[Dr. Jeon’s Secret to Healthy Skin] Sunscreen and moisturizer are all you need for spring skincare!
[Dr. Jeon’s Secret to Healthy Skin] Sunscreen and moisturizer are all you need for spring skincare!
  • 전혜찬 더서울피부과의원 원장ㅣ정리·장인선 기자ㅣ번역·김성혜 인턴기자 (desk@k-health.com)
  • 승인 2021.03.26 16:52
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Dr. Jeon Hye Chan, the director of The Seoul Dermatology

Countless tips on what to do with your skin flow out whenever the season changes. Since the season is changing from winter to spring, interests in skincare are increasing especially related to fine dust, yellow dust, and pollen. Let us look over the correlation between seasonal changes and skin in my first column for March.

Cold and hot seasons are most associated with the amount of sunlight. The change in ultraviolet rays, as well as the temperature changes in the atmosphere and the surface, can affect them, too.

First of all, you should thoroughly apply sunscreen in spring and summer. As mentioned in the previous column, it is also recommended to apply sunscreen repeatedly and use other tools such as hats and clothing that can help prevent the sunlight.

However, depending on the type of skin, applying makeup bases such as foundations or cushions on top of sunscreen can clog pores and cause sebaceous gland diseases. In this case, it is also possible to consider applying only a cushion that can block UV rays.

Patients with sensitive skin complain that they are allergic to physical sunscreen but refuse to use chemical sunscreens as they are hard to wash off. Recently, chemical sunblocks that can be well removed have been developed and released. One way to use sunscreen is to apply those that can be easily washed off when not sweating so much but use waterproof products for leisure activities or when sweating a lot.

Skin diseases associated with photosensitivity from sunlight are one of the concerns that patients often suffer from. They often come saying—"I'm allergic to sunlight"— however, rosacea exacerbated by sunlight and sunburns are more common.

That polymorphous eruption is known to be most prevalent among photosensitive skin reactions. This usually occurs in the spring and fall in temperate regions where the ratio of ultraviolet A is relatively higher than that of ultraviolet B. The reactions appear in various forms: blisters, erythema, a papular eruption, etc. They also occur more severely as parts that were covered throughout the winter get exposed to sunlight.

In spring, people often feel dry, commonly because of less humidity and skin barriers becoming inflamed when damaged by fine dust, sunlight, and dryness, leading to secondary dryness from the inflammation. Most patients who complain of the dryness visit hospitals also complaining of skin redness or itchiness, but rarely with only dead skin on their white skin.

Therefore, it is necessary to soothe inflammation that can occur during the spring season to resolve the skin dryness. Sunlight can be solved with sunscreen and dryness with moisturizer. If you have sensitive skin, it is recommended to find and use odorless non-preservative cosmetics as much as possible.

Then, what can we do about fine dust? There seems to be no way to completely avoid the dust, as there have been reports that exercising outdoors is more helpful for improving health even if there is fine dust. Some of the patients with sensitive skin can sometimes tell the level of fine dust due to the stinging of their skin, not having to check the weather forecast.

Cosmetics for fine dust can also be an alternative. They are formulations creating an adsorption film that prevents fine dust from contacting the skin, wiping out fine dust, or reducing the inflammatory reaction of fine dust. These products are largely divided into cleansers, blockers, and antioxidants.

However, these products often cause skin irritation. Patients frequently visit hospitals with folliculitis after using antioxidant face packs every day. As there is a saying, "go further and fare worse," hypoallergenic cleansers, moisturizers, and sunscreen alone are enough to manage skin in spring to some extent.

This is the same with hay fever. The basic treatment principle of allergies is to avoid one's allergens. Large tree pollens are common in spring, small tree pollens in late summer, and weed pollens in autumn. If you have recurring symptoms every year, you need to check which allergens cause allergic reactions. If it is difficult to avoid allergens, respiratory symptoms can be resolved by wearing a mask, and for skin symptoms, lessen irritation and soothe inflammation.

Besides, the amount of mist and toner is often increased to hydrate the skin, which is more irritative to sensitive skin, and leads to drier skin as the moisture evaporates. If you think your skincare routine irritates your skin, it's much more helpful to reduce the number of cosmetics you use.

 



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