Hydration for Summer Skin.

Sun screen, sun block, moisturizer lotion, clarifying toner, mud mask, thermal water, foaming cleansers are the most common skin care products we think of for summer skin. Protect it from the damaging effects of ultraviolet radiation and reduce excess oil. You've got this! But do you really?

The energy from ultraviolet radiation actually dehydrates the skin. Depending on what region of the country you are living in, your skin could actually become dehydrated during the summer months, causing your skin to age prematurely.

At skin's optimum health, it is balanced with 80% moisture at the basal layer, the bottom layer of the epidermis, and 10% at the stratum corneum, the layer of the skin that is visible to the eye, and less than 10% for dry skin. In an environment where humidity is 80% or more, the skin is able to maintain its hydration balance, but when the humidity levels dip below 80%, this is where cells that were once bound tightly together begin to loosen, allowing the skin to lose moisture, becoming dehydrated.

Combine this with the fact that after the age of 30, the production of oil, sweat and hydration levels decline, leaving the skin vulnerable to aging prematurely. Maintaining healthy hydration levels for your skin all year-long will keep it looking youthful longer by starving off fine lines and wrinkles from developing prematurely.

However, drinking eight to 12 glasses of water per day is not the answer. This is only good for hydrating the body’s internal organs, bones and ligaments, along with providing the skin a healthy appearance, and more visits to the restroom than you care. The only way to maintain optimum hydration levels for the skin is by hyaluronic acid injections and topical hyaluronic acid in the form of skincare products.

This sounds like a big ask to include in a summertime skincare routine, given the excessive heat in some regions of the country during the summer months, but if these climates are dry and/or you are over the age of 30, including a hydrating skincare product to your skincare routine should be priority. 

Serums are by far the best way to hydrate the skin without that heavy feeling to it, and because its molecular weight is smaller than a moisturizer, it penetrates deeper into the skin. Use a serum with the ingredient sodium hyaluronate acid, which is a lighter version of hyaluronate acid for oily skin.

Caring for summer skin can get complicated because of the many dynamics it is exposed to due to the elements. But it is just as important to use essential skincare products in this season as it is for any other to keep the skin healthy.