e.l.f. Discovery

5 Tips to Help Get Acne-Prone Skin Ready for Summer

By Aimee Lubrano

Summer is coming! That means it’s easy to focus on swimsuits, sandals and getting a bikini-ready body. However, being “summer-ready” goes beyond the beach and getting in shape. What about getting your skin set for the hot summer season?

With vacation getaways, skin-baring wardrobes, fun in the sun and warm, breezy summer nights on the horizon, we can’t forget to prep our skin, too. Yes, SPF is hero! But it takes a little more than just SPF to get your skin prepped in time for the heat wave. Ever google the term ‘bacne’? IYKYK. Back acne is an embarrassing skin condition that can ruin your summer and your confidence in the same way facial acne can.

To help prepare for summer, try these tried and true techniques to get head to toe summer lovin’ skin.

But First, Exfoliate

Exfoliation. Your new favorite activity—even if you have dry skin! The same way we need to exfoliate our faces, the same attention must be paid to the skin on our body, too. Regular exfoliation becomes particularly important for maintaining a smooth and glowing appearance all over as the warmer months approach. Whether you use a body brush, a gentle scrub, or a topical product to do it, exfoliation is that critical first step to sloughing off dead, dull, dry skin cells that accumulate on the surface of skin.

This process helps unclog pores to keep your skin clean. By exfoliating your body on a regular basis, you create a smoother canvas for the application of moisturizers and other skincare products. And bonus! Exfoliation can also help improve the appearance of skin tone and texture leading to a more radiant complexion, as well as reduce the appearance of imperfections and flaws. Jackpot!

Whether you're prepping for a day at the beach or simply want to feel confident in your summer wardrobe, exfoliating your body's skin can help you reveal fresh, radiant, healthy-looking skin and achieve a luminous, youthful glow that's sure to turn heads.

Stay in the Clear by Cleansing Daily

Besides exfoliation, another key step to keeping your skin clean and hydrated is daily cleansing head to toe. That means bookending your day with a gentle, clarifying cleanser like e.l.f.’s Acne Clarifying Cleanser!

If you don’t cleanse daily, you may as well expect clogged pores. Yuck! Dirt and bacteria can accumulate which can contribute to acne. No bueno! Throughout the day, especially in warmer months, our skin is exposed to tons of environmental pollutants, dirt, bacteria, and makeup residue—all of which can accumulate on the skin’s surface and clog pores.

Keeping up with your daily cleanse helps to remove the impurities which helps reduce the potential for clogging pores and breakouts. Not to mention the fact that daily cleansing removes excess oil, sweat, and dead skin cells that can build up on the skin's surface... things that contribute to dull, uneven looking skin. But when you cleanse daily, you can clear away these impurities, leaving yourself with a smoother, healthier-looking complexion.

Keep Your Skin Hydrated

Being thirsty isn’t a good look! Especially for your skin. Keeping skin hydrated is essential for healthy-looking, soft, supple, summer-glowing skin—especially after prolonged or additional exposure to sun, heat, and outdoor activities. As the temperatures rise, our skin's moisture can become depleted, leading it to appear dryer and more dull-looking. But on the flip side, when we hydrate and nourish skin, experts say it can be more resilient.

Well-hydrated skin has a natural radiance and glow, looking youthful and giving a refreshed appearance that's perfect for summer. When you hydrate your skin efficiently and keep it adequately moisturized, it helps lock in moisture and maintains a healthy balance, leaving skin plumper-looking and more supple. (But...that alone isn’t enough. You cannot skip SPF!

SPF! SPF! SPF! YOU NEED SPF! Did I mention SPF?

To keep your skin hydrated and summer-ready, try adding hydrating skincare products like lightweight moisturizers, serums, and facial mists into your daily routine. Try e.l.f’s Triple-Acid Resurfacing Serum and the Acne Calming Water Cream.

Don’t forget to drink plenty of water every day, too, to hydrate from the inside out! With proper hydration both in and out, your skin will be glowing all summer.

Break Up With Breakouts

If you have acne prone skin, you know keeping up with a consistent skincare routine with salicylic acid is necessary. But body breakouts? How do you avoid those? Well, the experts at e.l.f. understand that the same approach to face applies to the body—and luckily they got you, and your acne, covered for summer, too.

Forget the hard-to-reach body acne, because the Blemish Breakthrough Acne-Treating Body Mist is a no-brainer for your summer skin prep! This high-performance body care formulated with 2% Salicylic Acid helps treat existing blemishes and helps prevent new body acne while Niacinamide + Tea Tree Extract help soothe skin and even tone. Apply the Acne-Treating Body Mist to your face and any hard-to-reach spot on your body once a day. Yep, that’s all it takes.

Formulated for both face and body, this ground-breaking product can be applied to any spot thanks to a uniquely designed 360° spray nozzle that works upside down—perfect for those challenging areas that are often neglected. And its super fine, quick-drying mist leaves skin refreshed without feeling greasy.

Whether you’re a workout warrior, a jetsetter or a skincare minimalist, this versatile summer staple made for both face and body is the perfect travel size for any on-the-go lifestyle—just throw it in your gym bag or your luggage to keep your face and body on point.

Apply SPF Daily

Summer means sun. But you can’t have fun in the sun without the right protection. Don't neglect sun protection—apply daily sunscreen liberally to any and all exposed areas and reapply at least every two hours, even on cloudy days. Yep, you may not be able to see the sun, but it’s still strong enough to get through.

But forewarned is forearmed. Not all SPF is made equal. Just as the sun’s rays are invisible, yet still powerful, the same can be said of the e.l.f. Suntouchable Invisible Sunscreen SPF 35. This completely clear sunscreen and makeup primer hybrid is a lightweight, velvety-feel clear gel sunscreen with broad spectrum SPF 35 that doubles as a blurring primer to grip makeup for long-lasting wear. Invisible to the eye, which means zero white cast or greasy feel, this water-resistant, fragrance-free formula works for all skin tones and is infused with skin-loving ingredients like aloe and meadowfoam seed oil for a completely different sun-protection experience. When it comes to sun protection, the choice is clear.

Exfoliate. Cleanse. Hydrate. Protect. Repeat. Keep it simple and stress free so you can bare it all this summer! Glow get ‘em!