Prevent Skin Problems This Summer

With all the beautiful weather that comes with summer, this means that you will be spending time outside in the lovely sun. But due to this elevated outdoor activity, you are going to be exposed to all kinds of things. This can include poisonous plants, insects, and sunlight. Coming in contact with any of these things can result in painful rashes or itching. Luckily, we here at Beauty ‘N Fashion have come up with some useful tips to avoid unnecessary skin problems this summer! Leaving you only with fun summertime events and activities to attend! 

If you have ever had a sunburn, you know how painful and itchy it can become, stopping all the fun of being outside. In order to maximize your summer and all of its activities, follow these simple tips to prevent any and all summer related skin issues.  

Acne  

With the summer comes the heat, with the heat comes sweat, and with all this added sweat can come acne breakouts. This happens when oils and bacteria on your skin mix with sweat and enlarged pores, clogging them and causing a breakout. For anyone with acne prone skin, this is especially a problem you face every sunny summer season. In order to help prevent breakouts from happening, follow these dermatologist recommendations.  

-Carry a clean towel or cloth with you and blot the sweat away. Do not wipe, this can irritate your skin and can also result in a breakout.  

-Never reuse any towels, clothes, hats, or headbands before washing them again.  

-For your chest, neck, back, and face, use non-comedogenic products. Look for oil free labels or something that says it won’t clog your pores.  

Irritated Dry Skin 

Humid and hot weather has the potential to dry out your skin and irritate it. The things that make this happen the most are AC, the sun, and pools. When you feel your skin getting dry, even if it is humid out, use these tips to help.  

-When you get out of a pool, shower with clean fresh water immediately. You can use a mild body wash or cleanser specifically made for swimmers.  

-Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen of at least 30 SPF that has water resistance before you go outside.  

-Avoid any body washes or soaps that have “deodorant” or “antibacterial” on the label, these can dry out skin, and go for mild cleansers instead. 

– Instead of using hot water, use warm water for your baths or showers.  

-After your bath or shower, use fragrance-free moisturizer. This is the best time to use moisturizer as it traps the water in your skin. Best results will happen if you do this within 5 minutes of getting out of your shower or bath.  

-Always have moisturizer handy when you are out and about. This way, you can reapply to your hands after you wash them, or when your skin feels dry throughout the day.  

-If you are finding that your home is exceptionally dry, increase the temperature on your thermostat.  

Infected Hair Follicles 

Also known as folliculitis. As you might know, every hair that grows on your body comes from an opening known as a follicle. You can develop folliculitis when these follicles get infected. These can look like pimples but are tender and itchy. In order to avoid this during the summer, use these tips. 

-Change out of sweaty clothes immediately and take a shower, especially after a workout.  

-Unless the chlorine and acid levels are being controlled properly, stay away from whirlpools and hot tubs. This is the leading cause of folliculitis and there has been a specific condition named hot tub folliculitis.  

-During the hot and especially humid days, make sure to wear loose-fitting and light-weight clothes for maximum breathability and comfort.  

Pedicure or Manicure Infections 

Although your nails might look fantastic on the surface, when you get a manicure or pedicure, you can be exposing your nails to bacteria and germs that could cause you to get a nail infection. We are not saying to stop getting manicures or pedicures, but you should be aware of some precautions you can take to avoid this from happening to you.  

-If you take off nail polish at home, make sure to moisturize your nails after. The removers have chemicals that dry out nails.  

-Never wear fake nails to hide existing nail problems. Doing this will make the current issue much worse. Anyone with brittle nails or who are prone to fungal infections should not get fake nails.  

-As for people with strong nails, fake nails should not be worn continuously.  

-For anyone who frequently gets pedicures or manicures, look into buying your own personal tools that the salon can use when you come in.  

-In you are going to a nail salon, especially a new one you have never been to before, it is important to check the following before letting them do your nails:  

-A licensed and/or experienced nail technician 

-Overall cleanliness of the salon and especially the stations 

-Cleanliness of the nail technicians, are they washing their hands between clients or changing their gloves between clients?  

-Look for any dirty tools lying around 

-Always ask how they clean their tools 

Sun Spots 

Also known as melasma. These are the brown or grey-brown patches you see on your face sometimes. When you are out in the sun, this can make them more noticeable. In order to make these less noticeable, follow these tips.  

-Make sure to wear sunscreen daily, this means on cloudy days as well. You should apply it 15 minutes before you go outside and make sure to reapply every 2 hours, or more frequently if you are doing things like swimming or excessively sweating.  

-While outside, wear sunglasses and a wide brimmed hat.  

-Only use gentle skincare products. Make sure these don’t give you a burning sensation or sting when applying. If you irritate your skin, this can worsen melasma.  

-Don’t wax. This causes your skin to become inflamed, and worsen melasma. Use other hair removal methods with areas affected by melasma.  

Skin Irritating Plants 

These pesky plants can include sumac, poison oak, and poison ivy. If you come in contact with any of these, the result will be a very itchy rash. The best way to avoid this fate is to know what these plants look like and to not touch them when you see them. If you do touch them by accident, quickly follow these steps and it might prevent you from developing a rash.  

