Skin Seasons

Some skin complaints are mainly seen in the spring, others in the summer, autumn, or winter. Furthermore, the needs of your skin for all seasons can change per season.the needs of your skin can change per season. This way you can adjust your skin for all seasons.

➤ Spring
➤ Summer
➤ Autumn
➤ Winter

SPRING

In this season the sun shows itself more and more and the sun strength increases. Your skin has to get used to that. Complaints such as pigmentation spots can also worsen.

Checklist skincare

The spring sun often feels like a present after a cold winter. But watch out for your skin, it is now extra vulnerable.

• So bring a bottle of sunscreen into the garden or to the terrace.
• Choose sunscreen or serum with niacinamide. This antioxidant provides an extra safety net against UV radiation.

What do you notice about your skin?

➤ Pigment spots

Now pigmentation spots and pregnancy masks (melasma) can suddenly get worse due to sun exposure. Make sure you apply good sunscreen every day with at least an SPF 30. Continue to look for skincare with vitamin A, vitamin C, licorice root extract, or niacinamide. Sometimes good skincare is not enough. Then, depending on the type of melasma, a doctor can prescribe medication in the form of hydroquinone. A triple cream is also available with hydroquinone or azelaic acid, in combination with vitamin A acid and hydrocortisone.

➤ Pimples

The skin can become a bit oily in the spring due to the sun, which makes it easier to develop impurities. Keep your pores clean and add an exfoliant with salicylic acid. Azelaic acid, niacinamide, licorice root extract, and vitamin C can also work very well on pimples.

➤ Sun allergy

You mainly see photosensitivity in the spring, when the skin still has to get used to the first rays of the sun. Symptoms of a sun allergy include redness, swelling, bumps, itching, and a burning sensation. Complaints usually occur one to two days after sun exposure. You don’t have to burn for this. Not sure if it’s an allergy? Then contact your doctor or dermatologist. They can find out with a few simple tests.

SUMMER

The summer months are often dominated by rest and relaxation. And that lower stress level is reflected in the skin. Unfortunately, sun and heat can also cause skin problems. And those skin complaints are sometimes difficult to distinguish from each other.

Checklist skincare

In summer, the sun is at its highest. To protect your skin well against UV radiation. Your skin also gets greasy a bit faster in this season.

• • • Use a good sunscreen product to prevent sun damage. But because UV filters can’t stop all radiation, I also recommend antioxidants. Antioxidants that provide extra protection for the skin from the sun include vitamins C + E, green tea, niacinamide, and caffeine.
    • Is your skin oilier in the summer? In the morning, instead of your moisturizer, only use a toner that also has antioxidants added. A cream can be too much now.
    • Do you normally use a creamy or oily cleanser and does your skin get restless? Then you could switch to a cleaner with a lighter texture and slightly stronger detergents.

burned?

You can easily burn during the summer months. Your skin can be very red and sore. Painkillers with an anti-inflammatory effect can help, for example, ibuprofen, aspirin, diclofenac, or naproxen. You can use them until the redness has subsided.

A bath with oatmeal flakes can also provide relief. Add a mug of very finely ground oatmeal to lukewarm water and soak in the bath for about 15 minutes.

You can also cool the skin with compresses, for example with milk, diluted with water. Compressing with cooled green tea or an extract of aloe vera can also calm the skin. Cucumber slices mainly remove the heat from the skin. Do not use products with menthol or alcohol on your skin. It is also better to leave oily creams for a while.

After sun

A separate after-sun product is not necessary. Choose a cream with these three types of ingredients: antioxidants such as vitamins C and E or green tea extract, soothing substances such as licorice root extract, aloe vera, or beta-glucan, and moisturizing ingredients such as niacinamide, hyaluronic acid or glycerine.

Skin rashes in the sun

If you suffer from a skin rash after being in the sun, it can be for several reasons. These are the most common.

➤ Response to cosmetics

Some ingredients in your skin care cause a reaction in your skin after sun exposure. Such a reaction occurs within a few hours. You will then experience pain and swelling. Common culprits? Citrus, orange, bergamot, mandarin, grapefruit, lime, lavender, rosemary, fig, angelica, St. John’s wort, tea tree and ginger. So check the ingredients list of your cosmetics before you use them in the sun.

➤ Medicines

Some medicines can also react in the sun. This applies to certain antibiotics, some antidepressants and water tablets. You will always find this in the package leaflet of the medicine. Are you taking a medication that has a warning? Avoid the sun as much as possible or take a cap or hat with you, find the shade and apply very well.

➤ Heat rash

After a hot day you can suddenly be covered with red, itchy bumps and blisters. This is not a reaction to the sun, but the result of irritated and blocked sweat glands due to heat. The skin cannot lose its heat, so that (clear) blisters form. This may be accompanied by itching. You see this complaint especially in newborns who are dressed too warmly and whose sweat glands are not yet well developed.

➤ Margarita rash

This ailment sounds nicer than it looks. A combination of citrus extracts and sun exposure can cause a nasty skin reaction, namely blisters, burns, and rashes. So watch out when drinking a lemon cocktail in the sun while cooking in the garden on a sunny day. This warning also applies to celery and parsley. Do you ‘suddenly’ get a severe skin reaction? Always consult your doctor.

➤ Summer Yeast Stains

Especially in the summer, you can suffer from it: small discolored spots on the skin, which can be dark or light. This condition is known as summer yeast spots (pityriasis versicolor). Most often you see the spots on the upper body and on the neck, and often with oily skin.

