I’m off to the beach, what should I bring?

The weekend’s coming up, or you have the morning or afternoon off and it’ a beautiful day out… So without giving it a second thought, you decide to go and spend that downtime chilling out on the beach. As well as something to read, music and your favourite swimsuit, be sure to remember your skincare essentials.

Today we’re going to give you a few tips so that nothing slips your mind. You’ll be able to enjoy the sun and your free time while keeping your skin fully protected.

What’s important?

• Sunscreen: it’s essential. Remember you need to protect your skin from the sun’s radiation to prevent abrasions, sunburn and the formation of pigmented lesions or the appearance of wrinkles or expression lines. Depending on the time of day, remember to apply sun cream every 1–2 hours.
• Soft, light-coloured clothing: this doesn’t absorb heat like dark fabrics, so your skin stays cooler. Wear soft clothes to prevent the irritation we often get from the mix of sun and tight clothes.
• Protect yourself with sunglasses, a hat etc.: physical barriers help protect your skin and keep it from having to absorb and process UV rays. The sun’s radiation always causes some degree of cell damage, which then has to be repaired. So, if you can avoid it, be sure to protect your eyes, which aren’t protected by the skin’s barrier.
• Water: We won’t get tired of repeating it: be sure to drink enough water. Remember that over the course of a day your skin undergoes a process of dehydration, caused by the evaporation of water from the outer layers of your skin, so it’s important to drink extra water on top of your two litres a day. Remember that certain soft drinks, infusions and teas not only don’t hydrate you, but actually promote the loss of fluids by increasing diuresis.
• Moisturising: we often forget that we need to moisturise our skin daily. If we're also going to spend our day enjoying the sunshine, we should moisturise frequently, as the skin is being attacked by an external factor, the sun.
  • Hair: if we lose too much moisture, our hair can dry out and is more susceptible to breaking. We can even be at increased risk of hair loss if we don’t pay enough attention to hair hydration. Use oils adapted to your hair, taking into account your skin and how thick your hair is.
  • Face: as well as protecting it from the sun, you need to treat your skin with extra moisturising emollients to promote cell regeneration. By using products with SPF protection, you can enjoy all the benefits of moisturising creams.
  • Body: don’t forget your body, especially the extremities and joints. The sun, sand and other external conditions can have a greater effect on your hands, elbows, knees and feet. Care for them at the end of the day with a specialised cell regeneration moisturiser.
  • Eyes: the periorbital muscles work harder on sunny days, not just because we need to reduce light passing through the cornea, but also because we blink more frequently. To stop a beautiful sunny day from leading to new expression lines or wrinkles, we recommend using specific emollients for the eye contour area. Apply these every time you need to protect your body or face from the sun and your see your skin become more resistant against ageing.

Keep these tips in mind, pack your bag and enjoy an amazing day at the beach without having to worry about the consequences.

DermatologistExpert in skin care