ALMetro360 April 18

{ beauty & health } 44 RIVER REGION LIVING www.riverregionliving.com The summer season is a time of abundant sunshine and carefree adventure, but summertime also means lots of heat, excessive sun exposure and plenty of skin care challenges. When bathing suit and shorts season arrives, you cannot hide your dry skin, sunburn and other skin problems, so prevention is the best defense. If you want to be ready when the real heat of summer ar- rives, you need to prepare your skin now. There are plenty of defensive techniques you can use to keep your skin looking great all summer long, no matter how hot it gets or how much you sweat. Here are eight summer skin care tips to get you started. • Read the ingredients on all your skin care products. Skin care products that contain alcohol and other harsh ingre- dients can dry out your skin even more, leaving it red, blotchy and blemished. Use only alcohol-free moisturizers and skin care products for the duration of the summer season. • Limit your sun exposure. The sun might feel great on your skin, but it can also leave you with a nasty burn and dry skin to boot. Limit sun exposure during the hottest parts of the day, always use sunscreen with a high SPF and consider a sun- hat for those fun days at the beach. • Soothe your skin with aloe vera gel after sun expo- sure and whenever your skin feels dry. Genuine aloe vera has cooling properties, and it will make your skin feel great. • Keep your showers short and cool. Hot showers and extended time under the spray of the showerhead can dry out your skin even more. Keep your summer showers as cool as possible, and apply a quality moisturizer to your skin as soon as you are done. • Use a natural exfoliant to remove dead skin and leave your face looking great. Almond, apricot and walnut all have natural moisturizing properties, so look for products that con- tain these all-natural ingredients. • Avoid air conditioning. It may seem counterintuitive, but air conditioning can actually be bad for your skin. Air con- ditioners dry out the indoor air, leaving your skin exposed and making existing dry skin problems worse. Tips for Avoiding Dry Skin This Summer STAFF REPORT