The seasons have changed, so your skin probably has too. The transition from winter to spring has us changing our fashion choices, but what about our skin care routine? Aside from switching from the tanning bed to natural sunlight, your skin will experience many other changes. In the winter, our skin tends to dry out because of the cold temperatures and dry conditions. But as spring and summer roll around, our skin gets less sensitive and calls for new spring skin care practices.
5 Spring Skin Care Tips
1. Spring Clean
Add your skin care products and cosmetics to your list of spring cleaning tasks. There aren’t any FDA regulations for skin care product expiration dates, but that doesn’t mean they don’t expire. Use your judgment and decide what you’ve been keeping around too long. This especially goes for products with SPF properties, because these can expire and cause more damage than you’d think. Also, check your sunscreen for expiration dates (they should have them on the bottle) and throw your makeup bag in the washer. When you’re not using your products, make sure that you are storing them properly to get the longest shelf life.
2. Step up the SPF
As your dermatologist has probably told you many times… wear sunscreen! Warmer weather brings more intense sunshine and longer days, so it’s especially important during the spring and summer months. You’re most likely spending more time outside, and the UVA/UVB rays can be more intense.
“Incidental sun exposure, even for only 10 to 15 minutes a day, adds up over time and can cause significant sun damage” – Dendy Engelman, MD
Using facial products that have SPF properties built in is always a good option, but the suggested minimum is really 30 SPF to ensure proper spring skin care. When you’re outside for longer periods of time or participating in water activities, don’t forget to reapply. This is one of the most common mistakes that leads to sunburn. Even if the sunscreen says it’s waterproof, reapply. Better safe than sorry!
3. Use lighter products
During the winter months, you probably use a heavier moisturizer and foundation to help your dry and sensitive skin. But as the warm weather comes, you’ll want to switch to a lighter weight moisturizer and foundation. If you can find a good moisturizer with a built-in tint, that would be ideal and minimizes the need for a heavy foundation. For spring skin care, lighter weight moisturizers give more water, rather than more oil, to the skin.
4. Exfoliate more
Exfoliating during the winter can be almost unheard of because of the sensitivity of your skin, but you definitely shouldn’t skip out on it now. You won’t want to exfoliate too often as it can make the skin more prone to sunburn, but a few times a week will do the trick. You’ll get all the dead skin cells off and unclog your pores to lessen the chance of acne.
5. Keep up with allergies
Allergies become especially active in the spring with all of the pollen and other environmental changes. Puffy bags under your eyes, wrinkles, and stinging around the eyes are just a few symptoms of allergies. You can talk to your dermatologist about prescriptions to add to your spring skin care routine that can help decrease inflammation. Over-the-counter medications can also be taken to avoid flare-ups, or other natural remedies can be used.
