Summer Sensitive Skin

This summer was the first time that I got a sunburn on my face since I was a kid. I have been out in the sun even more, actually suntanning and just running around.
So I went to go put on my mineral powder foundation the other morning before work and the brush scratched me! I can admit that its due for a deep cleaning and conditioning of its bristles but it still hurt way too much. Then I noticed that putting on eyeliner started to hurt too.. and my lips get chapped so easily from eating regular foods.

I don’t have sensitive skin: its pretty normal with some oily patches sometimes and the apples of my cheeks get dry in the winter. So I knew what was going on.. even though my face isn’t brunt red and peeling and all the other signs of having a sun burn… it know it was a very deep burn.

 

 

 

 

So what can you do with a burn you can’t see but feel?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9BqrSAHbTc

Water

Skin loves water, so make sure to drink lots of it! Make sure to moisturize too! If you do have sensitive skin, make sure to get a lighter type meant for your skin type. And especially for the summer make sure it has SPF 35 or higher in it.
This is what I have been lacking. I am so focused on putting sunscreen lotion on the kids I forget myself.
Wear hats and sun glasses! Glass reflects the uv rays and so does anything that casts a shadow. Hats are also very important because if you are like me and rocking the side shave: you ably forget to put sun screen on there too and that is super fresh skin that doesn’t regularly get all the light (because of the hair duh).
You can also be super classy and use a cute umbrella or wear a big floppy hat!
They make all sorts of umbrellas now that can suit anyone’s style, it doesn’t have to be a water repellent one, you can get really cute fabric ones (especially for you goth, punk and Lolita girls). Head scarves are also a great way to protect yourself or as my grandma would call them “babushkas”.

Use antioxidants.

The sun speeds up the oxidation of our cells and breaks them down faster than they normally would. You can think of if we were robots: we’d rust. Then all the little “rusty” flakes or as they are known to humans “free radicals” just sit there and do nothing but cause havoc, such as potentially causing cancers.

Anti Oxidants for the Skin

• vitamin C
• vitamin E
• green tea
• reversatrol (found in red grapes, red wine, nuts, blueberries and cranberries)
• retinol (vitamin A)

 

 

Deep damage

When I was teaching at the college, we had UV lights that would show you the actual underlying damage to your skin. Most people have a lot of freckles they cant see, it would show up oily spots, dry flakes, fungi, and soon to be pimples.

if you have a new brown freckle, if its raised, lumpy, weird shaped or changing: CALL YOUR DOCTOR. These are signs of potential skin cancer.

So what can you do?
Once you have had a bit of time to recover: when you skin isn’t hurting anymore you can exfoliate.
But Don’t use a mechanical exfoliator: scrubs of any kind. These are very harsh on your skin and exfoliate the sun damaged skin unevenly. Try a gylcolic peel. This is a type called chemical exfoliators, which dissolves the skin evenly.

You can also use a skin lightener (skin bleach) if you have freckles or sun spots that you would like to diminish. They are the little brown spots that appear in your skin as a result of your skin desperately trying to up its melanin to protect that area.

So if you do not wish to take total care of your skin, you can follow these simple first rules to protect your skin, or get someone like me to do it with a monthly Facial! Most spas have facials that range in price from 50-200$.

At Sweet Cherry Spa our facials are going to be using Derma E brand (keep an eye out for our  blog issue of Product Knowledge) and cost 60$.

A facial includes cleanser, toner, exfoliator, steam, extractions(if needed), a masque, massage and a ending moisturizer with sun screen.

Mini facials are 40$ which include cleanser, toner, steam and moisturizer with sunscreen.