Patient guide
Skin care after the summer
Practices are busier in September than in June, and not because the skin is in better shape then. It is because sun exposure drops, which widens the range of what can safely be planned. The skin's actual condition after the season tends to be worse, and that is what sets the first step.
Published 4 September 2023. Last verified 24 August 2026.
Category
Patient guide
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Starting point
Assessment of the skin's condition
Verification
24 August 2026
What changes in the skin after the season
After several weeks of exposure to sun, wind, water and air conditioning, the skin is in a different state than in June. Four things come up most often.
- Dryness and a weakened skin barrier, felt as tightness and roughness.
- Uneven tone and pigmentation, which can be more pronounced after the season than in spring.
- Rough texture from repeated sun-driven exfoliation.
- In some people, flare-ups within acne-prone skin, after a period of apparent improvement over summer.
This last point catches people out the most. The sun can feel like an improvement because it masks the changes, and the worsening only becomes visible once the season is over.
Why September, not June
There is one reason, and it is not about the skin, it is about sun exposure. Some methods, light-based treatments and deeper exfoliation in particular, require limited exposure to ultraviolet radiation during healing. Months with lower sun exposure therefore widen the range of what can be planned and allow a course to run without summer interrupting it. We have covered the rules for light-based work during summer separately, in the post on laser treatments in summer.
For the same reason, September is not a magic date. It is the start of a period when a method is easier to choose, not a moment when every treatment becomes suitable.
Time since exposure
Skin with a fresh tan is not a good starting point for light-based treatments or deeper exfoliation: the risk of a reaction and post-treatment pigmentation rises. The required interval depends on the method and on how intense the exposure was, so it is set by the person carrying out the qualification, at the consultation. This is not something worth guessing from a date on the calendar.
Order of steps
- Assessing the skin's condition. What exactly is visible: tone, texture, inflammatory changes, dryness. Everything that follows depends on this.
- Rebuilding the barrier. Dry, irritated skin first needs hydration and calming. A treatment carried out on skin like this raises the risk of a reaction.
- A treatment matched to the lesions. Only at this stage does it make sense to discuss the method, the season and the series.
This order is the reverse of what people expect: most often a patient arrives with a treatment already chosen, and assessing the skin's condition shows that the first step is something else.
Home care after the season
Three things that make the most difference and do not need an appointment. Moisturising, kept up consistently, because rebuilding the barrier is a condition for every further step. Gentle cleansing, without making the irritation worse. And sun cream, kept up, because ultraviolet radiation acts all year round, and after exfoliating treatments and laser therapy the skin is more sensitive to it.
The person managing your skincare decides when to return to vitamin A derivatives, because it depends on the product, on the skin's tolerance and on planned treatments. It is usually reintroduced gradually, on skin with a rebuilt barrier, not straight at full strength. We cover this in the post on retinol and vitamin A derivatives.
What may be considered, and when
Below is a summary from problem to course of action, not a list of recommendations. The choice is decided by qualification at a consultation.
Dehydration, weakened barrier
Home care and moisturising treatments come first. Hyaluronic acid revitalisation may be considered when hydration does not return with care alone.
Uneven skin tone and pigmentation
Assessment of the type of changes, photoprotection maintained throughout the series, then exfoliation or light-based treatment. The order here is not a matter of preference.
Rough texture
Exfoliation at a depth matched to the skin's tolerance, carried out as a series. On skin irritated after the season, it starts more gently.
Flare-up of acne lesions
Calming the inflammation before any exfoliation. When lesions intensify, the right step is a consultation, not choosing a treatment.
Established photoageing changes
Management spread over months, planned with the season in mind. September is then the start of a plan, not a single appointment.
Three common September mistakes
Stopping sunscreen. The most common and the most costly, because it undoes the work done on skin tone. Radiation does not end with the holidays.
Strong exfoliation straight away. On skin with a weakened barrier, intensive exfoliation increases the risk of irritation and post-inflammatory pigmentation. The order matters more here than the strength of the treatment, as we discuss in choosing an acid peel.
One treatment instead of a series. Working on skin tone and texture takes time, so a single treatment in September does not replace management spread over several months. We described this in the post about treatments in series.
Further on the site
- If the topic is skin tone: skin pigmentation.
- Effects of exposure over a longer period: skin photoageing.
- If the topic is hydration: hyaluronic acid revitalisation.
- Prices: cosmetology price list.
- Booking a visit: cosmetology consultation or online booking.
The questions we are asked most often
Why are treatments planned after summer
Not because the skin is in better condition then, but because sunshine levels fall. Some methods require limited exposure to ultraviolet radiation during healing, so months with lower sunshine widen the range of what can be safely planned.
How long should you wait after tanning before a treatment
The interval depends on the method and on the intensity of exposure, so it is set by the person carrying out the qualification for the treatment. For light-based treatments and for deeper exfoliation, skin with a fresh tan is not a good starting point, because the risk of a reaction and post-treatment pigmentation increases.
What most often needs attention after summer
Dehydration and a weakened epidermal barrier, uneven skin tone and pigmentation, which can be more pronounced after the season than in spring. In some people, acne lesions flare up, and the texture becomes rough after repeated sun-induced peeling.
Do you need to stop retinol for summer and return to it after the season
The timing for introducing and stopping vitamin A derivatives is decided by the person overseeing the skincare, because it depends on the product, on the skin's tolerance and on the treatments planned. The return after the season is usually done gradually, on skin with a rebuilt barrier, not straight away at full strength.
Is sunscreen needed after summer
Yes. Ultraviolet radiation acts all year round, and after exfoliating treatments and after laser therapy the skin is more sensitive to it. Stopping sunscreen in September is one of the more common reasons why the results of work on skin tone do not last.
Where to start after the season
From assessing the condition of the skin, not from choosing a treatment. Dehydrated and irritated skin first needs the barrier rebuilt, because a treatment carried out on such skin increases the risk of a reaction. The order is therefore fixed: assessment, home care, then a treatment matched to the type of changes.
What the research says
Two papers behind the most important recommendation in this post, that is maintaining photoprotection after the season.
A randomised trial in 903 people, conducted over four and a half years. In the group applying sunscreen daily, no increase in signs of skin ageing was found, and the difference compared with the group applying it as needed was 24 per cent. The product was applied to the face, neck, arms and hands, so the findings also apply to areas often skipped after the season.
Hughes MCB, Williams GM, Baker P, Green AC. Sunscreen and prevention of skin aging: a randomized trial. Annals of Internal Medicine. 2013;158(11):781-790.
A review of the skin exposome, in which solar radiation was identified as the factor with the best documented effect on extrinsic ageing. This supports the order described in this post: protection first, then work on skin tone.
Krutmann J, Bouloc A, Sore G, Bernard BA, Passeron T. The skin aging exposome. Journal of Dermatological Science. 2017;85(3):152-161.
Sources
The references for photoprotection are given in the section What the research says.
About this text
The text was prepared by the NL Clinic team. Published on 4 September 2023, reviewed on 24 August 2026.
The content is for information and does not replace a consultation.
Post-season consultation
At the consultation, we assess the condition of the skin after summer and determine whether the first step is a treatment or rebuilding the barrier. We set the required interval from exposure individually, before scheduling an appointment.