As summer draws to a close, it means that it is time to go back to school. Whether you are in school or have kids who are, a new school year means stress. With stress comes issues with your skin, including acne, fine lines, blotchiness, and a dull complexion. Luckily, there are some skin care tips you can follow that will help you get through the back to school transition with radiant, blemish free skin. College lifestyles are notoriously stressful and unhealthy, so college students especially might find their stress manifesting itself on their skin. If you want to send a gift basket to your college student, include a few skin care items to help them out.

Skin Care to Destress

Stress is a powerful feeling that often manifests itself in your body. Stress can exacerbate conditions like eczema, rosacea and acne. It can also cause your hormones to be out of whack, leading to acne. Additionally, stress makes you look haggard and tired, while causing premature wrinkling, sagging and a lack of radiance. Stress speeds up aging, while also affecting your skin’s ability to produce collagen. When you are stressed, you need to treat your skin well. In addition to reducing your stress, look for skin care items that relax and rejuvenate. You can buy some soap or bubble bath that includes lavender, an essential oil known for relaxing the body.

Try this: Dr. Hauschka Lavender Bath, Eminence Lavender Age Corrective Night Concentrate, and Pevonia Anti-Stress Bath & Shower Gel.

Antioxidants

Antioxidants are always important ingredients in any skin care product, but when your skin is stressed, they are even more important. Antioxidants fight the free radicals and oxidative stress that cause premature again. Vitamin C, A and E are important antioxidants for the skin. Vitamin C helps with collagen production, which counters the negative effects on your skins collagen caused by stress. Vitamin A helps fight and heal acne. Vitamin E also helps to fight inflammation and heal your skin.

Try this: Eminence Sugar Plum Oil-free Revitalizer, Revale Skin Illuminesse Brightening Complex, and Eminence Mandarin and Rooibos Antioxidant Mask.

Exfoliate

After a summer of fun outdoors, it is time to exfoliate all the dead skin off your face, and your whole body. If you have had a lot of sunburns, you might be peeling, so you need to be very gentle with your skin. Exfoliation will get rid of the dull, dead layer of skin cells and make way for the new, radiant cells to reach the surface. These cells are healthier, moisturized and will make you look great. Only exfoliate about once a week, and do not forget to apply moisturizer after.

Try this product: PGA Gentle Exfoliant, Clarisonic Refining Skin Polish, and Yonka Gommage 303 Exfoliater

Fight Acne

Stress leads to acne, so if you are acne prone, then be sure to change your skin care regime to fight acne. You do not want too strong of products, as sometimes these dry the skin out too much, leading to breakouts. Use an oil free deep cleanser to get rid of any bacteria. If you have breakouts, then apply a salicylic acid or similar anti-bacterial agent. Remember to use a lotion or moisturizer to keep the balance of oil on your skin. When your skin’s oil is out of balance, it can lead to either acne or a dull, dry appearance.

Try this product: SkinMedica Acne System, Murac Acne & Aging Skin Solution, and PCA Skin Acne Gel.

Skin Rejuvenating Products

When your body is stressed, your skin is stressed. Rejuvenating products will help to counter the stress. They are often filled with antioxidants and other healthy ingredients that nourish and moisturize your skin. They will help you to look young and radiant, taking away some of that tired, haggard look that you have due to stress and possible sleepless nights. Do not forget your under eye area. Because the skin under the eye is so thin, it shows stress quicker than anywhere else on your face, leading to dark bags under your eyes. You can use some nice eye revitalizing cream to fight this discoloration, making you look well rested.

Try this: EltaMD Renew Eye Gel, Dr. Hauschka Radiant You, and Murad Resurgent Youthful Skin Renewal Kit.

Other Advice:

In addition to helpful skin care products, there is some advice to helping your skin look beautiful and stress free, even if you are under a heavy amount of stress due to the new semester of school.

• Don’t Go to Bed with Makeup: Always wash your face at the end of the day, no matter how tired you are. If you go to sleep with makeup on, you are just asking for breakouts.
• Don’t Share your Makeup Tools: Makeup tools and makeup can be rife with bacteria. If you share with anyone else, you are just asking for an infection.
• Shorten your Routine: One easy way to minimize stress is to shorten your daily skin care regime. Find the products that are not necessary, and stop using them. Clean your face, moisturize, protect, add a bit of makeup and go. See if you can get it under five minutes, and save the longer routine for when you have more time or it is a special occasion.
• Sun Protection: Never forget to protect your skin from the damaging effects of the sun.
• Eat Well, Relax, Exercise, and Take Baths: Eating well and exercising benefits your skin no matter what time of year. However, when you are stressed out, it is even more important that you have the proper nutrients. Working out works your circulation, and helps you to relax. When you are stressed, like at the start of a school year, relaxation is so important. Mediate, do yoga, take a bath, or do something else to help minimize your feelings of stress. Your skin will thank you.
• Replace any old Products: The start of a new school year is often time to go shopping for school supplies, new clothes, and more. Make it the time to replace any old, out of date products. You can also look at your makeup tools and see if any need to be replaced.

Through using a few key skin care products and managing your stress, you can make it through the start of a new school year looking fresh, well rested, stress free and radiant.