Tell us if this sounds familiar. You’re a month into the summer, and you’ve had it with trying to keep up with shaving, so you decide to pull the trigger and call to schedule laser hair removal. But you’re told you can’t have a tan to receive this treatment. You know you can’t be trusted to stay out of the sun, so you hang up with an appointment booked all the way out in the fall.
Maybe it wasn’t laser hair removal in your situation. Maybe it was a chemical peel. Either way, you were looking forward to getting pampered, and now you feel like you have to put your esthetic goals on pause for an entire season (and let’s be honest, summer is looong in California).
Trust us, we know it can be annoying, but we steer you away from particular treatments during the summer months for your safety—and for the sake of the skin that we love so much. But just because some treatments aren’t ideal in the hot months doesn’t mean you can’t pamper yourself and keep making progress towards your esthetic goals.
Keep reading to discover why some treatments are a no-no in the summer and what treatments to book instead.
The summer sun is no joke, as we all learn from that first burn of the season. Especially here in sunny California! And that’s why it’s wise to postpone particular treatments to the fall and winter months. There are a few nuances as to why, but they all come down to that glowing orb in the sky.
The first reason is increased sensitivity and sun damage. Particular treatments make your skin extra sensitive to those golden rays. Not only will your skin fry before you can say, “aloe vera,” but the sun will dramatically compromise your results. We’re talking about severe sun damage. Take chemical peels as an example. Chemical peels get rid of old skin so that new, baby-fresh skin can come up to the surface. Baby-fresh skin hasn’t seen any sun and is more susceptible to being harmed by scorching sun rays. You’ll end up burning real bad, and that new skin will very likely show signs of sun damage, like sun spots.
The other reason to avoid particular treatments in the summer is tanned skin. There is a category of lasers that aren’t effective or safe on skin with a lot of pigment in it, such as tanned skin. The laser hair removal laser, for example, seeks out the pigment in hair follicles to zap with light. If you're sporting a tan, then you’ve got extra pigment in your skin. This will confuse the laser, and it will zap skin rather than hair follicles. Can you see why that’s a bad idea? Zapping your tanned skin can cause a burn that leads to post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (If you’re curious about post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, check out these posts that go into detail on pesky dark spots: 3 Easy Ways to Eliminate Hyperpigmentation & The Complete Skincare Guide to Treating Hyperpigmentation).
So, does that mean I have to wait around all summer until I can do something in the fall? Absolutely not! There are a lot of summer-safe treatments that will keep you feeling your best!
We’re going to look at four areas that will get you feeling—and looking—amazing all summer long:
Bikini season and body contouring treatments make the perfect pair—kinda like cookies and milk. Another perfect pairing is CoolSculpting and EmSculpt; one destroys stubborn fat pockets, and the other strengthens untoned muscles—a killer duo if we say so.
CoolSculpting freezes fat cells in targeted areas, which kills them off, and then your body gets rid of them. The result is a slimmed physique in those problem areas you obsess over, like love handles or the lower belly. EmSculpt uses electromagnetic energy to build lean muscle mass and tone up the physique. Not only will you love having definition and chiseled abs, but you’re also going to feel stronger and be able to work harder in the gym.
Body contouring is a step towards busting those mean little thoughts that inevitably pop up during pool season. It’s not just okay during the summer—it’s actually perfect for the summer!
Microneedling is one of those treatments with a die-hard fan base because it works. Acne scarring? Enlarged pores? Fine lines? Yep, it treats all those and more! Esthetics Center offers two microneedling treatments, SkinPen Microneedling and Potenza RF Microneedling. Both are amazing treatments that transform the skin and overlap in what they treat, but each has a specialty. SkinPen is really great if you are focused on superficial concerns such as acne scarring and fine lines and wrinkles, while the radio-frequency energy of Potenza is great for someone who wants to tighten and firm their skin.
Wrinkle relaxers, filler, Kybella for the masses! All year round! Maybe that’s a bit over the top, but we have a soft spot for injectable treatments at Esthetics Center. And can you blame us? Just about everyone can benefit from them, they’re treatments that make a big visual impact, and we’ve seen them completely transform people’s confidence! And they’re safe no matter the time of year.
Wrinkle relaxers, like BOTOX and Dysport, and filler, like lip or chin filler, are some of the most well-known injectables today. Wrinkle relaxers smooth out unwanted wrinkles so that you can look fresh, wide-eyed, well-rested, and 18 again, no matter how far your reality is from that. They don’t just relax wrinkles, either. They can be used to treat a variety of concerns, including preventing excessive sweating. Filler is also a versatile treatment. It can be used to replace volume loss as a result of aging, giving you a plump, youthful appearance. Filler can also be used to alter the contour of your face. For example, it can create a chiseled jawline where there is a weak chin. Filler is one of our most popular treatments at Esthetics Center.
Kybella is an injectable treatment that kills unwanted fat. It can be used to destroy a double chin, jowls, and even fat around the bra line. Oh, and you can receive this treatment year-round. That means that as you’re wearing less clothing in the heat of summer and worrying about those pockets of fat that won’t budge no matter what you do, you can come in for a few quick pricks of a needle and get back your peace of mind.
In all the craziness of summer plans, don’t forget to keep up with your monthly facial. Our Hydrafacial is the perfect combination of relaxation and results. Our estheticians customize every tier of the Hydrafacial to your skin’s needs and use medical-grade skincare to get you to your skin goals. It’s the perfect way to keep making progress with your skin when you can’t partake in more aggressive treatments because of the sun.
