Get Your Glow Back: The Best Treatments to Revive and Repair Summer-Ravaged Skin

Those blissful weeks between Memorial Day and Fourth of July seem to fly by, especially with naps in the park under the warm sunshine and vacation-hopping with those you love most. But while the sweat, sand, salt and the vibe of summer is pretty much unparalleled to any season, it does have a major impact on your skin.

Not only do the hot temperatures and humidity dry out your pores, but sweat can clog them and constant sun exposure can cause early signs of aging and pose potential UV dangers. Luckily, experts say a checkup visit with your dermatologist, a professional in-office treatment and some at-home remedies can give your skin the post-summer detox it craves and needs.

For Skin Discoloration: Fraxel Laser Treatments

For a more intensive post-summer treatment, director of cosmetic and clinical research at dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, Joshua Zeichner, suggests trying a fraxel laser treatment to truly exfoliate, cleanse and improve your skin. “Oftentimes, high levels of sun exposure can cause excess pigmentation and damage to skin cells themselves,” he explains. “Lasers like fraxel are ideal to use as part of your post-summer skin rehab routine.” How does it work? Dr. Zeichner explains that fraxels punch tiny holes in your skin and the laser creates a controlled wound, allowing the skin to heal itself in a more “cosmetically acceptable manner.”

For Sun Spots on Face, Chest and Arms: Photofacial Laser Treatment

While you might have been hyperfocused on reapplying sunscreen to your face, it’s not just your cheeks and forehead that battled through summer. As Dr. Kovak explains, your neck, chest and hands also received a big brunt of UV exposure and they deserve some autumn TLC, too. To repair other parts of your body, he suggests opting for a photo facial laser treatment, which is a more extensive rejuvenation treatment that improves the overall look of the skin by diminishing brown spots and blotchiness while improving collagen and elastic fibers throughout your skin’s several layers.

For Your Feet: Lactic Acid Moisturizers

Consider everything your feet have been through for the past few months: trekking down stony or sandy beaches, squeezing into damp water shoes, trailblazing through rocky paths in thick hiking boots, fighting sweat (and ahem, stink) in athletic shoes and much more. Dr. Prystowsky recommends giving them a tad more attention as you approach the fall season, especially if they’re feeling rough or cracked. To their rescue is lactic acid moisturizers. “The lactic acid exfoliates to reveal fresher and softer skin beneath it,” she explains.