As the summer nears to the close, the extra time spent outside exposed our skin to the environmental aggressors such as UV and pollution and it has been almost impossible to escape without some collateral damage from the sunshine. Many of our faces are suffering from post-summer skin stress right now. The solution? Treat your skin to some TLC and here is how.
Tackle Dryness
We all know the sun exposure, heat, air conditioning, swimming pool chlorine and alcohol leave our skin dehydrated, dry and flaky. Moisture is essential for healthy cell communication and regeneration, therefore replenishing moisture and nutrients is a priority for post-summer recovery. Although drinking plenty of water keeps your body hydrated, did you know drinking extra glasses of water only marginally increases skin hydration? Topical products such as our hyaluronic acid (HA) Hydration Booster deliver hydration to the top layers of the skin, as well as to the deeper skin layers thanks to its varied HA molecular sizes.
High air temperatures during the summer can strip your skin of its lipids, which are vital components of the protective skin barrier that functions to retain water and prevent irritants from penetrating the skin. Our Brightening Serum and Contour Serum have been formulated with these natural lipids, ceramides, as well as vitamin E and plant-based ingredients containing multiple fatty acids to help replenish and restore the skin barrier. You can read more on the importance of ceramides here.
Up the Antioxidants
You can look to repair oxidative damage from the UV exposure through increasing antioxidants in your skincare. Our antioxidant rich raspberry water base, wild carrot juice rich in antioxidant vitamin A (as beta carotene), rosehip, perilla seed oil rich in natural antioxidant rosmarinic acid, Swiss cress sprouts rich in supforaphane are just an example of a plethora of natural protectors well known for their capacity to neutralise reactive oxidants all of which you can find in our ECM Advanced Repair Range
Tackle Pigmentation
Pigmentation can become more pronounced in the summer months due to the high UV index and many of us notice some dark spots by the time autumn rolls around.
Traditional and most common topical treatments work on inhibiting tyrosinase (an enzyme controlling production of melanin). Alongside new natural compounds being discovered that inhibit tyrosinase much more effectively, we are also discovering a new ways of controlling the pigmentation process that work with a different mechanism without any effect on tyrosinase, such as the Swiss Garden Cress Sprouts Extract found in our Brightening Serum. The new, Two Steps Mechanism of brightening targets the very first triggers in the pigmentation process. Learn more here.
Addressing dark spots and hyperpigmentation is just one of the many benefits that our Brightening Serum delivers, thanks to a targeted group of ingredients that work to remove compromised skin cells and address uneven skin tone. The result is a revived and brighter complexion.
You may like to check out our previous articles focused on hydration and UV damage:
- Hydration Superstars you need to know: here
- Natural Antioxidants have multiple mechanisms to protect skin from UV radiation: here
- Five things you need to know about hyaluronic acid: here
- The truth about water and hydration: here