPF 10 and SPF 20, 30, or higher?
Compared to skin without sunscreen, SPF 10 extends the time before sunburn by a factor of 10. This means that if typical skin burns in 10 minutes, SPF 10 extends this by 10 times, taking 100 minutes to burn. Therefore, the higher the SPF factor, the longer you are protected from burning. So, is SPF 50 or higher the best? We need to understand how much UV radiation different SPF factors can block. SPF represents the percentage of UV rays blocked:
SPF 4 - 75%
SPF 15 - 93.3%
SPF 30 - 96.7%
SPF 50 - 98%
What is SPF (Sun Protection Factor)?
SPF is a protective indicator against UVB. UVB radiation can cause skin to burn or redden in a short time, which is our biggest concern, as long-term exposure to UVB increases the risk of skin cancer!
Physical Sunscreen Ingredients:
The only ingredients in physical sunscreens are Titanium dioxide (TiO2) and Zinc Oxide (ZnO), while almost all other sunscreen ingredients are chemical sunscreen agents. For sensitive, inflamed, or baby skin, physical sunscreens are the best choice—they are safe and less likely to cause irritation, so they are the preferred option for sun protection.