By: Linda Pitt, Lead Master Aesthetician
Clients often ask me if its safe to have laser and/or chemical peel treatments in the summer months. My answer to them is that it depends… We live in a southern state and it can be warm and sunny in February. Though we do tend to do more laser and chemical peel treatments in the fall and winter months, it really boils down to lifestyle.
If like me, you spend 8-9 hours a day indoors with very little sun exposure, then it really doesn’t matter what time of the year you have these treatments done. If you are someone who can’t wait to get out to garden and spend most of your day outdoors, or like working on your tan, then you should definitely wait until the winter months.
Rule of thumb: Prolonged sun exposure and tanning should be avoided prior to and for at least several weeks post laser and chemical peel treatments.
Tan skin is damaged skin. It poses a greater risk of having an adverse reaction to treatments, such as darkening of the pigment in the treated areas or an overall uneven skin tone. Even self-tanning lotions or spray tans should be exfoliated prior to laser and chemical peel treatments. Skin with natural pigmentation, but healthy skin, can be treated with select lasers and chemical peels to improve imperfections and even skin tone.
Laser and chemical peel treatments can photosensitize skin. This means you skin will sunburn more quickly and ultimately lead to more skin damage and pigmentation issues. We recommend that clients prone to hyper-pigmentation use a melanin inhibitor pre and post treatments. (Spotlight Brightening Serum may be purchased at the Spa.) Most importantly, all clients are advised to use a physical UVA/UBV sunscreen SPF 30+ daily!
So, to answer the question - Is it safe to have laser and chemical treatments in the summer? With the proper preparation and planning it is safe to have laser and chemical peel treatments even in the summer months!
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