When you think about finding your dream home or second home on the Costa del Sol, it is important to also prepare your skin for the sun: sun protection or SP

Sun protection should be a habit throughout the year but, if you adopt these measures in spring, your skin will be ready for when the heat comes.

Photoprotection is the mantra that dermatologists repeat when they give their basic advice to take care of the skin. These specialists always insist on the harmful effects of ultraviolet rays on the dermis, both aesthetically and healthily, since sun exposure without adequate protection favors the appearance of wrinkles, damages the skin and, in addition, increases the risk of skin cancer or cataracts, to put just a couple of examples.

Although the ideal is that the habit of protecting the skin from the sun is maintained throughout the year, the truth is that there are a number of tips that should be followed in spring so that the arrival of heat does not catch us off guard. Are these:

Nutrition
The ravages of the sun on unprotected skin can be mitigated from within, paying attention to the fact that daily food has a sufficient supply of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, elements present in fruits and vegetables that help reduce free radicals, elements responsible for oxidation of tissues and cell damage. Especially recommended are dark green leafy vegetables, citrus fruits and yellow, red and orange fruits and vegetables to ensure optimal intake of vitamin C and beta-carotene.

Supplements
There are nutritional supplements in capsules that can begin to be taken from a couple of months before the most intensive sun exposure to protect the skin from the sun’s rays. These products are sold in pharmacies and parapharmacies and are composed, basically, of antioxidants, lycopene, beta carotene and vitamins, and some incorporate Polypodium leucotomus (which improves sun photoprotection). However, this treatment does not exclude the rest of the photoprotection measures that are still necessary to avoid burns and other skin damages due to solar overexposure.

Exfoliation
A deeper cleaning of the skin contributes to eliminate fat, waste and dead cells, leaving a silky and thinner skin, in addition to being much more receptive to the care that is applied later. In addition, it favors that the tan that is acquired is uniform. In the spring, it is time to modify the facial cleansing routines (making them more frequent to eliminate the perspiration or creams) and skin care.

Hydration
The rise in temperatures increases the dehydration of the skin. It is time to start compensating for this factor with facial and body moisturizers that provide more hydration to the skin. In addition, it is advisable to increase the water intake or resort to thermal water vaporizers to refresh and moisturize the skin when we notice something drier. Some of these formulations include sun protection factor.

Photoprotection
As the spring progresses, we release the coats, the turtlenecks, the scarves … to give way to short sleeves, suspenders and lighter garments. This means that a good part of the skin that we normally keep safe from the sun’s rays is exposed. To protect it, it is necessary to use light creams with a sun protection factor of at least 30. For the face it is convenient to use, either a moisturizer that already contains the sunscreen, or use a sunscreen before the daily moisturizer. If you are going to put on make-up, the correct order is: sunscreen, moisturizer and foundation. There are make-up bases that also incorporate sun protection. If the filter is sufficiently high (around 30) you can do without the specific sunscreen. For skin exposure in the summer months, it is recommended to use sunscreens with FP 50. There are adequate filters for each type of skin (dry, fat, reactive, infantile …) as well as adapted to the individual needs of each patient. function of age, sex, previous clinical history of skin cancer or even cosmetic preferences.

In addition to these measures, specialists recommend always wearing sunglasses with appropriate lenses to protect the eyes from ultraviolet radiation. Also, as the heat progresses it is advisable to wear caps, hats or visors as a physical barrier that prevents the sun’s rays from damaging our skin, especially in the middle of the day and when we go to the beach, to the mountains, to the pool or to do outdoor activities.

Ok now that you are completely sun-proof, we are happy to look for your ideal home on the Costa del Sol together with you.