In the Summer spirit, we turned to skin care expert Jean-Pierre Mastey—president of Los Angeles-based, men’s grooming line Baxter of California—for some end-of-season skincare tips.

What is a summer must-have for good skin?

The most important product is sunscreen that protects against both UVA and UVB rays—the rays that cost premature aging, skin cancer and painful sunburns.

Don’t forget to put some sunscreen on your hair and scalp—especially if you dye your hair. Not only will the sun strip the color and burn your scalp, but the sun can actually burn the hair itself and change its texture. After you apply sunscreen to your body, just run your fingers through your hair with the extra lotion left on your hands.

What SPF level will save us from the sun? I still get burned even though I put on sunscreen before hitting the beach.

The American Cancer Society recommends using a sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher. More important than the number is the frequency of application. It’s a misconception that people put it on once and you’re good to go for a day in the sun. If you’re swimming at the beach or sweating a lot, apply it every hour. Otherwise, you can apply it every two to three hours.

What if I look better with a tan? Tan lines can be quite sexy.

A spray tan or a tan that comes out of a tube is the only safe way to tan. It’s amazing how much damage the sun can do to your skin. It can cause premature aging like causing ages spots, fine lines, wrinkles, and that rough, leathery look.

I break out a lot during the summer. I feel like I’m going through a second puberty. What am I doing wrong?

Most men have oily skin and during the summer months, the heat and humidity will cause your body to create excess oil and sweat. With the oil slick on your face, all the dirt and oil will cause breakouts, and blemishes. I recommend washing your face a few times a day with a gentle cleanser.

In addition to washing my face in the morning and at night, I like to wash before and after the gym. If I can’t make it to my house to wash my face before the gym, I’ll use a gentle, alcohol-free toner instead. But don’t use any harsh cleansers or your skin will pump out more oil and worsen your skin problems. Keeping your skin clean is the best way to steer clear of breakouts. Using a scrub or a clay mask once or twice a week can also help keep your skin under control.

What about mattifying lotions and blotting tissues for mopping up the oil? Are they any good?

Those are more aesthetic fixes than real skin care solutions, but they do work for those times that you need to make a good impression and you are away from home.

Does skin have different needs during the summer than during the winter months? It seems to act out like a troublesome teen during the warm months.

Yes. In the summer, your skin is oilier and you sweat more, but in the winter, your skin tends to be dryer. So, when its hot, you’ll want to use a light, oil-free moisturizer with sunscreen instead of the thicker, balm-like creams that are too heavy. Save those for the winter.

I read this story on Health Day via Yahoo! News about sunscreen and how the SPF rating is misleading to us consumers.

According to the story, when an SPF rating is tested, researchers glob on more of the product than what a normal guy would apply to his skin. AND while an SPF 30 means that it should boost your natural sun protection 30 times, the sweating and rubbing makes SPF 30 last for only ONE HOUR to 80 minutes.

There isn’t a standardized way to measure UVA protection, so SPF ratings only refer to protection against sunburns, which is caused by UVB rays. But even some UVB rays are busting through your protection:

“An SPF 15 blocks 94 percent of UVB rays, while SPF 30 blocks 97 percent of UVB rays. There isn’t yet a rating system for UVA rays that cause photoaging.”

I was also interested to read that there’s hope to develop a sunscreen pill. Wouldn’t that be amazing? I’ll sign up for that clinical trial!
So, the moral of the story is to reapply your sunscreen often, use it every day (even when it is cloudy), and grab a sunscreen with Mexoryl.

 If you’re not familiar with Mexoryl, it’s a brilliant ingredient that blocks both UVA and UVB rays. While most sunscreen SPF ratings refer to protection against UVB rays that cause burning, they often weren’t as effective at protecting against UVA rays that cause premature aging and wrinkling. Mexoryl is also a great product for guys with oily skin because it’s light and not oily like a lot of sunblocks currently available in the US.

  L’Oreal-owned La Roche-Posay (or one of it’s numerous product lines) will be the first to release a Ecamsule-based sunscreen in the US.

  If you’re looking for a Mexoryl-based sunscreen and don’t want to wait until a US version hits store shelves, you can find La Roche-Posay throughout New York City (and Online) at SkinCareLab and Z Chemists.  I HIGHLY recommend the Fluide Extreme in SPF 50+.

UPDATE: The first product will be a daily moisturizer from La Roche Posay with Mexoryl SX and have a protection of SPF 15.

 [Read the FDA's Release]