If your skin during the summer appears dry and flaky with an uneven tone, then the sun is likely damaging your skin. Sun damage can lead to premature wrinkles, age spots, and even cancer. There are a variety of spa treatments that can help reduce the signs of aging and reverse the effects on your body.You do not need to spend a fortune at a spa though to make your skin look healthy and plump. You can use natural treatments at home and a few great options are outlined below.

Remove Damaged Skin Cells

The ultraviolet rays of the sun damage your skin in a variety of ways and the damage shows up clearly on your face. The sun removes the natural moisture and oils from the skin as it heats up the epidermis. This results in dry skin cells that start to flake off before they are ready to.  

The sun also damages the collagen in the skin and causes it to break down at a rapid rate. Collagen is made up of elastic fibers that help to bind cells together in the body. When the collagen breaks down, a harder and less flexible material called elastin starts to form. The elastin makes wrinkles appear on your face, and it also makes your skin look rough.  

Your skin can repair itself, and this means that new skin cells that are produced underneath the epidermis will look healthier as long as you stay out of the sun. It can take some time for these cells to move up to the epidermis. This is the case, because new layers of cells move upward as old skin cells flake off the skin. You can help to quicken this process by removing the most damaged layer of skin that sits across your face.  

Create an Acidic Exfoliant

The easiest way to remove the dry, flaky, and damaged cells that line your epidermis is to exfoliate the skin. If you use a scrub though, then you are likely to create an uneven surface across the face by damaging the skin. You can reduce this damage by creating an acidic exfoliant that dissolves the most damaged skin cells.

Glycolic acid, lactic acid, and citric acid can remove the damaged skin from your face. White sugar contains glycolic acid, yogurt provides the lactic acid, and lemons are a good source of citric acid. Make the exfoliant by placing about one-quarter cup of yogurt, one-eighth of a cup of white sugar, and three tablespoons of fresh lemon juice in a bowl. Use a spoon to mix the ingredients together and then place the exfoliant on your face. Let the mixture sit on your skin for about 15 minutes.

Once the exfoliant sits for 15 minutes, use a wet washcloth to gently wipe it off your face. When you are done, mix three tablespoons of baking soda with about three tablespoons of water. Clean your face with the mixture to help release the acids from the skin. Use the exfoliant mixture about once every two weeks until your skin starts to look smooth and moisturized.

Eat Foods High in Antioxidants

When your skin is constantly exposed to the sun, then your cells can become damaged in an extremely harmful way. The inside structures of the cells that contain the DNA become destroyed and this turns them into free radicals. A free radical is a cell or molecule that is missing one of its essential components, causing the cell to frantically look for these components in other cells. This causes damage to healthy cells and these cells then damages other cells in a type of chain reaction.

Free radicals can be neutralized with the help of antioxidants. Antioxidants give up molecules to the free radicals in your body. This helps to prevent further damage to healthy cells that line your skin. Foods that are high in antioxidants include blueberries, cranberries, blackberries, pecans, dark chocolate, and garlic. Many vegetables contain antioxidants as well. Eat a variety of these foods each and every day to help combat sun damage across your face.

If you start to see wrinkles, age spots, and other types of sun damage appearing across the surface of your face, then you may be concerned about the appearance of your skin. Thankfully, there are some natural treatments you can use at home to make your skin look vibrant once again. Go to websites that specialize in repairing skin that is sun-damaged for more information.