Let’s tackle the most common summer skin problems

If I had to choose which season would be my favourite, I would always think of summer. The gentle heat, the summer breeze, the bright and vibrant days, and the long languorous evenings, are all just so appealing. However, every season has its advantages and disadvantages, and everybody is different.

Some of my clients’ skins thrive in the warmer months, whilst some fare a lot better in the colder months; it all depends on our genes, our lifestyles and a myriad of other factors. The most common complaints I see in the summer are the following…

So, let’s go through each and every one of these, so that I can provide you with our EB Remedy Recipe!

 

Acne breakouts and oily or sticky skin is by far the most common complaint I experience. Although this only affects those of us with an oily tendency to our skin, it becomes worse in the heat. When it’s warmer, we sweat more and bacteria loves warmth - mix that with some sweat … et voilà we have breakouts!

There is little difference between treating breakouts in the summer or during any other season for that matter. The importance is to balance hydration levels and sebum (oil) levels, although it can be a little trickier in the summer, and we need to pay closer attention to it.

Our EB Recipe:

• Cleanse with Lait U
• Exfoliate with Lotion P50W (although not if you’re in the sun)
• Mask with Masque Vivant
• Serumise with Sérum Amniotique E. and Sérum Placenta
• Cream with Emulsion Gel Biosensible S.R. or Crème Placenta

 

 

Blotchy skin is my second most common complaint. This occurs when you would already have a sensitive or sensitised skin, which would then become exacerbated in the warmer weather. More extreme forms of heat or cold will unfortunately bring out these sensitivities, but you will probably realise that as your skin (and you) acclimatises to the new weather, in most cases, it should dissipate naturally. This is not to be confused with melasma (pigmentation), we’re talking about blotchy skin with redness here. But let’s give it a helping hand and strengthen that skin!

Our EB Recipe:

• Cleanse with Lait U
• Don’t Exfoliate
• Multi-mask with Masque Biosensible and Masque Visolastine +
• Serumise with Sérum Amniotique E. and Sérum Biosensible
• Cream with Crème Echinoderm au Complexe Bio-Marin

 

Sunburn, we all get sunburn from time to time, especially at the beginning of our holidays when our skin isn’t used to the sun yet. My clients are always much more concerned with the side effects of the sunburn, rather than the actual burn itself, and they’re right to be! I love my clients! Increased ageing, pigmentation, loss of elasticity, loss of plumpness can all be side effects of sunburn. The key with this one is to reverse the damage as quickly as possible; this would mean to focus on repairing, nourishing & hydrating, and …. wearing a hat for a few days to allow it to heal.

Our EB Recipe:

• Cleanse with Lait U
• Don’t Exfoliate
• Multi-mask with Masque Visolastine + or Crème Masque Vernix
• Serumise with Sérum Colostrum and Sérum Placenta
• Cream with Réparation U.V.
• Wear a Hat (keep the burnt area out of the sun for at least 2 days)

 

 

Dry and irritated skin is also quite a common complaint. Sun, air conditioning and chlorinated pools can all contribute to skin irritation and dryness. This is one of the easiest complaints to sort out, all you need is a little repairing and some hydration and nourishment. Easy peasy!

Our EB Recipe:

• Cleanse with Lait E.V.
• Don’t Exfoliate
• Multi-mask with Masque Biosensible and Masque Visolastine + or Crème Masque Vernix
• Serumise with Sérum Colostrum and Sérum Biosensible
• Cream with Crème Dermo RL, Emulsion Originelle Régénérante (E.O.R for short) or simply continue with the Crème Masque Vernix
• Finish off with a Finishing Serum such as the Fluide VIP O2 (this is a real saviour for this skin concern!)

 

 

Pigmentation, ahhh the dreaded pigmentation! The trick with this one is to catch it early. Once you’ve had it for a while, it becomes more and more difficult to get rid of. It’s quite like a tree, the more mature the tree, the stronger and deeper its roots are, but a young tree can be blown over if a gust of wind is strong enough. Pigmentation rears its ugly head more in the summer, as our skin gets tanned, so do our pigmentation patches, so they’re more visible, but they were always there. So, when you see some slight discolouration in your skin of a brownish hue, don’t wait! Get hold of those anti-pigmentation products and treat it straight away. However, whenever you choose to treat your pigmentation, I always advise to not go in the sun at all. Pigmentation products work on exfoliating the skin and combatting the melasma, so your skin barrier will be compromised when you go through this treatment. If you go in the sun, you will risk further pigmentation. Because this is quite hard to treat, it’s always better to focus on prevention, so get that SPF out, and apply every 2 to 3 hours whilst in the sun.

