Suffering from pimples in the summer?

Acne, also known as old Dutch pimples, is never nice, but especially not in the summer. You swim, causing your foundation to disappear, and bam, there are all your ‘friends’ again. Sometimes I feel like it only gets worse in the summer, so I sought advice from Annelijn van Ierland from Skin clinic. She is an expert in all types of laser treatments and knows the whims of the skin. Here are her tips.

1. Apply SPF30 diligently. UV rays thicken the skin, causing it to clog more quickly. The sun's rays also lower immunity, leading to faster pimple formation and slower healing of old pimples. And I thought the sun dried out my pimples: not at all.

By the way, if there are still healing spots on the skin and you go out in the sun, there is a good chance that the scars will also leave pigment spots. Spot on spot, literally.

2. Use an SPF cream that closes the skin as little as possible. Preferably a water-based sunscreen. Sunscreen is often thicker in texture, which can lead to faster pimple formation. Choose one that is specifically developed for acne-prone skin, without alcohol and perfume.

3. Avoid tanning beds. They cause more sun damage, leading to faster pigment spots and a higher risk of skin cancer.

4. Use an exfoliant to keep the skin in good condition. This promotes optimal cell renewal, resulting in less oil production. May-Britt, for example, uses the exfoliant from Jetske Ultee, Uncover, or that from Trinny London.

5. Cleanse your skin well daily before going to bed, so that the pores do not get clogged. If you sweat a bit more during warm weather, cleanse your skin in between as well, but not more than twice a day, as this can dry out the skin.

Sweating can change the pH level of your skin, resulting in more oil production. Especially if sweat stays on the skin for a long time, the combination of salt and dirt can lead to faster pimple formation.

6. Use a moisturizing cream if your skin dries out too much. An overly dry skin can also produce extra oil, and from oil comes...

7. Don't change products too often, as this can throw the skin out of balance. Ask a skin therapist for product advice. It's generally safe to choose the more ‘boring’ products that are unfragranced.

8. Make sure to drink enough water and ensure that your diet is healthy and varied.

9. If you are using medication for acne, read the leaflet carefully. Some medications make the skin more sensitive to sunlight, which can lead to quicker burning.

10. Make an appointment for a professional skin treatment immediately after your vacation to address the (new) impurities and leftover spots.