Get Your Skin in Shape for Fall
The last day of summer isn’t officially until September 21st, but to me, the unofficial end of summer always feels like Labor Day. Your skin changes with the seasons and your skin care should too.
Now is the time to plan your skin care for fall and winter, and to decide what improvements you want to make to your skin over the winter.
Post-summer is the best time to lighten age spots, to soften rough skin, and to reverse some of the wear and tear that your skin takes during the summer. The lazy days of summer are great for your psyche, but they are hard on your skin. Plus, your anti-aging skincare usually takes a back seat to your “fun in the sun.”
Late summer and early fall are the best times to start getting your skin back in good shape and to give your skin the much-needed attention it craves, including:
- Treat some of the skin problems left over from summer
- Prepare your skin for the cold of winter
- Tackle some of your skin rejuvenation goals
- Get your skin looking its best for the holidays
These 8 tips cover everything from healing chapped lips and softening hard, dry feet skin to rejuvenating sun-damaged skin and lightening sun spots – it’s my head-to-toe post-summer skin care!
The 8 Best End-of-Summer Tips to Get Your Skin in Top Shape this Fall
Tip #1: Address sun-damaged skin including your age spots and freckles
Frustrated that you have more freckles, blotchy skin tone, and darker age spots after the summer? Even your best efforts at sun protection don’t keep the sun off your skin 100%.
Even out your complexion by using targeted spot treatment products. Professional-strength glycolic acid creams and lotions are the most powerful non-prescription skin care products to get rid of hyperpigmentation skin problems. Pick the right product based on your skin type and use it at night to treat discoloration on the face, as well as helping with dark patches on the neck and chest. I also have a glycolic acid routine to treat age and sun spots on your arms and legs.
Click here to see my dermatologist-recommended facial glycolic acid skin care kits.
Click here to see my professional glycolic acid Anti-aging Body Skin Care Kit.
While you can’t undo damage caused by UV rays, you can protect your skin from more damage in the future. Sunscreen is essential and you need to wear it every day all year. We also now have powerful, professional-strength antioxidant skin care products that you can use daily to replenish your skin’s antioxidant reserve. This reserve is depleted by inflammation and UV exposure. The best products are ones that contain very high concentrations of vitamin C and green tea. These can support skin healing and help your skin fight sun damage. Vitamin C can also help lighten hyperpigmentation too.
I’ve found that the best green tea skin care product is Green Tea Antioxidant Skin Therapy/Replenix Power of Three. It has the amount of green tea antioxidants of 500 cups of brewed tea per ounce of cream – and these are the right antioxidants to give your skin the maximal green tea response.
Click here to see Dr. Bailey Skin Care Green Tea Antioxidant Skin Therapy.
Professional vitamin C products can powerfully benefit your skin too, but they are not all created equal. In my opinion, the best professional vitamin C skin care product is my Cell Repair Serum/CRS because it contains a full 15% of L ascorbic acid in a serum that has the requisite pH of 3 and is dispensed in airtight pump – all necessary details to protect the vitamin C so that you get the most out of your vitamin C skin care treatment. You can layer the Cell Repair Serum on top of the Green Tea Antioxidant Skin Therapy for the best combination antioxidant skin care available today. Your skin will look, feel, and be healthier overall.
Click here to see Dr. Bailey Skin Care Professional Cell Repair Serum.
Tip #2: Exfoliate for smooth and attractive skin
Skin is always dull and rough after a summer full of sun and outdoor activities. When your skin surface is covered with dry, dead skin cells it needs more than a deeply hydrating “advanced formula” moisturizer to make it feel soft again. Exfoliate to reveal the smooth skin underneath and to improve the absorption of your other skin products.
The simplest way to exfoliate your body skin is to use the Salux Cloth or the Buf Puf Body Sponge. However, if you want really amazing and skin-transforming exfoliation, try my Anti-aging Body Kit with professional-grade glycolic acid body care products.
Click here to see my Anti-aging Body Skin Care Kit.
To exfoliate your facial skin and reveal a fresher and brighter complexion, you can very simply use a Facial Buf Puf to add physical exfoliation to your favorite cleanser. Even better results come from using one of my Glycolic Acid Facial Skin Care Kits mentioned above. They give you the Buf Puf Sponge, a glycolic acid facial cleanser, and a powerful, professional-grade glycolic acid leave-on product for AHA exfoliation.
For deeper physical exfoliation, you can use Replenix Scrub twice a week. To add deep pore cleansing you can use the Clarisonic Brush Skin Cleansing System with your favorite cleanser.
Tip #3: Treat acne now
Some types of acne get worse in the hot and humid summer weather. Others get worse with summer’s diet of ice cream and hot dogs!
Learn more about the type of acne that flares up with sweating and humidity by reading my post on pityrosporum folliculitis.
For regular acne, use traditional acne products such as my professional strength Acne Skin Care Kits.
Tip #4: Switch your sun-protection strategy to fit the fall UVA rays
Make sure your sunscreen is broad spectrum to block the UVA rays, which are the most prevalent non-summer sun ray causing damage to your skin this time of year. UVA comes through windows too, so you’re never totally safe from sun damage.
Mineral zinc oxide products provide the best non-irritating UVA protection, in my opinion. Try my new favorite pure zinc oxide physical block sunscreen called Suntegrity 5 in 1 BB Cream. I wear it every day and love the way it looks and feels on my skin.
Click here to see more about why I love Suntegrity 5 in 1 BB Cream.
If you don’t want a tinted product, see my sunscreen comparison chart to find the right broad spectrum UVA blocking sunscreen product for your skin type and product preferences.