Our EB Recipe for existing pigmentation:

• Follow your usual routine and add the following products:
• Lotion P50 PIGM400 (don’t apply whilst in the sun though)
• Serumise with Sérum PIGM 400
• Cream with Crème PIGM400

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our EB Recipe to prevent pigmentation:

• Just SPF, so use the Protection U.V. whilst in the sun and apply every 2-3 hours.

 

 

 

Now let’s explore the most common complaints regarding the body!

 

Prickly Heat is an affliction that can come and go during the summer, or you may have it some summer and not others… it’s quite a fickle little thing. Prickly heat appears because we sweat more when it’s warmer, our sweat glands are then over worked and get blocked. This causes little bumps on the skin, which then burst and provide a lovely prickly sensation. Lovely! The way to combat this one is to try to keep cool when you can and to remove and dry excess sweat whenever possible.

Our EB Recipe:

• Try not to use any harsh soaps which will overly dry out your skin.
• Avoid heavy body creams and SPFs, which would further block sweat glands.
• I highly recommend the Emulsion Corps VIP O2, which is a lovely hydrating light spray emulsion for the body. It doesn’t leave a trace on your skin, but is intensely hydrating, which is exactly what you need!

 

 

Back Acne or “Bacne” is again a very common complaint for those of us with oilier tendencies to our skin, but also with hormonal imbalances. Some of us may suffer from this all year round at a milder level, but would probably flare up in the summer months, again due to sweat and bacteria build-up. The aim with this concern is to treat it quite similarly to a break out on the face; we want to focus on regulating the sebum and hydration levels, but because this is on the back, we don’t have to be so careful as our skin is thicker there.

Our EB Recipe:

• Make sure you rinse all excess shampoo, conditioner or soap after your shower. The oils within these products will exacerbate the situation.
• Exfoliate with Lotion P50 Corps to the affected area after your shower.
• Mask with the invigorating Masque Bain De Plantes. This multi-faceted mask can be applied to the face, body and scalp to regulate sebum secretion, eradicate bacteria and purify all at the same time! (Although I only recommend to apply this product to the face in exceptional circumstances as it’s quite strong.)

  

 

Last, but not least, Ingrown hairs or Folliculitis is one I hear about quite a lot. We tend to shave a lot more in the summer months, to show off our lovely legs! However, if we don’t shave properly and carefully, these awful little pimples can appear and ruin our whole look! Folliculitis occurs when the hair follicles become clogged and infected, and ingrown hairs occur when the hair simply can’t penetrate the skin. The cures for both of these symptoms are quite similar.

Our EB Recipe for Folliculitis:

• If you wax, make sure the hygiene level is high around you.
• If you shave, use a clean blade every time and avoid the areas affected until they’re healed.
• Apply the Complexe Iribiol to the affected area to further the anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory process.
• Apply a few dots of the Crème Masque Vernix to the affected areas to quicken the healing process.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our EB Recipe for Ingrown Hairs:

• Exfoliation, Exfoliation, Exfoliation! Spritz the Lotion P50 Corps onto the affected areas after your shower and work the product in with the Gant Massage Corps. This will attack those pesky ingrown hairs both mechanically and chemically.
• Follow this recipe every evening or morning until you have smooth skin!
• Spritz on the Emulsion Corps VIP O2 to keep your skin lightly hydrated.

 

 

As we’ve discussed, there’s no reason why these pesky things should ruin your amazing summer holidays! And they’re all not that difficult to treat, so give these EB Recipes a go!

 

As always with our beloved Biologique Recherche methodology, these are all broad guidelines to treat the concerns mentioned. If you would prefer to have a more personalised recommendation, please do not hesitate to take our Online Skin Analysis, call us or email us, we’re always happy to help!