I’m sure you have heard this multiple times in your life—because I know I have— your skin is your body’s largest organ! And during the summer months, when the sun is out most of the day, caution must be taken to protect that organ.
Our skin is also the easiest organ to damage, since it is your outer most layer, it is your body’s first line of defense and plays a huge role in protecting your other organs.
We get scrapes, bruises, scars and plenty of sunburns as we grow up, but regardless of your age, protecting your skin needs to be a priority 365 days a year!
Daily Sun Damage
Skin damage in general is quite difficult to reverse naturally, so if you can prevent damage up front, you’ll save yourself headaches and probably money in the long run.
Every time you go out into the sun without some sort of SPF you could be damaging your skin. I know that is terrible news for those of us who love to lay out and get a good tan, but unfortunately it is the truth!
Now, that being said, we need Vitamin D and the sun to survive, and being active outdoors is also important, but do your best to keep from baking in the sun with no protection. Wear sunglasses, sunscreen, hats etc., and skip any sort of tanning bed in favor of spray tans or at home self tanner—if like me, having some color in the summer months is your preference.
Topical Protection
If being tan is of little or no concern to you, then perhaps
just making daily moisturizing and SPF a priority is all you need to do. But you may need to be pickier than normal when deciding on what products to use.
My suggestion is to find a very rich and thick moisturizer for your body and a more lightweight, non-pore clogging, high SPF one, for your face!
Unfortunately I’ve found finding a face friendly SPF to be very difficult due to having sensitive and acne prone skin. So I usually lean more towards mineral based sunscreens, which use natural minerals (zinc oxide and titanium dioxide) to deflect sunrays, rather than harsh chemicals that can be found in other sunscreens.
Sensational Skin Vitamins
While topical protection and moisture are super important and no doubt will help protect your skin from the sun, focusing on what goes in your body is important as well. This means your daily diet and even the vitamins you take.
To improve your skin through diet, you’ll need to add more fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats onto your plate, and avoid refined sugars and simple carbs.
But if you feel that even after adjusting your diet accordingly you’re not seeing much improvement, perhaps you need to turn to vitamins and supplements that can help make up for what your diet is lacking.
Here is a list of the top 7 Vitamins that can improve your skin’s health:
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin E
- Vitamin D
- Vitamins K
- Vitamins B3
- Vitamin B5
And don’t worry there are many supplements out there that focus on skin health and contain many of the vitamins you need to improve it from the inside out. These supplements can be easily added into your skin care routine and can help keep your skin looking and feeling it’s best all year round!