Summer Beauty Advice

Get Holiday-Ready With Beauty Advice From Newcastle's Top Beauty Salons

It’s finally holiday season!  It might have felt a long time coming and I’m sure you’re excited to jet off to warmer climes, strip off all the layers and lap up the sun.  At the risk of sounding boring, I’m afraid it’s time to think about protecting your skin against the harmful effects of the sun. With mixed messages about getting out in the sun to help our bodies generate vitamin D and staying out of the sun to avoid skin damage, it’s easy to get confused.

Summer Ready Beauty Advice From City Retreat Salons Spas in Newcastle Gosforth Jesmond

The Difference Between UVA and UVB

There are loads of different types of sun rays, but the ones we hear most about are the Ultra Violet rays or UV.

These can be broken down into UVA and UVB. So much is written about UVB, but very little is said about the UVAs.

As you may already know, UVB rays cause sunburn and play the greatest role in causing skin cancer.

While UVA rays play a role in skin cancer formation, these rays also penetrate the skin more deeply and cause skin-aging changes including wrinkles. UVA rays are around 500 times more prevalent in sunlight than UVB rays and yet almost all the safety talk around sun protection focuses on UVB rays.

The ever-present sunscreen we all use has proved effective in preventing sunburn and thereby skin cancers, but what can we do to protect ourselves against harmful and aging UVA rays?

Staying out of the sun, wearing sunglasses and hats all help to protect ourselves against UVA damage.

In terms of sunscreen, make sure you invest in broad spectrum sunscreen that protects against both UVA and UVB rays, and wear it every day. Sun damage can happen without us even knowing it so take care.

Protecting your face from the sun on holiday

Your face is one of the parts of your body which needs the most care and attention. It’s always out in the sun (unless you wear a sunhat all the time) and is the area of the body which is most prone to ageing.

Moisturisers with built in Sun Protection Factor (SPF) are brilliant. We all need to moisturise our faces so why not protect them at the same time? Look out for moisturisers like Pro-Collagen Marine, which provide the all the usual benefits of a moisturiser, as well as protection from the sun.

Lesley says: “On top of moisturiser with SPF, light minerals are excellent for added protection. I never go with out my Jane Iredale mineral foundation. It gives a light base, which is ideal of holidays, so my skin tone looks better, and I have the added protection from sunburn, pigmentation and anti-ageing. Without looking or feeling heavily ‘made-up’, what’s not to love??”

However, if you don’t like wearing any makeup on holiday, choose something like the Elemis Daily Defence Shield, which has SPF30 built in

Other tips for staying protected and healthy on holiday

Basically, it’s all about water, water, water. Drink plenty to keep your body and skin hydrated – this is absolutely crucial in a warm climate, to avoid dehydration.

Stay out of the direct sun whenever possible, wear sunscreen and lip balm (with SPF) and wear protective clothing to shelter your skin. And we’ll say it again. Drink lots and lots of water.

Why not give your skin a treat in the evening with a hydrating face mask, cooling eye mask and lashings of after sun or body cream to lock in the much-needed moisture of your skin?

Once you’ve got all that covered, head to the pool, sit back and relax – it’s your holiday, after all!

With much love and holiday vibes,

The City Retreat team