Stay Fresh: Charlotte Plastic Surgery’s Top “Spring Cleaning” Skin Care Tips

Taking care of our skin is a year-round routine, but when we see the warmer months finally peeking around the corner after a long winter, it’s time to switch up our skin care products and tactics for looking your best. With new sunshine comes new concerns for our skin and the desire to start everything fresh. The flowers are blooming and the breeze feels warm. Charlotte Plastic Surgery believes springtime skin care deserves the same kind of revitalization, right? Fortunately, through the industry-leading skincare products offered at Charlotte Plastic Surgery, taking care of your skin is easier than ever before.

Our skin health specialists compiled the list below so that you can easily adjust your spring and summer cleaning schedule. Your skin will thank you later.

Keep Your Skin Care Products Fresh!

During the spring months, we are already trying to purge our homes of excess. The weather feels lighter and we want our home to feel the same way. Once we have cleared out things we no longer need, we feel a little more prepared to face the upcoming summer months and embrace opportunities to get out and enjoy the sunshine. Our bathrooms need to experience this cathartic cleanse just as much as the rest of our home. A lot of times, skin care products pile up in the bathroom as we bring home new bottles for this and that. Most of these products have a shelf life and will not function to the best of their ability once it has past.

During your skin care spring clean toss out any product that:

• Is past its use by date indicated on the bottle or tub.

• Has a changed appearance; oils separating, dried out, crusty, different color.

• Has a smell not normally associated with that product.

• Has an SPF and is older than one year.

• Is mascara older than three months.

• Are for makeup application (brushes, sponges, etc.) and are soiled beyond being cleaned.

Wipe Away Winter’s Weight from Your Skin!

Exfoliating is also so important during this time. Everything else around you is being cleaned to remove the heavy weight of winter and being tucked away all season. Your skin needs this revitalization too. All winter our skin is forced to face the dry, cold winds and can become dry or flaky. To make matters worse, we spend the season covered up with long sleeves, long pants, fuzzy socks, scarves, coats, boots… We often forget to check for thickening dry skin when we aren’t even seeing our skin! Use this time to slough off these layers with a good exfoliate. Work on feet, knees, elbows, hands, and everywhere in between. This will leave your skin feeling fresh and light. It will really feel like a weight lifted from head to toe!

Switch Up Skin Care Products for a Sunshiny Glow!

Spring and summer call for a whole new beauty routine for different weather. Once you have cleared out those old products from the cabinets and counters, you can replace them with more seasonally appropriate ones. It’s important to remember in the spring:

• You need to use a more lightweight moisturizer. When the temperatures start to rise, so does the oil output from your skin. If your moisturizer is lighter on your skin you can avoid some excess oil buildup that can lead to breakouts. Staff Pick: SkinMedica’s Ultra-Sheer Moisturizer

• It’s time to switch up your foundation. During winter months, we miss out on valuable sunshine and can take on a pasty hue. When spring comes you can brighten your face with a slightly darker foundation to give yourself a sunny glow and anticipate the natural darkening your skin will experience with spring and summer sun exposure. We don’t carry foundation, however, we do have a tinted moisturizing sunscreen that can be used as a foundation. Staff Pick: Revision’s Intellishade anti-aging moisturizer with sunscreen broad spectrum 45

• Exfoliating more often is a must. Some skin types will experience drier, duller skin during the warmer months. If you are one of these people it is important to add regular exfoliation to your routine to avoid flaky, dry skin. Staff Pick: SkinMedica’s AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser

• Avoid the signs of aging from sun exposure. Some products suppress your skin’s ability to produce melanin and can help you keep a youthful glow. With products like this, you can avoid getting age spots and freckles while spending time outdoors. Staff Pick: SkinMedica’s Lytera Brightening Complex

• Wear sunscreen!! This should be a no brainer. When the weather is nice we want to be out in it. We want to feel the warmth of springtime sunshine on our skin. The only problem with this is the increased risk of skin cancer due to more skin exposure for longer timeframes in the spring and summer. Avoid these risks by always using a broad spectrum sunscreen. Keep up this routine all year for the best protection possible! Staff Pick: Elta MD Broad Spectrum Sunscreen

Take these tips from the Charlotte Plastic Surgery team to ensure you skin has its best year yet! The condition of your skin is vitally important to our look and our health. It deserves superior care. Make sure you give it that!

If you have any questions regarding our skin care products or any of the information listed above, please contact our team today at (704) 237-0036.