02.18.00
by: Wende Zomnir

My favorite summer days are spent sitting on my board, catching waves. The sun heats up the chilly Pacific, and even my spring suit seems too warm. I forget for a moment the sun's damaging rays raining down on me.

Your skin (not that wetsuit) is your body's first line of defense against the elements. That's why it's so important to take care of it over the long haul, and to make adjustments as time reveals its changing needs. Good skincare takes continuous, small investments of time and money, and some willingness to experiment.

Yet it seems the skincare industry makes it all confusing in an effort to keep us buying stuff we think we need. What's AHA? Retinol? What does Vitamin C do? How about free radicals and antioxidants? To help me sort it out, I talked to Michele Alexander, a cosmetic and skincare education director for Nordstrom. Here's what we figured:

WHAT DO I NEED?

Michele came up with seven core skincare items and how to tailor them to your skin. The specific products you pick for your seven basics depend on your skin type and age:

Sunscreen (SPF 15 )-1X/day or more
Cleanser -2X/day
Moisturizer-2X/day
Eye cream (with SPF)-2X/day
Lip balm (with SPF)-1X/day or more
Body lotion/cream-1X/day or more
Exfoliating product-2-4X/week

WHAT DO I DO?
What you do also depends on your skin type and age. If you're in the ocean a lot, you may want to try some of the ideas suggested for the next older group, as an added defense:

Teens
You probably have normal or oily skin, and it may break out. But don't make the common mistake of launching an all-out attack on oil and blemishes; your goal is to cleanse and normalize your skin. How? Use a regular or oil control cleanser twice a day. Try some deep cleansing masks. Add two EXTRAS to your core items: a zit treatment and an astringent if you tend to be oily. Make sure you use a lightweight or oil-free moisturizer. And remember: NOT using moisturizer makes breakouts and oil production worse, because dry skin cells block pores, and denying the skin of moisture makes the skin produce more oil to compensate.

20s
Although your hormones have probably stabilized, monthly breakouts may still occur. Treat them gently. This is the time to look at hereditary factors like skin type/coloring, and any family history of skin cancer that may exist. Those with drier skin may want to switch to more emollient products now. Keep using a toner/astringent if necessary and maybe find a gentle, alcohol-free product. Start preventative skincare by using an AHA/BHA before your moisturizer one to two times daily.

30s
Somewhere in here you'll note the first real changes in your skin, especially around the eyes, mouth and forehead (perhaps due in part to all those sunburns you got in high school). Your skin may have less elasticity and moisture. Now is the time to put in a little more effort toward its care -- including a zealous pursuit of sunscreen. Perhaps you'll add a heavier moisturizer at night, and a hand cream to your routine (try one with an SPF and/or AHA). Start using an antioxidant at night, before your AHA and moisturizer, and try some hydrating masks.

40s
It's never too late to start caring for your skin and protecting it from future damage, even if you've been abusive (and what ocean woman hasn't at some point?) Use the same routine as the 30-somethings, but with a few adjustments: switch to more emollient products that increase hydration and moisture retention. Look for products that contain vitamins and boost your skin's firmness. Start caring for the skin on the throat and chest. Add spot treatments like lip creams if necessary.
Make sure you are getting crucial vitamins like B-6 and other antioxidants.

The Order Of Things
Whether you're using all of this stuff or just a few items, there is a certain sequence to adhere to (just leave out the steps that don't apply to you):
1.exfoliator or mask;
2.cleanser;
3.toner/astringent; 4.zit zapping treatment;
5.antioxidant/Retinol treatment (night only)*;
6.AHA/BHA*;
7.sunscreen;
8. moisturizer (with SPF) or night cream;
9. eye cream;
10. lip balm;
11. body lube.

* These products are not recommended right before going out into the sun. Surfing is worth the risk of sun damage, just as caring for your skin is worth the time. The two must go hand in hand, for as Sappho said, "yet I love refinement, and beauty and light are for me the same as desire for the sun."

SKINCARE GLOSSARY

AHA/BHA - Alpha or beta hydroxy acid, which helps skin hold water and look fresher and brighter through chemical exfoliation. Usually made with fruit acids.

