After Sun Skincare: 4 Expert Tips to Giving Your Skin Some Post-sun TLC
Here are some of our favourite after sun skincare tips to help give your skin the love it needs!
When it comes to your skin it goes without saying that you’re likely to spend some time outdoors – especially now that it’s coming into summer. So while we can bang on about the importance of daily SPF use and re-applying every two hours accidents happen – yes, even on cloudy days. So this is what you should do to calm inflammation in your skin following a day of too much sun.
1. Cool Your Skin Down
Spending too much time in the heat can cause all sorts of issues for your skin including redness and dehydration. You will want to reduce the heat in your skin by cooling it down. You can do this with ice, cool face cloths, jade rollers or even with a bag of frozen veggies you might have hiding in your freezer – depending on the area that’s been overly exposed of course!
2. Hydrate!
While yes, post sun your skin may be feeling red or painful if you do end up sunburnt you have effectively compromised your skin barrier and therefore your skin will lose hydration. Severe sunburn is even known to cause severe dehydration that may need intravenous fluids.
It’s important to drink adequate amounts of water post too much sun exposure and re-hydrate the skin gently. Aloe vera based products are great for this and they are well loved for their anti-inflammatory and cooling effects for post-sun skin. Additionally, when looking for a moisturiser, look for one with ingredients such as ceramides or oat that are thick, creamy and soothing.
3. Give Your Skin Time to Heal
When your skin is exposed to too much sun it is damaged. Meaning post sun is not the time to use any type of abrasive scrub, chemical exfoliants or cleansers that might irritate your skin further. It is very important to give your skin the time it needs to heal and repair itself – and yes, this may mean staying out of the sun completely.
4. SPF, SPF, SPF!
Honestly it is never a good idea to expose damaged/sun burnt skin in the sun further. If you are planning on spending time outdoors, it’s vital you either cover post sun skin completely and/or use a broad spectrum SPF on any sun exposed areas to prevent further damage.
For your face: Ultraviolette Lean Screen SPF 50+ Mattifying Zinc Sunscreen, $49
For your body: Ultraviolette Extreme Screen SPF50+ Body and Hand Sunscreen, $35