And, don’t forget to cover the delicate skin of your neck and chest with a lightweight scarf, sun protective clothing, and the shade from a wide-brimmed hat when you’re spending longer periods of time in the sun.
Tip #5: Fix your rough, summer-sandal-wearing feet!
Just about everybody gets dry, hard, and rough skin buildup on their feet from wearing sandals all summer long. Thick, rough foot skin is especially a problem on the heels and soles of your feet. Soften that hard skin with Glytone Heel and Elbow Cream, a powerhouse for softening thick skin. Then scrub the softened skin off with the right combination of an exfoliating stone and a file. Get my “turnkey” foot fix with my new Smooth and Soft Feet – Rough Skin Remover Kit.
Tip #6: Rehydrate and repair your lips
Weathered, chapped lips tell the tale of your outdoor adventures, but they’re also painful, cracked, and vulnerable. With cooler temperatures just around the corner, you’ve got to get your chapped lips healed as soon as possible. Use a deeply hydrating and hypoallergenic lip quencher like Ceralip with lip-healing shea butter. When you’re outdoors and need sun protection use the mineral lip sunscreen LipCotz.
Tip #7: See your dermatologist
I always find more skin cancers on my patients’ skin after summer. Self skin exams and professional skin exams done by your dermatologist save lives. Learn what to look for on your own skin and schedule an appointment with your doctor.
Tip #8: Get your diet back on track
What you eat matters to the appearance and health of your skin. Brush up on the facts, then tweak your diet accordingly. Don’t expect that taking a supplement will give you a “dietary bypass;” there’s no substitution for getting the vitamins, antioxidants, and fiber that you need for optimal skin health by eating a diet composed of whole foods, fruits, and veggies. Read my post The Best Diet For Healthy Skin in 2012.
Like the weather, your skin’s needs change with the seasons. Fall is a great time to make changes in your skincare regimen that un-weather your skin and get it ready for winter. Start by adding some key products. Look for ways to nourish your skin from the inside out and to replenish moisture from the outside in. By taking some time out of your week to care for, and do some deferred maintenance on, your skin, you’ll see improvements as the leaves start to change color in the early days of fall.
Photo: Thanks and Gratitude to Tela Chhe
Im going to replace mine with old fashioned light bulbs. Thanks for this info.
I feel badly that I cant afford all your lovely skin protection products. Im 66 and
cycle daily in my little town. Im fair and should avoid sun but dont so am concerned.
I have a tan now and I do use sunscreen but havent been lately. Will do now that
you emphasize it. However, Im on a very limited budget and cannot afford beauty or
skin products. I have a mortgage and am in debt. Any cheaper products that help?
Most important is zinc oxide sunscreen with 5% or more concentration. They can be priced at local stores. Solbar Zinc is available throughout the country. A hat and sun protective clothing are also important. SunGuard can be washed into regular clothing to provide sun protection. AmLactin is an OtC AHA antiaging skin cream that people can use in place of more expensive glycolic acid anti-aging products but will require sun protection as mentioned above.
These are really great tips! My skin use to have spots from the sun and my skin tone was uneven but after I tried the Dermaceutic Spot Peel, my spots slowly started to fade away. I’m curious to try Suntegrity to see how it works with my skin.
Sometimes I’ve noticed that I tend to get really dry hands (particularly over the knuckles) as we move from summer/spring and into winter. Do you have any tips on how to prevent that?
My Dry Hand Skin Repair Care Kit – thanks for asking! I’m very excited about this kit. I just put it together, got the pics made and the page up on the site. I’ve used the products and this sort of hand care for years in my practice but now I’ve made it turn-key for my web customers. It includes my favorite winter hand survival basics. http://www.drbaileyskincare.com/dry-hand-skin-repair-kits.shtml I have the same hand problem when the weather changes, even on the temperate Northern California Coast.
Greetings! Very helpful advice in this particular post! It’s the little changes which will make the largest changes. Thanks a lot for sharing!
Actually one of my friend is civil engineer and she has to work outside. She was asking me advice for skin. Thanks a lot for this post. I will share these tips with her.
I agree the point about rehydrating your skin. All those hour spent outside basking in the sun not only give you a tan, but it can also dehydrate your skin cells. This eventually leaves your skin dry and rough.
On my own opinion, those skin care products are good and effective but my suggestion is that drinking a tea would be the best. According to some of my research and from Dr. Mercola providing your body with foods and drinks which is rich in antioxidant would be the best way to take care of your skin.
Hello Joana, You are right that what goes in the body is critically important to the health and appearance of your skin. Please read my advice on that subject, which you will find in the Diet and Natural Health Section of my blog. That said, skin care is vital as well.
Cynthia,
Thank you for the tips. I find it especially interesting that you mentioned diet as one of the 8 tips. There are few people who realize or even take into consideration their diet when it comes to thinking and putting together their skin care regime. Maybe because it does not provide “overnight” results, or perhaps eating a healthy diet is just too hard to stick to, I don’t know. Doing things as simple as drinking 6-8 glasses of water a day instead of soda/sugary drinks, and eating fruits/vegetables daily will help a persons skin in more ways that they can imagine. Beautiful, healthy skin does not happen on its own, especially as we age – be prepared to work for it!
Tip #4 is one I’m going to follow this year. Every winter I get sunburned at least once because I tell myself it’s too cold to get sunburned.
Fixing your rough, summer-sandal-wearing feet is the best end of summer tips. It soften the hard skin with Glytone Heel and Elbow Cream.