Put Some Skin in The Game this Fall - Six Unhealthy Summer Skin Habits and Their Remedies

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  Summer is as short as it is indulgent. It’s the season in which we all tend to let ourselves go — and our skin often bears the brunt of this behavior. Whether your vice is spending too much time outdoors with too little protection, #roseallday or falling into bed with make-up still on after a long summer night, we have the remedy.

  Here are seven unhealthy summer skin habits and the remedies that skin-savvy experts recommend:

  
  

• Unhealthy Summer Skin Habit No. 1: #Roseallday

  

  If the boundaries between happy hour and every other hour blurred for you this summer, you may be experiencing “wine face,” says Nigma Talib, ND, a naturopathic practitioner in London and the author of “Younger Skin Starts in the Gut: 4-Week Program to Identify and Eliminate Your Skin-Aging Triggers - Gluten, Wine, Dairy, and Sugar.” Alcohol dehydrates the skin and can also result in pronounced lines or redness between the eyes, droopy eyelids, enlarged pores, flushed cheeks and nose, and deep smile lines.

  Remedy: Detox SOS.

  Take a break from the drink for three weeks and then follow the 80/20 rule, she writes. “Abstain 80 percent of the time and indulge 20 percent of the time.”

• Unhealthy Summer Skin Habit No. 2: Too Much Sun, Too Little Sunscreen

  

  Were you a little bit less than vigilant with your sunscreen this summer? If so, you may notice the appearance of sun spots sometime after Labor Day.

  Remedy: Delete sun spots immediately.

  Check with your dermatologist to make sure none of these spots are suspicious. Once you get the all clear, intense pulsed light (IPL) treatments can help get rid of sun spots quickly and effectively, and can also reduce overall redness. (A bonus if you also have wine face.) A series of treatments may be needed to achieve optimal results.

• Unhealthy Summer Skin Habit No. 3: Your Air Conditioning Addiction

  

  The sun dries out your skin, as does air conditoning, which sucks the humidity from the air. This combo can set you up for disaster come winter when dry skin is an even bigger problem. Remoisturization must be a priority for fall.

  Remedy: Moisturize, moisturize and moisturize some more.

  Choose and use a moisturizer that contains any — but not necessarily all — of these words:

  • Lipids
  • Ceramides
  • Glycerin
  • Hyaluronic acid
  • Niacinamide

  These ingredients help restore moisture and lock it in. The best time to apply lotion is right after you've dried off from the shower or bath; and don’t forget your lips. Start moisturizing now with a non-petroleum based lip balm to prevent dry, cracked lips this winter.

• Unhealthy Summer Skin Habit No. 4: Too Much Sunscreen

  

  It’s not that sunscreen is bad (quite the opposite), but it can leave your pores clogged and your skin dull and a little rough around the edges. Of course, too much sunscreen is better than the alternative. Skimping on sunscreen will increase your risk of skin cancer and premature wrinkling.

  Remedy: Slough it off

  Exfoliation gets rid of dead skin cells, leaving skin healthy, fresh and dewy. Chemical peels can also remove the top layers of the skin and rejuvenate the layers underneath. A series of peels may be needed to achieve optimal results.

• Unhealthy Summer Skin Habit No. 5: Your Daily Dip

  

  Chlorine and salt water can cause hair to become dry and brittle — and this is even more pronounced when you color or chemically treat your locks.

  Remedy: Mask it out

  Use a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner as soon after your swim as possible. Splurge on a moisturizing hair mask and a new cut to get rid of dead ends and start fresh. (Rumor has it the long bob with fringe will be hot this fall.)

• Unhealthy Summer Skin Habit No. 6: Falling Into Bed

  

  Summer nights can be long and languorous, making it pretty tempting to fall into bed without taking your make-up off. Unfortunately, if this becomes a habit, it will clog your pores and lead to zits.

  Skin Savvy Remedy: Make it easy

  Keep cleansing towelettes on or in your nightstand so you have no excuse not to wash, no matter how lazy and hazy you feel.