Ahhh, summer. 👋 We’re glad you’re here.
We love everything this season brings: gorgeous weather, BBQs with friends, music festivals, road trips, relaxation by a pool, lake, or beach, a lighter wardrobe, and even a change in a skincare routine.
Summer Skincare
Did somebody say skincare?
While a good skincare routine should last us all year through, we do want to change it up just as we do with our wardrobes each season.
So, what should you be doing for your skin this summer?
We took this question to our expert aestheticians to ask their advice when it comes to the do’s and don’ts for summer skin and how to keep that glow over the next three months. Because breakouts, oily skin, and potential sun damage are on everyone’s radar this time of year, we want you to properly care for your skin so you can avoid those common summer skin concerns.
We’ve got it all in this summer guide from summer skin care tips to product recommendations and treatment considerations.
Summer Skincare Guide
SPF: Your Everyday Must Have
If we didn’t start here, are we even a med spa? Your skin is susceptible to the sun’s rays all year round, but summertime brings more opportunities to be outdoors. Never leave your house without sunscreen. If you’re leery about wearing sunscreen every day because you think it’s too heavy, you need to know there are options…tons of them. SPF is sold in pumps, powders, brushes, and compacts, you name it.
We’re confident we’ll find something that works for you and your summer skin. And especially in the summer, reapplication is necessary. SPF not only protects your skin from the sun’s harmful rays but also helps you protect your investment if you use medical-grade skin care products, as well as receive skin care treatments. Treat your SPF like you would brushing your teeth, it’s necessary for your everyday morning routine.
Aesthetician Top Picks
Alastin Hydratint
A lightweight, all-mineral, broad-spectrum tinted sunscreen that hydrates and protects the skin from harmful UVA/ UVB rays while providing a soft, glowing appearance as a tint for most skin tones to even and brighten the skin.
Elta MD Clear SPF
A lightweight, oil-free face sunscreen to protect acne-prone and sensitive skin.
Switch Up Your Moisturizer
Moisturizing is key to keeping our skin hydrated any time of year, but it’s important to switch it up when the seasons change. During the summer, our skin tends to produce more oil. It’s important to apply a light moisturizer to prevent pores from clogging. Just like we often opt for lightweight breathable clothing in the summer, that’s also how we should approach our summer skin routine.
Exfoliation is Key
As we said before, oily skin is one of the biggest concerns during the summer months. When you are more active outside you naturally expose your skin to the elements. Exfoliation is pivotal for purifying the skin. With excess oil and outside pollutants affecting the skin this time of year, exfoliation is key to declogging the dermis from debris. Gentle masks and scrubs are great this time of year, as are products rich in antioxidants.
Speaking of antioxidants…
⚠️ Retinols/Retin-A’s are effective for exfoliation and skin cell turnover. While we don’t want you to stop using them during the summer, we do recommend you ALWAYS pair them with sunscreen.
You might be thinking: “But I apply retinol at night and SPF in the morning. Why does this matter?” Retinols work hard on your skin at night, but without protecting your skin in the morning, this ingredient can cause a higher risk of sun sensitivity, irritations, or dryness. Always apply that sunscreen, or you may want to consider decreasing the frequency of retinol use throughout the week during the summer months if the sun is unavoidable.
❤️ Vitamin C – we love you. While we love the sunshine, it takes a toll on our skin, causing collagen loss, wrinkles, and dark spots. Vitamin C should always be part of your skincare routine, so if it hasn’t been, summer is the perfect time to add it back.
Quick tips on Vitamin C:
- If your Vitamin C has turned brown, it’s time to invest in a new one. This means the product has oxidized and it will no longer provide benefits to your skin. Once you open that pump, be sure to use it…every morning!
- Sun sensitivity caution: here’s another reason to ALWAYS apply SPF in the morning. If you know you’re spending the day in the sun, don’t just stop at your Vitamin C, no matter how moisturized it makes your skin feel, always apply that sunscreen. If your recommended products with higher Vitamin C potency they may cause a greater risk of skin irritation/sensitivity.
