In a city like Edmonton in Alberta, the seasons change drastically and we get to experience many diverse climate conditions! Whether the seasons are changing or you’re moving to a different part of the world, your skin will react to its surroundings. This is why it is important to acclimate your skin to the climate conditions of your environment. Adding or exchanging certain products in your routine can help avoid breakouts during seasonal skin changes.
Environmental influences
We all have our skin type to work with, however, seasonal skin changes are due to environmental influences. For instance, the summer tends to be hotter with higher humidity levels resulting in much higher water loss. In addition, the longer days often mean we receive more sun exposure. As a result, your skin is more likely to become damaged and dehydrated. You will collect excess buildup from sweat, makeup, and dirt which can clog your pores.
We recommend using products that cleanse away that build up. Also, exfoliation becomes more important in the summer because it helps to remove the surface layers of the skin.
Can skin types change with the season?
Normal combination skin types that border on dry skin can experience full-on dryness in the wintertime. This is due to changes in the environment, for example, cold exposure. The cold can be harsh on the skin as well as cause wind rash. We recommend physically covering you skin with a scarf during the winter months. Just remember to keep the scarf clean!
In addition, in the winter you get double sun exposure coming directly from the sun, and the reflective exposure that bounces off the snow. For this reason if you find yourself on a mountain, or going skiing or doing anything outdoors, make sure you wear sunscreen! Plus you’re more likely to get a chapped sunburn/windburn so make sure to protect your skin.
On the other hand, normal combination skin types that border on oily skin can become full-on oily in the summertime and are more prone to breaking out due to heat exposure or high humidity. They should switch to a lighter, oil-free moisturizer in the summer.
Treating seasonal damage
In the fall, skin starts to dry up a little. Summer damage should be lifted with skin treatments such as photofacials or chemical peels. Ideally, these treatments should take place at the end of summer or the beginning of fall.
The goal of the treatments is to remove the cap of dead summer skin and rejuvenate your skin. This will help the ingredients in your products actually make it to the cells that need the extra hydration and nutrients.
Your skin will go through some processes depending on how severe the sunburn is. Sunburn relief treatment consists of soothing and protecting. Sunburn recovery treatment will depend on the flaking process.
Sunburn Phase 1
First, you will experience a burning sensation, stinging and possibly blistering. This will be followed by some scabbing or flaking of the skin. During this initial period where the skin really sensitive, we recommend using a barrier balm over top of a soothing gel that contains grape seed oil or aloe vera.
Aloe Vera improves skin hydration and delivers strong anti-inflammatory benefits.
Aloe vera is very good for calming the skin and keeping the area hydrated. It helps the healing process along by acting as a protective shield against environmental pollutants. This in turn helps retain moisture which helps repair damage to epidermal cells.
Try using the Glo’s barrier balm. It will lock in hydration and prevent any extra water loss while protecting from the elements. In addition, it contains vitamin E which helps the skin heal faster.
Sunburn Phase 2
After the initial period you will see the flaking process. While this means having new fresh skin, the process will either leave you with hyperpigmentation or hypopigmentation.
Hyperpigmentation is the result of the sun bringing out excess melanin in the skin. This can appear as sunspots, freckles, or blotches on the skin.
Hypo-pigmentation happens when damaged skin and the surrounding skin has been tanned by the sun but the fresh cells don’t have that tan which leaves blank spaces or “hypo-pigmentation”.
To resolve the after effect for hyperpigmentation we recommend photofacials, for hypo-pigmentation we recommend chemical peels.
Can you get rid of sunburn overnight?
In short, the answer is no. However, you can soothe sunburn and prevent form getting worse. As soon as you notice, you need to pull that heat out of your skin. Draw the heat out by using ice packs or anything else that cools the skin. After that, you have to hydrate immediately. Soothing gels that are water based are excellent for protection. However, even if you act promptly, chances are you’ll still have damage because once the skin has been damaged you cant reverse it, only heal it.
Is Vaseline good for sunburn?
Vaseline is a good sunburn treatment in the sense that it will keep moisture in the skin but it does not allow trans-epidermal movement. So, while you’re not losing moisture, you’re also not getting extra moisture in. This won’t hurt but it wont help to heal. The faster you heal the less chances of extra damage.
