Fall into Breathable Skin - 4 Easy Steps

After the stagnating intense heat of summer, it's time to assess the damaging toll it took on your face and neck. Raise your hand if you've collected sunspots, dry patches, wrinkles, uneven skin tone, more than usual clogged pores and the dreadful acne. Fall opens the doors to all things possible, including giving your skin a much needed break so it can breathe and getting it in the best shape for winter. 

Before you start attacking your face with peels and creams, dermatologists recommend taking an assessment of what's going on with your face and neck. Did your dark spots or hyperpigmentation get worse? Identify what caused it, what's the underlying issue. The likely culprit was the searing sun, but it could have been caused by lingering bug bites, old acne scars, hormonal fluctuations or even medication. Did your acne flare up over the summer? As with anything related to skincare, prevention should be your focus. 

Here are our top 4 recommendations for recovering from summer damaged skin: 

1. Wear sunscreen - the best skincare prevention for wrinkles and damage to skin is sunscreen. What does the SPF number mean? It's associated with the amount of UVB that the sunscreen blocks. The American Academy of Dermatology recommends an SPF of 30 or more, which blocks nearly 97% of UVB rays that cause sunburns. Reapplying sunscreen is key if you're out in the sun. Timing will be driven by what you're doing and with cooler weather, you're not likely to be sweating as profusely as you did during the summer. If you have normal skin or combination skin, try sunscreen creams and if you have oily skin, try gel based sunscreen. Use sunscreens like those from Thank You Farmer that won't clog your pores and that are broad spectrum (covers UVA and UVB). 

• UVA rays (or aging rays) can prematurely age your skin, causing wrinkles and age spots, and can pass through window glass.

• UVB rays (or burning rays) are the primary cause of sunburn and are blocked by window glass.

2. Use a facial cleanser - select a facial cleanser that responds to your skin's needs by starting and ending your day with a clean face. If you haven't made the switch to a cleanser that doesn't leave your face feeling so super clean that it feels like there's no moisture left, try another one like K-Beauty Thank You Farmer's Back to Pure Daily Foaming Gel Cleanser. This gentle low-sud facial cleanser is a great choice if you have sensitive skin or acne. If you're skin needs a little more action, Doll Face's Invigorate has a refreshing foaming cleanser that contains glycolic acid and alphahydroxy acid, which helps turn over dead skin cells helping your skin look brighter. Try a gentler cleanser in the morning than at night.

3. Remove dead skin - Dead skin cells are like useless things hanging on when they no longer serve a purpose. Take stock of the damage your skin took during the summer. Masks are an essential way to remove dead skin cells gently and effectively. If you're not sure what kind of mask to use, start with masks that are gentler. Thank You Farmer has a Rice Pure Clay Mask to Foam Cleanser, which is a great way to try out a facial masks. Indulge yourself while you take care of your skin. Patyka's Double Action Smoothing Scrub makes you feel like you're getting a spa treatment with their pink facial scrub, containing natural complex with 5 fruit acids. Patyka's natural and organic approach to this scrub will gently exfoliate skin, remove dead skin cells, fade brown spots or hyperpigmentation and bring back a healthier glow.

4. Use facial moisturizer morning and night - If you've spent the time on the above 3 steps, cross the finish line with a moisturizer that addresses your skin's issues. If you have oily skin, find one that's gel based or the product says it's targeted for those with oily skin. Read the label to ensure that it's non-comedogenic. If you have acne, don't skip moisturizing, otherwise, you could make your acne worse. Your skin will over-produce oils to compensate, and that's the last thing you need. If you're looking for an anti-aging moisturizer, look for it on the label. Use a lighter facial moisturizer in the morning like Thank You Farmer's True Water Deep Cream and a heavier one for night time that soaks in moisture and replenishes skin like Dr. Jart's Cicapair Repair Cream or Hannes Dottir's Elixir of Minerals. Don't forget your neck!

Unfortunately, you're not likely going to see results overnight, so be patient and diligent about addressing those underlying issues that are preventing you from having healthy skin. Give it about 2 weeks, some take a little longer, and enjoy taking care of yourself.