3 Post-Sun Care Tips To Avoid Skin Damage + Ingredients To Look For
I won't say that post-sun care is as important as pre-sun care (you know, applying SPF), but I will say that I think it deserves more attention. Of course the best thing you can do for your skin is to protect it from UV exposure by utilizing sunscreen and being smart about the time you spend in the rays. But after the fact, you also want to make sure you're comforting and caring for it.
After sunny holiday weekends—where hopefully ample time was spent enjoying time with loved ones and the great outdoors—it's important to pare back your skin care routine and focus on soothing the skin.
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Here, how you can avoid irritating your skin after spending time in the sun.
Using soothing ingredients
Post-sun (even if you didn't get a burn), the most important thing is to rehydrate your skin. A long day outdoors can dry out the skin due to a wide range of causes, from salt water, chlorine, heat, and so on. Give your skin the tall drink of water it's desperately craving.
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"The gold standard for a natural product is aloe," board-certified dermatologist Christina Chung, M.D., once told mbg. "It works well for post-sun care because of its anti-inflammatory properties."
Not only is it soothing, but it can even address sun spots thanks to a natural component of the plant called aloesin. In fact, one study showed that topical application of aloesin can directly inhibit hyperpigmentation from forming.
While it's the most famous, it's certainly not the only one. Oat extracts, like oat oil and colloidal oat, have soothing properties. "Extracts of oat have been shown to lessen inflammatory mediators in the skin, giving significant clinical improvements in skin dryness, scaling, roughness, and itch intensity," board-certified dermatologist Loretta Ciraldo, M.D., FAAD, once told us about using the ingredient in skin care.
Or if you want to focus on barrier support, shea butter is another excellent option. It's been shown to seal moisture into the skin1. One study even suggests it has similar topical effects as ceramides2.
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Chill out on potent topicals
If you are experiencing some inflammation from being outdoors, slow down on the aggressive ingredients for the time being. While actives like retinols, AHAs, and BHAs will come in handy once skin has gone back to normal—they shouldn't be used while your barrier is irritated.
Once the skin has calmed down—you'll know when it stops showing signs of inflammation, like redness, flushing, burning, sensitivity, or irritation—then you can start using them again.
In fact, retinol can help reverse damage after the fact. "Topical retinoids are useful in repairing photodamage (damage to the skin caused by UV radiation)," board-certified dermatologist Rebecca Marcus, M.D., explains about reversing sun damage. Here are our favorite retinol serums.
Amp up on antioxidants
Antioxidants, by definition, fight free radical damage. This makes them essential in post-sun care—or any skin care really. Really, there's no upper limit to antioxidant protection, so use a variety and use them often!
But a few we'll highlight here: Safflower seed oil is a botanical oil rich in essential fatty acids and antioxidants, including a very special flavonoid called acacetin. A 2020 study found that safflower seed oil and this compound can reduce damage caused by UVB exposure, specifically stopping damage to collagen.
It works by blocking an enzyme called collagenase-1, which is responsible for collagen loss. Collagen, you might know, is the skin's primary structural protein. It's what keeps skin looking firm, lifted, and youthful.
With its loss comes sagging, fine lines, and wrinkles. Sun damage is actually the No. 1 cause of premature aging, accounting for up to 80% of visible aging.
Speaking of collagen, we also love vitamins C and E, which are vital parts of the collagen synthesis process3. Vitamin C has the ability to "turn on" your body's collagen production abilities through the fibroblasts, and vitamin E helps C by recharging it. They're synergistic vitamins that work together to become more effective.
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The takeaway
Please—please, I beg of you—protect your skin from sun damage before and during UV exposure. And after the fact, be sure to use soothing, antioxidant-rich ingredients that comfort the delicate skin barrier.
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Alexandra Engler is the beauty director at mindbodygreen and host of the beauty podcast Clean Beauty School. Previously, she's held beauty roles at Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire, SELF, and Cosmopolitan; her byline has appeared in Esquire, Sports Illustrated, and Allure.com. In her current role, she covers all the latest trends in the clean and natural beauty space, as well as lifestyle topics, such as travel. She received her journalism degree from Marquette University, graduating first in the department. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.