-You should immediately wash whatever part of your skin that touched the plant. You can use one of the following:  

-Dishwashing soap 

-Rubbing alcohol 

-Laundry detergent 

-Cleanser, soap, or towelettes 

Make sure to wash gently and avoid scrubbing hard.  

-Use a cool water rinse and make sure it’s thorough. Getting all the product off your skin is important, along with any of the plant oil that causes the rash.  

-Make sure to get under your nails and remove any oil and product that could have gotten trapped there.  

Heat Rashes 

A heat rash is caused by blocked sweat glands. When sweat is unable to be excreted from the body, it will build up under the skin and cause itchy, tiny bumps that are the rash. You might feel a prickly sensation when these bumps end up bursting and releasing the trapped sweat. One way to prevent this from happening is to try and control excessive sweating. Follow these tips to sweat less and avoid this issue.  

-Always wear light-weight and loose-fitting clothes, especially ones made of cotton.  

-If you exercise outside, make sure to do it when the day is cool, this means either early in the morning or in the evening. Another alternative is to exercise inside with AC.  

-Use fans, AC, and cool showers in order to keep your skin cool. 

Pica-Pica 

This is also known as seabather’s eruption. Not everyone needs to worry about this particular itchy skin rash, only the people who go in the Caribbean Sea, or the water off of the Florida coast, Long Island, or New York. It only happens when newly hatched sea anemones or jellyfish get stuck between your swimsuits or other water gear. It is impossible to know where these little creatures are because they are the size of a speck of pepper. Luckily, there are ways that you can prevent this rash.  

-Staying out of known infested waters is a good first step. Locals will probably know the usual times this happens each year. There might even be signs up around the water to indicate an infestation. Or you might hear about someone else developing this rash after swimming.  

Allergic Reaction to the Sun 

Some medications have side effects of sun irritation, where you can develop hives if you go out in the sun. Other times whole families have sun sensitivity, which runs in their genes. If you have a sun allergy, you will notice extremely itchy, scaly, red bumps on either all or some of your bare skin. You might also get blisters depending on the severity of your reaction. In order to prevent this allergic reaction, follow these tips.  

-Ask your pharmacist or check the medical container label to see if a side effect is a sun allergic reaction. Some medications that do this are ketoprofen (which is in some pain meds), as well as in these antibiotics; minocycline, doxycycline, and tetracycline. Stay out of the sun if you will get a reaction.  

-Apply sunscreen that has broad spectrum protection, is water resistant, and has an SPF of at least 30. You can also look for shade when outside, and wear clothes that will protect you from the sun.  

Sunburns 

The most common summer fun spoiler is a sunburn. It is also the most common skin problem that most people face. When you get a sunburn, this also increases your risk of getting skin cancer. In order to prevent a sunburn, follow these tips.  

-Look to be in the shade 

-Wear sunglasses, a wide brimmed hat, long sleeves, and pants when you can 

-Constantly apply sunscreen that has water resistance, broad-spectrum protection, and an SPF of at least 30.  

Ear Infection 

This can also be known as swimmers’ ears. This happens when water is trapped in the ear canal, causing you to develop an infection. If you want to prevent this, the best way to do it is by keeping your ears dry. If you are going to go swimming, whether it be in a pool, lake, or ocean, use these tips.  

-Get ear plugs and wear then when you swim 

-Do not use cotton swabs to clean your ears. Doing so can potentially push ear wax or dirt deep within your ear canal, irritating your ear.  

Swimmer’s Itch 

You might also have heard it referred to as clam diggers itch. This is when an itchy rash develops once you have swam or waded in oceans, lakes, or any other body of water. This is actually a parasite that burrows into your skin that causes these tiny red spots to appear on your skin where your swimsuit wasn’t covering. You could also develop blisters or very itchy welts or hives. Children commonly get this because they primarily stay in shallow, warm water. To prevent this, follow these steps:

-Heed warnings and do not go in known infested waters. This can be portrayed by signs indicating not to go swimming and stay out of the water. You might also hear about other people being afflicted by this after being in the water.  

-If you still decide to go swimming, when you get out, very briskly rub your skin with a towel. When the water on your skin starts to evaporate, this is when these parasites begin to borrow into your skin. Using your towel rubs them off before they have a chance to dig into your skin and cause a rash.  

How We Can Help  

There are many things during the summer that can cause a rash, itchy, and irritated skin. Sometimes different issues can look the same to someone who doesn’t know the subtle differences in a rash’s appearance. If you develop any rash, of any kind, and you don’t know exactly what it was caused from, you should call your doctor or a dermatologist in order to get a proper diagnosis and treatment. We here at Beauty ‘N Fashion hope that this blog was helpful in enlightening you about different skin problems that can happen during the summer, so that if you experience one, it might not be as alarming and you can calmly deal with it. For other Beauty Tips, make sure to check out our website for more great tips!