Building a Summer Skin Care Regimen

Seasons have changed.  Many of us, by now, have made adjustments to our hair regimen to account for the change in weather.  But what about our skin regimen?  Last year, as I began to focus on creating great skin, I noticed something peculiar.  During the warmer months, people I knew who normally had clear skin, began to show signs of breakouts.  And, while everyone else's skin was reacting to the warmer weather, I was fortunate enough to keep breakouts at bay.

Looking back, I realize that I wasn't fortunate at all. I maintained a focused regimen that kept my skin great all year long.  Since then, complacency has set in and I'm starting to see signs of my old, troubled skin.  Winter was a little forgiving of my faux pas. Spring/Summer will not be as forgiving. So I've got to get back on that grind to keep my skin clear and flawless.  

My goal is to get flawless by summer.  I'd love to be able to step out the door with just a little sunscreen.  And when I do wear makeup, I just want to use it to create an even glow versus using it to cover imperfections. I hate the way my skin looks with makeup when breakouts are present. Out skin goes through a lot in the summer.  Normally we're sweating and producing more oil than normal.  And, perhaps, we are indulging in higher fat snacks.  The sweat helps push all that stuff through our pores and, if we aren't diligent, blockage can occur causing breakouts.  

 Having clear, smooth skin is the objective and I'm ready to employ every single trick I know to get that outcome.  First and foremost, I'm going to be drinking ridiculous amounts of water.  When I'm traveling for meetings and I can't get a hold of a decent amount of water (1 liter or more a day), my skin pays for it.  Instead of leaving it to chance, I've been doing my best to carry 1.5 liter bottles of water with me.  I find that the larger the bottle, the more I drink.  You guys all inspired me with tales on how much improvement you experienced in your skin when you began to drink more water.  I want to keep that momentum going!

I know that hot weather induces sweating, I know that sweating can promote clogged pores. My strategy will be to encourage "controlled sweating" by visiting the sauna regularly or via my workouts.  When I first began frequenting the sauna/steam room, my sweat was salty. But the more I visit, the less salty it became.  I'm guessing this means that my sweat has less toxins. Hopefully this will lead to fewer breakouts.  Last summer I stayed in the sauna and my skin thanked me.  So, ladies remember to sweat every day! Oh, and for days when I can't make it to the sauna, I'll be making great use of my new facial sauna which is making it's way to me as we speak.

Lastly, I'm going to exfoliate like a beast.  I remember picking up a sample of Nutra Bisse products last year at the make up counter of a local department store after reading in an article that Beyonce & Kelly Rowland use them to perfect their skin.  One of those products was a mild peel which I didn't use right away due to active breakouts.  A few weeks later the lady who provided me the samples reached out to me to see how I liked them.  After letting her know that I didn't use the peel because I was waiting for my breakouts to subside, she actually encouraged me to try the peel as a way of addressing the acne.  Then I thought about the time I received a strong peel from Lady Dee.  My before pictures taken moments before the peel revealed troubled skin.  This was in stark contrast to what my skin looked like 5 days later when the peel was removed.  Amazingly, my skin appeared clear and blemish free.  From this point on, I realized that exfoliation could be a good thing for my skin as part of my acne management regimen.   That's were the Riiviva Microderm kit & the Clarisonic Pro comes in. 

I'm thinking about stuff like this now so I can avoid blemishes that eventually lead to dark marks, scarring and other non desirables.  I plan on keeping it simple by drinking lots of water, sweating regularly to eliminate toxins and exfoliating to promote a healthy glow. 

Healthy skin this summer at all costs!