Taking Care of Summer Skin

Is your skin ready for summer? There are 1.3 million new skin cancer diagnoses each year in the United States, and everyone needs to take the dangerous effects of sun exposure seriously.

Most importantly, you need a good UVA/UVB sunscreen with a minimum SPF of 30. Apply it to your face and other exposed skin every day, even when you are not planning on sitting in the sun. The majority of our sun exposure comes when we’re just out and about performing our daily errands.

There are other important things we can do to boost our skin’s natural ability to combat damage from the sun and the environment. You should hydrate your skin from the inside out. Drink lots of fluids, at least 48 ounces of water a day and eat a healthy (SuperFoodsRx) diet. (For more info on water — stuff you might not have known — click here.) If you know you’ll be spending extra time in the sun, take a supplement containing potent antioxidants to help minimize the damage. Use a moisturizer, in addition to a sunscreen, to hydrate the skin and boost its ability to resist damage.

Don’t forget a wide brim hat, sunglasses and, if you can, do avoid the powerful mid-day sun.

For those of you who like to visit tanning salons: Recent data suggest a strong link between use of sun beds and higher rates of skin cancer. You have been warned!

If you really like that bronzed tan look, try one of the tan-in-a-bottle products but make sure to apply your sunscreen over that beautiful fake tan.