Treat Your Skin
In the summer, you can make a lot of gains on your skin if you treat it right. Literally. If you maintain your treatment plan customized just for you by your aesthetician, protect your skin from the sun, and use high-quality products, your skin will keep its gorgeous glow. Many people think because their skin is more exposed to the sun that they’ll just skip the summer months, but we beg you: please don’t neglect your skin in the summer. Keeping your skin healthy only prevents damage to your skin, saving you unnecessary time and money to undo it in the fall.
Meet our Go-To Summertime treatments:
- HydraFacials is a tranquil hydrating treatment to get you ready for fun summer nights, a hot date, a big event, vacation, or the work week. This treatment with little to no downtime leaves skin feeling tighter, smoother, and less congested with its five-step process: cleansing, exfoliating, extracting, and hydrating the skin, along with the use of HydraFacial serums, leaves the skin nourished and glowing.
- DiamondGlow the new and improved way to microderm that combines exfoliation, extraction, and infusion of serums based on your specific condition to improve skin health, function, and appearance.
- Spa Facials your skin won’t glow if it’s not hydrated. Facials during the summer are the simplest way to keep your skin healthy. Perfect to do before summer parties and events, or any self-care day, our spa facials offer relaxation and results-driven skincare all in one treatment.
- Dermaplane with the use of a surgical blade, we physically exfoliate the skin’s surface, removing the topmost layer of dead skin along with vellus hair, resulting in baby-soft skin. This no-downtime treatment helps you apply makeup with ease and enables your products to penetrate deeper into the dermis allowing them to work more effectively. Add a Dermaplane to any of our medical or spa facials or enjoy it as a stand-alone treatment.
- SkinPen boosts collagen, and enjoy fine line correction/prevention and tighter, firmer skin. While we love this treatment any time of year, it’s safe to say that it can also be done in summer if your days following treatment aren’t full of sunshine and time outdoors. Clear your schedule of Rockies games, hikes, and sitting poolside as even a ballcap isn’t the proper sun protection for the days immediately following this treatment. But don’t worry, it’s not for long, you’ll be right back to do the things you love most about summer in no time.
- Botox/Dysport We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention injectables. After all, they’re an important part of an overall skin care regimen for many. Why perfect for summer? We tend to squint quite a bit during the summer which deepens fine lines and wrinkles around the eyes and on the forehead. If you’re noticing the summer bringing out new lines, Botox is a great option with optimal results in approximately 10 days. Schedule a consultation with one of our aesthetic injectors using the BOOK ONLINE button above.
So, what’s the skinny on lasers? Can you do them in the summer?
The short answer is absolutely, but we do them with caution. Most of the skin care world proclaims the Fall season as laser season, but we’re here to tell you that it’s absolutely possible to get laser treatments in the summer, you just have be willing to follow our strict directions re: pre/post treatment. Here’s why… once your skin gets sun-kissed, burnt, or tanned, we’re not treating the natural tone of your skin which can make laser treatments tricky as we want to treat the underlying cause of the concern and not just your sun damage. Laser resurfacing kickstarts healing and cell regeneration, and the summer can make your skin more sensitive and vulnerable to the sun as well.
So, are they out of the question? Definitely not. But we will need to make sure that certain pre-and post- instructions are being properly followed so you can get the most out of your treatment. We don’t like wasting your money or your time. Some patients, however, find our laser treatments a perfect use of their summer downtime if they’ve done a good job to protect themselves from the sun. Luckily for you, our expert aestheticians know exactly what your skin needs and will create a personalized skincare routine that fits your summer schedule. They’ll work around life events, and summer activities, and ensure you’re on the right track to reach your goals.
Treatments to check out:
Are you ready to consult about your summer skin concerns?
Book Online with any one of our medical or spa aestheticians and we’ll be sure to set you up with the perfect treatment plan so you can love your skin this summer and all year through.
Let’s get glowing…
