The dreary, cold and dark days of winter are finally over and the bright fun of summer is here at last. But with the dog days approaching, it means that you’ll be shedding those thick winter layers in favour of bikinis, shorts and tank tops. Is your skin ready for this massive transition? Here are a few helpful tips to make sure your skin is ready for the sun and fun of Summer 2007!

The goal for most people at the beginning of summer is to get a starter tan that looks fantastic. But how do you prep your skin for this extreme transition? The first step is to undertake a mission of complete exfoliation. Most folks exfoliate every time they shower, but for those that don’t, or aren’t familiar with the term, when you exfoliate, you use a rough cloth, pumas stone or loofah sponge and you gently scrub your body from head to toe, paying special attention to anyplace on your body where you might have build up of dry, dead skin, like on the heels of your feet, your elbows or on your kneecaps.

By scrubbing these areas a little extra hard, you’re giving the sun a smooth, clean and prepped canvas on which to tan. But a word of warning, many people develop a level of self-consciousness about these areas and will go overboard when it comes to summer exfoliation. Don’t scrub harder than you need to, you can end up doing more damage to your skin than good.

Once you’ve exfoliated, you need to replace your bodies natural moisture barrier so that your body doesn’t lose its much needed oils. Depending on how dry your skin has become over the long winter, you can use either a regular liquid moisturizer, or if you feel that your skin is extra dry, you can use a cream based one.

If you have cracked or bleeding skin patches, make sure you see a doctor before you start any kind of moisturizing regimen. Once your skin is properly moisturized, you are allowing the sun, and your tan, to start evenly over your body. It is like a sound foundation for a summers-worth of tanning.

One of the biggest mysteries when it comes to treating your skin right during the summer is choosing a sunscreen that is right for you. Most people know that the higher the number, or SPF, the more sun it blocks out, but most people don’t know what the numbers themselves mean.

Can you still get a tan using a 30 SPF sunblock or do you need a 3? The key that you can go by is how likely you are to burn, or how likely you have been to burn in the past. If you are a redhead and have very fair skin, you probably want to choose a much higher number than if you have darker skin and are much less likely to burn. If you are after protection from the sun and not a tan, don’t go lower than 15 on the SPF scale. Also, sun screen does not work immediately once you apply it.

Your skin must absorb it before it can help protect you. Allow 15 to 20 minutes before you set foot in the sun for it to work. If you decide to take a dip in the pool or the ocean, make sure you reapply it when you get out, even if the sun block claims to be water proof. And you also need to make sure you reapply it every 4 hours or so, since it does wear off. One last tip, you might have to rub the sun screen into your skin depending on which brand you buy.