Antioxidants - Compounds and vitamins that defend against free radicals. Renova, Retin-A, Retinol, and vitamin C products are all antioxidants. They boost skin's radiance and minimize age spots, sun spots and fine lines.

Cleanser - Gets the dirt, sunscreen and grime off your skin.

Exfoliator - Gently scrubs skin to remove dead layers and reveal fresh new cells, which means brighter skin.

Free Radicals - Basically, these are unbalanced molecules that try to stabilize themselves by attaching to your skin. Environmental factors, like sun, stress, pollution and poor nutrition, lead to the formation of free radicals.

Masks - These give your skin an extra jolt of hydration or cleansing (depending on what the mask is designed to do). Pore strips, while not technically masks, fall into this category and literally lift impurities out of your pores. But be careful: strips can pull off skin.

Moisturizer - Hydrates skin and helps it retain water.

Toner/astringent - Helps lift away excess oil, treat acne (if it contains salicylic acid) and/or exfoliates.

BEAUTY NEWS
Behold the amazing Cleansing and Makeup Remover Towlettes, by Ponds. They're thick, soft, and clothlike -- perfect to pack for surfing and camping trips, when it's so easy to blow off washing your face because of a lack of plumbing. These big wipes let you feel clean and fresh after hours of smearing sunscreen and grime into your pores. Plus, they're alcohol-free (won't dry your face out) and contain Green Tea, Vitamin E and Aloe Vera.

BEAUTY TIP
To bring a little color with you to the beach: get a small plastic pot with a lid from Sephora, The Container Store, or any drug store. Scoop out a little Dermatone (the kind in the pot with SPF 23) or other similar emollient sunscreen product and throw it in the pot. Then cut a chunk off of one of those bronze-colored shimmer sticks (Nars' The Multiple, or my personal favorite, Urban Decay Body Haze in Smog), mash it up, and mix it in with the Dermatone. Adjust the transparency to your taste. When it's just right, you've got a protective, sheer pot of color that you can smear on your lips, eyelids, shoulders, wherever.

WHAT WAHINES CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT
Falina Spires, WQS Tour

SUNSCREEN: Headhunter Surfscreen Waterproof, SPF 30 . "It stays on when you're out in the water. It goes on thick but not oily and has a zinc base with a tint."

SKIN CARE: Michael's Naturopathic Program Natural Herbal Moisture Replenisher. "I'm a full-on vegetarian, so I shop health food stores for my skincare. One of my other favorite things is this facial scrub with fresh avocado and strawberries in it."

COSMETIC: Any kind of silver lipstick. "I look for it in punk rock stores. I also like metallic blue or silver nail polish. And sometimes sparkly glitter when I'm out at night."

FAVORITE THING: Perfect Point Plus Eye Pencil in Black Onyx by Cover Girl. "It has an eraser on the back for mistakes." For hair--K-Pac with Keratin and Protein by Joico. "It's insane Q you can just leave it in. I got addicted after I dyed my hair platinum and it started breaking off."

A TIP: "Get 8 hours of beauty rest every night!" Izzy Tihanyi, Head Diva at Surf Diva Surf School

SUNSCREEN: Same as Falina's choice; same reasons.

SKIN CARE: Lubriderm Lotion. "It's all my mom has used for 30 years and she has no wrinkles."

COSMETIC: Midnight Cowboy Lip Gunk by Urban Decay. "It doesn't look like I'm wearing a ton of makeup, but I can go to the beach or surfing and still feel like a Diva."

FAVORITE THING: Urban Decay Glitter Stick in Snow. "It smells like almonds and I LOVE GLITTER!" For hair: Sebastian Potion #9. "I put it in my hair post-surfing to prevent damage and nightmare tangles. I also wrap my hair in a bun with Potion #9 in it--it makes a huge difference."

A TIP: "This local at Pipeline liked my nail polish so much, he made up some Hawaiian rules for nail color: green makes you get barreled, and blue makes you go faster. Try it."

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