We absolutely love summer time at Citrine Med Spa. Spending time outdoors, enjoying the extra long days, and drinking by the pool, it’s just such a great time of year ☀️
What we don’t love, however, is what that extra time outdoors and in the harsh sun can do to our skin. Fun fact: skin is the biggest organ of your body! You spend so much time and effort keeping your skin healthy throughout the winter months, it’s a shame to throw all of that work away by not caring for your skin in the summer.
That’s why we sat down and put together this blog of our top summer skin care tips, so you can enjoy the warmer months without worrying about what’s happening to your skin 😎
Summer skin care tip #1: Protect, protect, protect
When it comes to summer skin care, the name of the game is keeping the sun’s harmful UV rays away from your skin. Extra summer sunshine can cause UV damage to your cells. That’s why we recommend extra measures to ensure proper protection. More hours spent in the sun make it absolutely crucial to apply (and re-apply every two hours) adequate Medical-grade UV protection to avoid skin cancer, brown spots, wrinkles, and sagging skin.
The summer heat and humidity can have a profound effect on your skin as well. You’ll probably feel more sweaty, oily, and shiny than you do during the drier winter months. That means you’ll need to change around your skincare routine and makeup products to avoid breakouts or unwanted oil.
Try to avoid the tan
We get it, the allure of a tan is enticing. Many people see tanned skin as a healthy glow, but it is the opposite of healthy. Your skin actually darkens when exposed to sunshine as a protective measure against UVA (aging) and UVB (burning) rays.
Skin cells make themselves thicker with melanin (what we see as “tan”) to prevent UV radiation from penetrating deeper into the skin. This keeps your internal tissues and organs safe from damage to the DNA in your cells. That tan you see? It’s pure damage.
Sunscreen is your best friend
Think back to your childhood and your mom chasing you around the yard trying to apply sunscreen. Turns out, mom had the right idea.
Unlike the sunscreens of the past, however, there are plenty of new formulas in just about every texture and delivery method imaginable. If you need a tinted sunscreen that also protects the skin from free radical damage and gives you a dewy glow, you got it. If you have extra-oily skin in the summer and need a mattifying sunscreen mist, there is a product for you!
Sunscreen works by using a combination of two main types of active ingredients: organic and inorganic. Inorganic molecules, like titanium dioxide or zinc oxide, form a physical barrier on the skin, reflecting or scattering UV waves trying to penetrate the skin. Organic components, like oxybenzone, absorb UV radiation and release the energy as heat.
Here are a couple of our favorite products available at Citrine Med Spa:
Sunbetter Sunscreen from SkinBetter Science
This resilient lotion from the wonderful skin experts at SkinBetter Science provides incredible benefits and comes in a variety of SPF options. It’s oil free and helps prevent sunburn if used as directed with other sun protection measures. It can even decrease the risk of skin cancer and early skin aging caused by the sun!
Alto Defense Serum
The Alto Defense Serum, also by SkinBetter Science, is innovative, scientifically-advanced, and award winning. It protects against skin damaging free radicals and provides daily antioxidant protection, while also improving the appearance of uneven tone or redness. It’s the only product with 19 antioxidants in its formula.
Stay in the shade
Just wearing sunscreen unfortunately isn’t enough protection. When you’re out in the hot sun, make sure to bring plenty of shade protection along. A wide-brimmed hat is both functional and fashionable, as it protects your scalp, hair, face, and neck from the sun’s damaging rays. You can also wear light, long-sleeved shirts to keep your arms covered, or pack a tent to sit under when attending summer sporting events.
Blue Stone Sunshields
If you’re really serious about keeping the UV rays at bay, you’ll want to invest in a Blue Stone Sunshield. These are the #1 doctor recommended sunshields for combating the damage of the elements, and they come in many different styles to fit your personal fashion. Kerri, our Physician’s Assistant at Citrine Med Spa, regularly wears hers out when enjoying the summer sun!
Summer skin care tip #2: Hydrate!
Hydration is key throughout the hotter months for a variety of reasons. Obviously, the more you’re staying outside when it’s hot, the more you need to rehydrate to avoid dehydration, which can have a significant impact on your skin.
There are lots of options for hydration, but water is always the best choice. Sports drinks are effective but contain lots of sodium and sugars, though their electrolytes could have a beneficial effect on your skin’s hydration.
