Spring skincare routine for a radiant skin

Spring has sprung.🌹🌺🌻🌼🌷 Days are longer, the temperature is increasing and the weather is sometimes sunny. We left winter behind and we should also leave behind our winter skincare routine. It is time to swap to the spring skincare routine and in this post, I am going to give you some tips to change easily.

Why do we need to change to a spring skincare routine?

During springtime, there is a fluctuation in the temperature and moisture levels. It may be cold during morning and evening and quite warm during the day, some days are sunny and dry while others are rainy and humid, etc. Our skin is continuously adjusting to these changes to keep the natural equilibrium. I already mentioned when I talked about how to care for your skin in winter that changes in temperature and humidity have a negative effect on our skin.

With the warm weather, the activity of the sebaceous glands increases. The skin produces more oil (even people with dry skin can feel that to some extent) and the skin pores look bigger as if they were opened.

During spring, lots of plants are flowering and animals are increasing activity again. The levels of pollen and other allergens increase and with that, the probability of suffering an allergic reaction. At the skin levels that can appear as dermatitis, skin rashes and other affections.

Another important change happening during spring is that we start to wear more summer clothes, uncovering and exposing body areas that have been covered during the winter months. These areas are now more sensitive and may suffer easily sunburns and photo-induced dermatitis.

Most common spring skin concerns

There are different skin concerns that are common during springtime. They are normally a consequence of the increase in the levels of allergens and sun exposure.

I am not an expert, if you feel any symptoms please seek medical advice. Some of the skin problems common during spring are the following:

Sunburns

Exposing your skin to the sun after the winter months, when we have been covering it with a few layers of clothes, may have negative consequences. The skin is now more sensitive and can get burnt easily. There is a post in this blog where I give some advice to avoid and treat sunburns, but in a few words, the best way to prevent sunburns is to wear sunscreen, at least SPF 30, but ideally SPF 50.

Psoriasis

Psoriasis is a tricky problem as some people will get better with sun exposure while others will get worst. It is really individual dependent. If spring is getting your psoriasis worst you can try:

Gradually expose your skin to the sun, always wearing sunscreen.

Eczema

Eczemas are a consequence of the contact of the skin with some allergens, which eventually go into the skin through cracks or pores. To avoid eczema breakout you can:

Acne

With the warm weather the amount of sweat and oil produced by the skin increases. What can be a blessing for people with dry skin is a nightmare for acne-prone skins. This oil and sweat will clog the pores increasing the frequency of acne breakouts. Some tips to manage these acne breakouts are:

Polymorphous Light Eruption or more commonly called Sun Rashes

The Polymorphous Light Eruption (PLE), aka sun rashes, is a rash caused by sun exposure in people who have developed sensitivity to sunlight.

Mayoclinic

It appears after the first days of sun exposure producing rashes mainly on the back, shoulders, and chest although they can also appear on arms and legs. They are extremely itchy but will disappear after 10 days without any treatment. After this first breakout, you don’t normally suffer any other during the season. However, this problem will appear again next spring.

I have been suffering from this problem since my early 20s (normally we develop this problem at around 20 years old). Something which helps me to relieve the itchiness is applying a light moisturiser or the Avene Thermal Water. That will not heal the rashes but trust me that you will feel so much better.

Barloque Dermatitis

This is another type of rashes that appear when the sun radiation interacts with the components of some perfumes or cosmetics, mainly the bergamot. This is very easy to avoid the problem, simply avoid wearing perfume or cosmetics containing perfumes if you are going to expose your skin to the sun. In fact, it is always advisable to avoid perfumes on the skin when you are going to expose to sun radiation, as not only bergamot can produce damage on the skin. Other ingredients, such as alcohols, may produce similar skin reactions.

Which is the best spring skincare routine?

During spring, I like to focus my skincare regime on four basic steps, although I have a full night-time skincare routine but using more lightweight products. The most important steps for me during spring are:

EXFOLIATION. I like to exfoliate my skin once or twice a week. That will eliminate dead cells and impurities, which helps to unclog pores.

CLEANSING. This is a basic step in any skincare routine. During spring I recommend you wash your skin twice a day but using a gentle cleanser.

HYDRATION. It is time to put aside the thick creams we have been using during winter and use light weigh creams. Look for formulas containing moisturising ingredients, like hyaluronic acid. If you can get a cream that includes also antioxidant ingredients in the formula you will give your skin an extra oomph.

SUN PROTECTION. During winter we normally apply sunscreen on the face. Now we start to expose to the sun more areas of the body and we should protect them to avoid future problems.

Some tips to improve the basic spring skincare routine

These are some general tips that will help any skin type to show lovely skin during this spring.

In summary, the spring skincare routine is focused on minimising the harmful effects of the initial sun exposure. Focus on hydrating your skin, from outside with moisturisers and from inside drinking water, avoid sun radiation and your skin will look soft, even, healthier and radiant.

Let me know in the comments what do you change in your skincare routine during spring.