Let’s start with an easy one: You’re going to wear sunscreen this summer, and you’re going to like it. Especially if you go with one of these formulas. The goal is: easy to rub in, easy to take with you, and at least SPF 30 or higher.
How cute are these minis? One is in my bag or my pocket at all times. The Ultra Violette Mini Mate Future Screen SPF 50 is the tiniest of the bunch and easy to refill.
The Sulwhasoo UV Wise On-The-Go Sun Cushion is a cushion compact that’s just sunscreen, no tint at all. So smart! And it has a mirrored interior and exterior. It’s been sold out, but set to come back very shortly.
The Nature Republic California Aloe Fresh Powdery Sun Stick has the best curve out there, hugging to facial contours for complete coverage. It’s waterproof, it’s so easy to apply. It’s from Korea, but you can get it here (recommend the three-pack).
Korres Mineral Milk SPF 50 has been my go-to post-yoga, and the Tatcha The Milky Sunscreen SPF 50 is what I use when I don’t want any tint or glow, just dewy moisture.
New La Roche-Posay Anthelios UVAir SPF 50 Serum Sunscreen has a very slim applicator, helpful when you’re out.
And a makeup artist recently introduced me to the green-tinted Elta MD Skin Recovery Broad Spectrum SPF 50, which she uses because it reduces redness and acts as a primer (most SPFs do, but some function better than others).
All that sunscreen requires proper removal at night. May I suggest a double cleanse?
THREE DERMATOLOGISTS. THREE ACTION PLANS FOR SUMMER.
As for what else to do in the way of skin, summer tends to be a more laid back time of year at the dermatologist’s office. Patients are out gathering all the sun damage they can before coming back to get it sloughed off in September. Even those who are diligent with SPF find it hard to avoid heat entirely (cough, cough, me) and end the season with patchy melasma coming back just in time for fall reentry.
The prevailing wisdom has been that you want to avoid harsh ablative lasers like Fraxel or CO2, but dermatologist Jessica Weiser, whose practice is in SoHo, says it’s more patient dependent than that. We ran into each other at a non-work event, where we couldn’t help but compare notes on such matters. After telling her that I recently talked to a guy friend who was enthusiastically doing his first-ever Fraxel, she shared that many women are sending in their husbands, who lament that their wives look ten years younger than them, and they don’t love the differential.
Here’s what she had to say regarding summer treatments:
”Everyone assumes there is nothing to do once the sun comes out but fortunately that’s not true. For those who intend to be out in the sun we do a few very common “summer” treatments including Sofwave for skin lifting and firming on body and face, Aquagold Fine Touch microinfusion facials (with or without PRP, hyaluronic acid, micro Botox for pores, brightening ingredients, etc), neuro-modulators, filler and Sculptra that are never seasonally sensitive, and PRF injections for more natural biostimulation.”
It is true that she rarely does moderate to intense ablative resurfacing in the summer, but for patients with a more vampiric lifestyle or the ability to truly avoid the sun, she says, “there is truly no procedure I would consider an absolute no in the summer.”
Dermatologist Kavita Mariwalla, who practices in Long Island, avoids chemical peels and CO2 on the face and the body this time of year, and says toxins, fillers, microneedling, radiofrequency microneedling, skin tightening and body sculpting devices are all fair game.
She points out that summer does tend to be a time when you’re noticing the skin on your body more than ever: “Reach for the shorts and suddenly you are reminded of the need for laser hair removal or get your favorite skirt out and realize your spider veins somehow got worse since last time you wore it.”
Despite the awareness, she likes to avoid laser hair removal, intense pulsed light and sclerotherapy (vein removal) in the summer. “Ideally you want to do laser hair removal and IPL when you are at your most pale. (Think deep December). It works best when the hair and skin have the highest contrast,” she says, adding that IPL can cause burns when skin is tan “or even sun-kissed,” and sclerotherapy can cause hyperpigmentation in areas where you were meant to be treated. “So you go from unsightly red lines to hyperpigmented patches. No thanks!”
New York dermatologist Shereene Idriss also echoes avoiding chemical peels and resurfacing lasers, but says that you can do more than people think:
”Summer has this reputation as a dead zone for in-office treatments, and it really doesn’t need to. The key is doing things that don’t leave your skin vulnerable to the sun afterward. Anything with minimal downtime, low heat delivery, and no significant barrier disruption is generally fair game — your skin can recover before it’s back in the elements. Injectables are completely unaffected by the season. And for certain energy-based treatments, as long as you’re being honest about your sun exposure and you’re not showing up with a fresh tan, there’s more flexibility than most people realize. It’s less about the time of year and more about whether you can actually protect your skin in the days that follow — minimal UV exposure, proper sunscreen reapplication, UV visors, that kind of thing.”
She thinks of summer as her maintenance season: “I keep up with injectables and I’ll do light microneedling with the SkinPen — it’s low heat, minimal barrier disruption, quick recovery. The kind of thing where I’m not gambling with my skin’s ability to handle being outside.”
And when you are, appreciate this shortened sunshield by Dr. Idriss and Bluestone Sunshields, paired with, what else, SPF 50:
Happy Weekend!
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Jamie
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