You can also take steps to make sure your skin stays hydrated through the summer as well.
Cleanse twice daily
Extra heat and humidity means it’s essential to cleanse away the harmful dirt and oils accumulated on the skin morning and night to keep summer skin looking matte and feeling clean.
Exfoliate weekly
Regular exfoliation is key to healthy-looking skin. For your body, find a sugar or salt-based scrub to slough away dead skin cells, excess oil, and harmful dirt and debris. For your face, use chemical exfoliants with AHAs, BHAs, or retinol to keep bright, fresh skin shining at the surface.
Lighten up your regimen
Put away your rich, heavy creams and moisturizers along with your cashmere sweaters and winter blankets. Summer skin care is all about lightweight gels, nourishing serums, and hydrating body oils.
Add a vitamin C boost
Extra UV radiation exposure in the summer leads to more damaging ‘free radicals’ on the skin. Fight this damage with the antioxidants in vitamin C! Plus, adding a boost of vitamin C to your summer skin care regimen helps block the UV rays that aren’t fully blocked by your sunscreen.
Summer skin care tip #3: Don’t skip aesthetic treatments
Maintaining healthy skin throughout the summer is difficult on your own. That’s where we come in!
There are plenty of effective treatments we can perform throughout the summer that will keep your skin in incredible shape.
Laser treatments
Fall and winter are the most popular seasons for laser treatments, because part of the after care includes avoiding too much sun exposure. Well, news flash, avoiding too much sun exposure is important in the summer, too!
We recommend laser treatments throughout the year, because your skin doesn’t stop aging and your hair doesn’t stop growing when it’s warm out. With our expert providers and quality equipment, laser treatments are safe and effective throughout the year.
BBL
BBL™ is an advanced light therapy treatment that uses broadband light (hence, BBL) to reverse the visible signs of aging.
Our state-of-the-art Sciton Joule X platform has both laser and BBL with HERO which allows us to perform a range of BBL treatments to address specific issues and body areas. But wear your BlueStone sun shield afterwards for sure!
- BBL Corrective: This treatment uses higher energy levels of IPL (intense pulsed light) energy to permeate into the top layers of skin and treat surface-level imperfections like hyperpigmentation, freckles, red spots, rosacea, visible facial blood vessels, and more.
- Forever Young BBL: This treatment uses lower energy (but many more pulses) to send BBL light deep into the skin with decreased risk of negative side effects like striping or burns.
- Forever Clear BBL: If you struggle with acne and the inflammation, hyperpigmentation, and the scars it causes, the Forever Clear BBL treatment can help you! Using this protocol, we kill acne-causing bacteria, address inflammation, and jumpstart the healing process to help you get the clear skin you deserve.
- BBL HERO: A high-energy treatment that can treat large areas of the body in no time! Address vascular lesions, scars, sun damage, and other pigmentation issues on virtually any area of your skin.
- SkinTyte II: This treatment uses infrared energy to smooth and tighten skin.
Laser hair removal
Our Soprano Ice Platinum laser hair removal device is an FDA-approved, fast, and completely painless treatment. It’s effective for all skin types, even tanned skin, and it removes all hair colors. We can do a complete hair removal for a man’s full back in 10 minutes!
This device uses three wavelengths and an in-motion technology to effectively target even the most stubborn hair follicles without the pain associated with pulsed lasers. This allows us to perform laser hair removal all year long.
Botox and Fillers
Botox and Dermal Fillers are great treatments no matter what the weather is like outside.
With Botox injections, we can temporarily relax the facial muscles that contract when you make expressions like frowning, laughing, squinting, etc. to hide—and reduce the severity of—the dynamic wrinkles that appear with these everyday facial expressions
Dermal fillers plump and lift the skin by replenishing volume loss caused by your body’s natural aging process. Certain injectable products like Sculptra can even stimulate your body’s natural collagen production process to replace lost collagen over time for longer lasting results.
Come to Citrine Med Spa for your summer skin care needs
Citrine is proud to be the premier medical spa in Lincoln. Experienced providers perform our consultations and treatments, so you can rest assured knowing you are in the most skilled and practiced hands in the region.
When planning your summer skin care routine and treatments, trust Citrine Med Spa for guidance. We can make sure your skin remains healthy and happy through even the hottest summers.
Use our online virtual consultation tool to learn more about all our treatments or request an appointment today.
