Best Skin Care Tips to Fix the Worst Summer Skin Mistakes

Summer puts your skin to the test, but the biggest damage often comes from the habits you don't think twice about. Avoiding a few common mistakes can help keep your complexion clearer, healthier-looking, and more resilient all season long.

UV exposure ages your skin faster than almost anything else, setting off a cascade of free radicals that lead to age spots, wrinkles, fine lines, and sagging skin. Summertime means more sunny days and stronger rays, so do your skin a favor and start every day with an SPF moisturizer. Day Lotion Sunscreen SPF 15 is the perfect formula for lightweight moisture and sun protection in one. Non-greasy and non-comedogenic, so even oily skin can benefit. You can blend it with a little mineral powder to make a light foundation. If you’re spending time outdoors, use a broad-spectrum sunscreen up to 50 SPF and reapply every two hours, and after swimming or exercise.

While sunlight can increase cellular turnover and temporarily make blemishes less visible, it’s a poor trade-off for the adverse effects it brings— visible irritation, oxidative stress, a proliferation of pore-clogging dead skin cells, pigmentation, and visible damage.

Instead, protect skin from the sun, and rely on a targeted acne regimen to clear and control breakouts. Use a benzoyl peroxide wash like our BP 3% Acne Treatment Wash, which helps clear and prevent breakouts. Or reach for a mandelic acid wash like our Mandelic Acid 3-in-1 Wash if you want to clarify and brighten the look of skin. A clarifying toner and corrective serum will do the rest. And if your goal is to lift the look of impactions and refine the appearance of texture, add REt (RP)™ Retinoid.

Repeat after us: Spot treating is not treating. When you spot treat only the individual lesion, you allow bacteria in the surrounding skin to continue to grow and spread. To really clear your skin, you need to treat the underlying condition, and that means using your skin care product all over your face. If you are treating dark spots, the same holds true. Treat the dark spot and surrounding area to avoid brightening in patches. 

Hot weather means more sweating, oil, and dead skin cells, therefore more opportunity for breakouts and impactions. Exfoliation, whether physical (scrubs or buffing pads), chemical (acids), or a combination of both, is essential to clear away pore-clogging dead skin cells, help avoid breakouts and the visible irritation that follows, and keep skin looking clear and healthy.

You can add Buffing Grains to any cleanser to turn it into an exfoliating scrub, or try Mandelic Acid 3-In-1 Exfoliating Cleanser,  a great choice for clearing and brightening. BP 3% Exfoliating Cleanser is a slightly more potent acne-fighter to clear impactions and prevent future breakouts. 

Somehow, despite your best efforts, you managed to get a sunburn. Damage control is your top priority. Though it’s tempting to peel flaking skin, don’t. The dead skin is still attached to living skin. When that gets pulled away, you will create a painful sore that can lead to scarring and hyperpigmentation.

Instead of picking and peeling your skin, soothe and comfort it with Totaloe Calming and Hydrating Gel. This cooling blend of whole leaf aloe, niacinamide, sea algae, and green tea extract helps calm the look of redness, soothes the feeling of stinging, hydrates the skin, and helps it look comforted and refreshed.

Those oversized sunglasses are more than a fashion accessory. They’re a shield from the damaging effects of UV radiation. The skin around the eyes is thinner and more delicate than other parts of your face. Damage will show up here more quickly than other areas. Invest in a good pair of sunglasses with UV protection to filter both UVA and UVB rays. Because the only lines you want to see this summer are the ones for the bar.

The skin of the décolleté area has fewer oil glands, less elasticity, and thinner tissue. It’s also frequently exposed to sun and environmental elements, making it particularly vulnerable to the effects of UV and pollutants.

 Daily SPF like our Day Lotion Sunscreen SPF 15, is essential to protect this delicate area. But there's more you can do to help prevent and soften the look of photodamage. Applying Pure C + E underneath sunscreen in the a.m. helps boost photoprotection and defend against the look of excess pigmentation. Rejuv Rx morning and night helps support the appearance of firmer, more elastic skin and a smoother, more lifted look.

Vitamin C serums are good. Vitamin C & E serums are better. Research shows that together, Vitamins C and E have a synergistic reaction that optimizes their antioxidant strengths for added photoprotective support, making the combination a standout over either ingredient alone. Benefits include helping neutralize free radicals and supporting the look of brighter, firmer, more even skin.  Find this dynamic duo in Vivant’s Pure C + E to protect your radiant glow all summer and beyond.