Why does acne seem to intensify during the summer? From the moment the heat and humidity rise, blistering pimples and painful blackheads start popping up all over the place. You try to stick to your skincare routine to keep these breakouts at bay, but it’s less effective for some reason. Clearly, you don’t want to stay indoors or resort to covering up to avoid flare-ups and embarrassment. So, what do you do?
Understand Why
The first thing is to get a better understanding of why summertime seems to impact acne. While some assume it’s the increased sun exposure, the intense heat and humidity cause an issue. The summer weather increases oil production, sweat, and clogged pores. When you add the application of various skincare and beauty products, you’re creating an environment ripe for acne flare-ups.
Reducing Acne Breakouts
Now that you understand why summer makes acne worse, you can start researching ways to reduce your breakouts during the warmer months. Below are some suggestions.
Get The Right Vitamins
The skin needs essential vitamins and minerals to keep acne at bay. Vitamin A is an antioxidant known as a retinoid. It’s instrumental for reducing inflammation and shedding dead skin cells. Vitamin D keeps acne-causing bacteria away. Zinc is ideal for helping regulate the body’s oil production. Lastly, vitamin B5 for acne is essential. It’s a water-soluble vitamin that helps attract and retain moisture while enhancing the repair process.
If you’re not getting enough of these from your diet, you might consider using supplements, powders, tinctures, and topical solutions to increase your intake and reduce summer breakouts.
Use Lighter And Fewer Products
Skincare and beauty products are invaluable in helping us look our best. However, wearing too much product in the summer can cause sweat. Sweat gets trapped in your pores, resulting in a breakout. You should switch to lightweight creams, lotions, and moisturizers during the warmer months. You might also consider minimizing your makeup to reduce sweating, blockages, and breakouts.
Drink Water
Water may not be your drink of choice, but it’s essential to keep acne breakouts at bay. It hydrates you from the inside out and flushes toxins and bacteria from the body, which minimizes clogged pores. Try to consume at least eight glasses of water a day to achieve that healthy glowing skin this summer. If you’re not a fan of water, adding fruit or using unsweetened and all-natural flavor drops can make it easier to stomach. You can also increase your uptake in water-rich foods like melons, strawberries, pineapples, peaches, celery, and broccoli.
Be Mindful Of Tight Clothing
While the summertime is all about showing off your figure, wearing tight clothing can cause you to sweat, which leads to acne flare-ups. When selecting your favorite summer fashions, it’s best to stick to lightweight, free-flowing, and loose clothing so your skin can breathe.
Shower After Rigorous Activities
When you work up a sweat, you want to get it off your skin as quickly as possible to prevent flare-ups. So, if you’re working out or participating in an activity that causes you to sweat more than usual, you must shower, especially before bed. Wash thoroughly from head to toe using soaps that replenish healthy vitamins and oils on the skin. Then, pat yourself dry and moisturize to prevent dry and itchy skin.
Maintain Healthy Habits
You’d be surprised how many people work hard all fall, winter, and spring to achieve the perfect summer look, only to stop once they’ve accomplished their goal. Unfortunately, not maintaining the healthy habits that helped you achieve acne-free skin can cause flare-ups to return with a vengeance. Continue eating a well-balanced diet, exercising, grooming yourself, and getting adequate sleep to sustain flawless skin.
There’s no denying that high temperatures and increased humidity create an unfavorable environment for people living with acne. You can choose to suffer, cover up in embarrassment, stay indoors for the season, or make changes to reduce breakouts. Use the tips above to help you develop a summer skincare regimen that keeps your skin healthy, glowing, and acne-free.
