sun cream. that's it. that's the post.

Honestly I've been a bit surprised by how many people I've seen in clinic lately saying their skin feels tight, dry or irritated and then when I ask about SPF they go quiet. Right so I'm not going to do a big lecture here but — summer skin prep isn't really about adding loads of new products. It's mostly about not forgetting the basics. SPF every single morning, yes even in Cardiff where the sun has the audacity to disappear for three days and then come back at full blast. UV damage accumulates on cloudy days too. That part isn't debatable. The thing I do actually adjust in summer is how much I lean on heavy occlusives at night. In winter I'm basically plastering my face in barrier creams because the central heating dries everything out. Come June I scale that back and honestly my skin seems happier for it — less congested, less that weird greasy-but-still-dry feeling. Lighter humectants tend to do the job better when it's warmer. Hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, that sort of thing. Nothing fancy. I also drink a lot more water when it's warm (obvious, I know) and I've noticed that genuinely shows up in how my skin looks. There's some reasonable evidence that hydration status affects skin elasticity — nothing miraculous, but it's real. And I add collagen to my morning smoothie which I've done for a while now, not because it's a magic fix, just fits into what I'm doing anyway. Basically though: SPF, lighter layers, more water. Summer doesn't need to be complicated.