Summer is here, and it’s time to shine. But if you have extra dry skin or oily pores, achieving a beautiful glow (not just a sweaty sheen) can feel impossible. So we reached out to the dermatologists at Schweiger Dermatology Group in New York to find out how to get glowing skin all season long. First, we wanted an expert’s definition of glowing skin because we weren’t even sure what it means to glow. Glowing skin is skin that is moist and soft — not dull, dry or flaky. Glowing skin is characterized by small pores, even complexion and clear skin without blemishes.
Your skin will glow depending on the quality of of the skin. What are those qualities?
- Evenness of the skin color — no matter what color it is. What we don’t want is the patchy colored skin
- Pores– the pores on skin also contributes to the texture. Smaller the pores, better the texture
- Texture of the skin — smoothness or roughness of skin. Good texture more dependent on the hydrated or moisturized skin
- Clear skin — what we need is clean, clear skin without acne, blemishes, dark spots, etc.,
Skin glows when it’s smooth enough to reflect light. On the other hand, skin becomes dull when rough, dead skin cells pile up and diffuse light. Children and teenagers glow more easily because their skin cells turn over, or renew themselves, every 28 days on average.
As we age, this process increasingly slows down, and is it is also always affected by other factors like overall health, diet, quality of sleep, medication, or hormonal changes that can cause cell turnover to take up to a few months. The result is that your skin becomes duller and loses some of its reflective qualities.
Increased circulation is another factor that contributes to glowing skin. Ever notice how you glow more after a workout, even after you’ve showered? That’s because the increased blood supply to your skin flushes blood to the surface of the skin and makes it appear rosy or glowing when reflected in the light.
Increased blood flow also regulates temperature and may carry more waste or toxins to the sweat glands to where they can be cleared and cleansed through sweat. Pregnant women also have naturally increased circulation and that is one of the reasons they seem so radiant.
