Photo Credit: Shutterstock

When you want a treatment, you usually don’t want to wait. So what do you do? You make a consultation appointment and inquire about the specific treatment you desire. While you sit in the patient room waiting for your doctor to arrive, your excitement is through the roof. As the conversation begins and the information starts to be shared, the harsh news is broken to you…you can’t get the treatment yet. Why, you wonder? Well, “take a look outside at the UV rays glaring down on us,” says your doctor. That is the heat of the summer and the UV rays that can negatively impact the results of specific treatments.

To avoid being let down by the heat of the summer, Haute Beauty sat down with Haute Beauty experts to discuss which treatments they avoid and love to give in the summer months. Here’s what they had to say:

Dr. Laura Purdy | Medical Aesthetics | Nashville

In the summer, there is more exposure to the sun and to heat and sweating. For this reason, any treatments that partially or fully removes the layers of the skin (the epidermis) are not great to do. These treatments can cause more damage to the skin if someone is in the sun before or after they do procedures such as chemical peels, laser facials, or other laser procedures that are designed to remove pigment and reverse aging. I recommend doing these in the wintertime, or when you know you will not be exposed to the sun.

There are several treatments that are safe to do in the summer because they are not as invasive on the skin. Milder laser facials are great for keeping the skin healthy, and facials that do not contain Retin-A are great as well. It’s important to keep the skin hydrated, so I definitely recommend Hydro facials during the summer!

For more information, visit Dr. Purdy’s website!

Stacey Kaplan Laser Technician & Esthetician, Skin Spa New York SOHO | Medical Spa | New York

The summer is when most people spend long hours in the sun – suntanning at the beach or walking along the city streets. Because of the extended hours of UV exposure, it’s best to stay away from strong lasers and peels. A tan is considered damaged skin, so providing any service (laser hair removal, Lumecca/IPL, laser genesis, PCA peels, power peels) that provides deep rejuvenation could compromise the skin.

The sun is great in limited doses. It produces an amazing amount of Vitamin D and gives us that great glow we all search for. However, a side effect of sun exposure is dry and damaged skin. For this reason, it’s great to focus on light exfoliation and hydration during the summer months. Some treatments, including Microdermabrasion and Hydrafacials, will help eliminate any dry, rough, or peeling skin. Skin Spa’s Oxy Trio Facial is also a great addition to your facial. If you’re a sun-worshipper and plan to become many shades darker (which we advise against!) during the summer, keep it simple and stick with your Customized Facial.

We also love injectables just before the summer months. Limiting your facial muscle movement to avoid furrowing your brow and squinting in the sun is a great way to prevent accelerated aging during the summer, in addition to applying SPF throughout the day.

For more information, visiSkin Spa New York’s website, Instagram, or Facebook!

Jeffrey Ayers | Medical Spa | Salt Lake City, UT

The treatments I avoid in the summer include:

BBL, and I am not talking about Brazilian Butt Lift. I am actually referring to Broad-Band Light. The BBL Hero is Sciton’s answer to intense pulse light that is safe with nearly every skin type. Despite being highly selective in offering this treatment during the summer, I generally avoid the BBL and similar technology, due to safety concerns and the potential lack of efficacy, especially with recently tanned skin (even sunless tanning products).

The sun and the heat activate the melanocytes increasing the dark pigmentation we are trying to eliminate.  I have also seen patients who have been treated during the summer months who either develop hyper (or hypo) pigmentation. So why spend the money for an amazing anti-aging procedure if you are unable (or hesitantly willing) to stay out of the sun and protect that investment? 

Aggressive laser resurfacing procedure (like Co2, Erbium, or others). These devices provide amazing results but do require a fair amount of pre/post-treatment including sun avoidance. Big hats and high-quality sunscreen are very helpful but are often overlooked or underapplied. If you plan on traveling to a location where you are trying to get that golden glow (aka –  tempting skin cancer), I would wait till the tan fades and you may be less likely to soak up the rays (late fall, winter, and early spring).

My favorite in-office treatments and self-care you can enjoy all year round include:

Applying sunscreen is the most amazing “self care treatment,” you can do year-round (even on a cloudy day). I can not preface this enough. Although I sound like a broken record, I will not even sell an antioxidant serum or retinol if my client isn’t willing to consider (or uses regularly) a high-quality sunscreen. Having had numerous skin cancer surgeries for basal cell, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma – I’m that man on the beach with the long sleeve sun protective shirts, big hat, and white legs covered often in zinc and titanium-containing sunscreen.

That being said, my favorite sunscreens are:

• Alastin Hydratint can be used as a foundation.
• Elta MD UV Aero, which gives me peace of mind when chasing down my kids to get this on their bodies.
• Skin Better Tone Smart. This is a unique compact design with a creamy mineral-based sunscreen. Easy to stick in your tote, handbag, or backpack.
• Color Science Sunforgettable. How often do you hear “reapply your sunscreen often,” but don’t because you are wearing makeup? This product comes in multiple tones and is a convenient retractable brush with the powder built into the handle. When reapplying a lotion or cream isn’t going to work out, you can powder your face, behind your ears, neck, and back of your hands. For men not wearing a hat – you can powder that bald spot too!

The most obvious treatments you can do in the summer include proper exfoliation with treatments like microneedling, clinical facials, and dermaplaning. As the environment changes (humidity, heat, dryness, sun exposure, etc) our skin’s response changes also. Exfoliation treats irregularities of the skin and prepares it to accept the restorative benefits of our anti-aging skincare – all the while looking fresh, especially when exposed to the harmful rays of the sun.

For more information, visit Dr. Ayer’s website, Instagram, or Facebook!

Dr. Alina Sholar | Medical Aesthetics | Austin

As sundresses and swimsuits make their way back into season, so should strategies to keep your skin beautiful and healthy this summer. We don’t lock away our laser and energy treatments come summer, but instead, we use those modalities that can continue to deliver the results you want without downtime and sun sensitivity.

For summer, we are loving the GlowH2O! In-office skincare, especially safe deeply nourishing cleanses and anti-oxidant use needs to be stepped up in the summer months. Glow H2O combines the advanced aqua delivery of Skinwave, with the versatile radiofrequency microneedling power of VirtueRF. This treatment creates the most amazing results for those looking to nourish, brighten, and kickstart collagen production throughout the summer. Glow H2O is “summer safe,” with no downtime.

Patients are first treated with a Skinwave treatment, which uses an advanced hydrodermabrasion system to deeply cleanse, exfoliate, and nourish the skin with solutions rich in AHA and BHA exfoliants, and hydrating hyaluronic acid coupled with electroporation, while LED light therapy and lymphatic drainage calm and soothe. We add a deep-penetrating esterified vitamin C serum antioxidant quench to capture any free radicals from UV exposure.

Then, we take that glow to the next level with VirtueRF Microneedling. Treating the skin with VirtueRF is all about collagen induction at the deep dermal level. This highly customizable and comfortable treatment is the best-in-class radiofrequency microneedling treatment available and is very safe during the summer months for all skin types.

While the temperature extremes and UV of summer can wreak havoc on one’s skin, this combination consistently gives great results for those looking to cleanse, hydrate, and exfoliate, but also continue with a highly effective anti-aging regimen. Glow H2O addresses overall tone and texture, reduces pore size and fine lines and wrinkles, and manages skin impurities that could cause acne breakouts. As always, don’t forget your SPF, and you’ll be ready to take on the summer with a glow like never before!

For more information, visit Dr. Sholar’s website, Instagram, or Facebook!