This is what you can do about it

• • • Avoid using products that are too greasy
    • Let your skin dry well after showering
    • Try not to walk around in sweaty clothes for too long and ventilate your bedroom
    • A skin shampoo with selenium sulphide can help
    • Your doctor can prescribe the antifungal agent ketaconazole

If the yeasts have disappeared, it can take another six months before the spots are gone.

➤ Yeast pimples

Yeast pimples are also a bit of summer. As with yeast stains, too much yeast plays a role. The cause of this excessive yeast growth is not yet known, but we do know that heat and a humid climate play a major role.

This is what you can do about it

• • • Wear loose-fitting clothing
    • Avoid occlusive creams
    • Try to avoid heat
    • Cleanse your skin daily with a cleanser
    • Choose skincare with ingredients such as niacinamide and licorice root extract. These substances help with excess sebum.
    • Use an exfoliant daily. This prevents hair follicles from becoming inflamed and ensures that skin cells and sebum do not accumulate.
    • Substances such as ketoconazole or selenium sulfide inhibit the growth of the yeast. There are special shampoos with these agents.

AUTUMN

In autumn, the skin is often more restless than at other times of the year. The complaints? More pimples, pigmentation, and dullness. That is the legacy of the summer months. Because UV radiation not only causes pigmentation spots and less radiant skin but also makes your skin a bit thicker. This increases the chance of congestion in the skin.

Checklist skincare

Your skin often starts to get drier now.

• • • Apply a good cream more often if your skin needs it. If your moisturizer isn’t nourishing enough now, you can also opt for a fuller cream.
    • Even in autumn, it remains important to protect yourself against the sun. A sunscreen with factor 15 is now sufficient unless you have very light skin or suffer from pigmentation spots.
    • By putting more omega 3 fatty acids on your menu, you can hydrate your skin from the inside. These fats are found in walnuts and oily fish, for example. Together with cholesterol and ceramides, omega-3 fatty acids protect the skin against external influences.
    • Autumn is a good time for a (home) peeling. Salicylic acid or glycolic acid help to make your skin radiant and fresh again. In addition, an exfoliant with a (fruit) acid keeps your pores clean, making it less likely to get pimples.

You often see these complaints in the fall

➤ Pimples

Impurities are often more common after the summer. This is probably because the sun makes the skin a bit thicker, which can lead to more blockages. Sunlight may also stimulate sebum production. In addition, your tanned skin gradually disappears, so that you see skin problems better. Opt for ingredients that protect and soothe your skin, such as niacinamide and licorice root extract. Niacinamide also works against an excess of sebum and so you can prevent impurities. Vitamin C also helps a lot with pimples.

➤ Dry skin

Once the heating comes on and it gets colder outside, your skin may become tighter. My tips: opt for slightly fuller creams and apply more often. You could also hang water bowls on your heating to increase the humidity in your house; this can also benefit the hydration in your skin.

➤ Dullness

The sun can make your skin look a bit sallow due to the accumulation of dead skin cells. With an exfoliant, you gently remove dead skin cells, revealing fresh, radiant skin.

➤ More pigment spots

When the camouflaging layer of color from the sun is gone, pigment spots suddenly become much more noticeable. Peeling at the skin therapist with fruit acids can then offer a solution. Ingredients in your skincare that help with pigmentation are vitamins A and C, niacinamide, and licorice root extract.

WINTER

When it’s cold outside and the heating is on full power, you can wait for it… dry skin. And that in turn can cause all kinds of problems, such as fine wrinkles, flakes, irritation, and sometimes even pimples. This way you keep your skin beautiful in the winter.

Checklist skincare

In the colder months, protecting and moisturizing is paramount:

• • • Does your skin feel a bit tight? Then apply a nourishing cream more often. And this can certainly be more than twice a day.
    • Is your skin very dry? Try a cleanser that is more creamy or one that has oil added to it. If your skin remains dry, you can clean your skin in the morning with just some water and then use a toner.
    • A bath is wonderfully relaxing, but unfortunately, it can also dry out your skin. Especially if you lie down for a long time or if the water is hot. So don’t bathe too often and for too long. Also, choose the right bath products. A bubble bath is not the best choice, because it can dry out your skin considerably. Use oil instead or add a mug of very finely ground oatmeal, this ingredient will help keep your skin from drying out.
    • Apply to your skin while it is still damp. With this, you lock in the moisture, as it were. This makes your skin softer and more hydrated. You can use the same trick for your face: apply a moisturizer to your skin immediately after your toner.
    • Glycolic acid also gives you radiant skin in winter. In addition, this acid provides extra hydration.

Also Read: Drinking Water for Beautiful Skin

Skin complaints due to the cold

➤ More fine lines

In winter you see more fine lines because your skin is drier. My advice? Lubricate with a moisturizing cream containing, for example, hyaluronic acid. This ingredient can temporarily fill in dryness lines. You can also apply an extra rich cream, such as my Repair Cream, over your moisturizer before going to sleep. This mask works very well against dryness lines.

➤ Drought

Dryness can also cause irritation, flakes, itching, and sometimes pimples. Have a good skincare routine and apply more often. This way you keep your skin in good condition and you can prevent complaints. Oatmeal extract soothes and protects against dehydration of the skin.

➤ Troubled skin around your mouth

If you often wear a scarf in front of your mouth, you can suffer from (more) redness, bumps, and impurities around your mouth. That’s because it’s going to heat a lot under that scarf. This is an ideal environment for bacteria that can make your skin restless. Stick to your skincare routine with a cleanser, toner, moisturizer, and possibly an exfoliant. You could also wash your scarf more often to prevent problems.