Who doesn’t love summer? It’s hard not to be happy in the sunshine, although this may not apply as much when you live somewhere like Tampa with year-round sun. Sun lover or not, you’re sure to have noticed that donning your beachwear makes you more conscious of any blemishes and imperfections, no matter how insignificant they may normally seem. One question you may have is whether laser skin treatments can be carried out in summer, or should you wait until fall?
Summer Skin Damage
For all its good qualities, there’s no doubt that the sun has downsides too. You already know how important it is to wear an appropriate SPF at all times, whatever the season, but no matter how careful you are with your skin care regimen, you may have started noticing some sun damage.
As your face tends to be most exposed to the sun’s harmful rays, this is where signs of damage generally appear first. Laser treatments can address a number of skin concerns such as irregular pigmentation, discoloration, sun damage and wrinkles, but is summer the best time to go ahead?
You can still enjoy the outdoors and have laser treatments as long as you’re taking the proper precautions, like always using SPF 30+ and reapplying every 2 hours. You should also wear a hat and/or SPF clothing, and then you can feel confident about proceeding with laser treatments.
Your skin, the imperfections you wish to target and the procedure deemed most appropriate will work together to determine the suitability of summer laser skin treatments.
CO2RE Fractional Resurfacing
As the largest organ in your body, your skin works hard and can show a lot of wear and tear over time. Some of the most common complaints amongst those interested in laser skin treatments include sun damage, skin tone and texture, age spots, fine lines and wrinkles and scars, all of which may be successfully reduced using CO2RE Fractional Resurfacing. When summer highlights the concerns you’re less than happy with, laser skin rejuvenation could be a quick, painless way to reduce the appearance of those pesky imperfections.
CO2RE Fractional Resurfacing takes just 30 minutes per treatment and requires just 3 to 5 days of downtime afterwards. Generally, a local anesthetic will be used, alongside cool compresses and healing ointments after your session. Despite its non-surgical nature, this is one of the laser skin treatments that could produce excellent results for you through boosting collagen and vaporizing damaged outer skin layers. If you’re interested in the procedure, consult a reputable clinic focusing on laser skin treatments.
GentleMax PRO® Laser Treatments
What about increased skin laxity that makes you look older than you feel? If you’re not interested in cosmetic surgery, GentleMax PRO® Laser Treatments can potentially achieve excellent results when used to tighten skin, as well as combat pigmentation or wrinkles. Again, the suitability of the treatment during summer will be assessed by your qualified laser technician during your initial consultation but, in general, GentleMax PRO® Laser Treatments may be used throughout the year and on all skin types.
If you’re curious about how these laser skin treatments work, here’s some slightly technical information. The GentleMax PRO® combines both the alexandrite wavelength for targeting pigmentation on lighter skin tones and the nd-YAG wavelength for boosting skin tightness on all skin types, as well as hair removal on dark skin and treating vascular lesions.
With regards to treatment times, GentleMax PRO® Laser Treatments normally require several sessions, depending on your individual circumstances and the issues you’re focusing on this summer:
- Facial skin rejuvenation tends to require between 3 and 5 sessions, each 4 weeks apart.
- Targeting skin tightening on the face, neck, abdomen, arms or knees involves 4 to 6 sessions with 4 weeks between each.
- Pigmentation removal usually takes 2 to 3 sessions, again spaced out with around 4 weeks between each treatment.
- Laser hair removal typically takes 8 to 9 sessions scheduled 4 to 6 weeks apart for the face and 8 to 10 apart for the body.
Fun in the Summer Sun
The main reason why you might want to take extra precautions your laser treatment during summer is because protecting your skin from sun exposure between laser treatment sessions is absolutely essential. Your skin is more susceptible to sun damage in between your laser treatment appointments, so always go the extra mile to keep yourself and your complexion well-protected.
Caroll Delo is a board certified laser technician at Simply Smooth Laser Center in Tampa, a niche practice that focuses specifically on laser treatments. Simply Smooth Laser Center offers the most advanced options in laser hair removal, laser skin rejuvenation and laser tattoo removal.
