The dog days of summer are here and this is what we're seeing the MOST of in the treatment room these days:
Melasma, Rosacea, Oily skin and Dryness ... the things that normally bug you about your skin may be looking and feeling worse.
Did you know... most people think that sun exposure and letting routines fall by the wayside are the main culprits for your skin acting up ... but it's actually the heat! So when you've had lots of time outside, cool down your skin by cleansing with cool water, and keep your skincare in the fridge!
Melasma that just won’t let up
Why: Sun exposure on any part of your body including your retinas, not just the affected areas, can trigger melasma flares! So sun + heat = that melasma is showing up uninvited
Our favourite products for helping with melasma:
🌊 Lotion P50 PIGM. An exfoliating toner chock full of brightening ingredients. I typically recommend using this 3 times a week.
🌊 Epicutis Arctigenin Serum - addresses pigment AND inflammation in one. (And if you're my client and you have melasma - you know that inflammation is always at the root of melasma).
🌊 I’ve been using and loving the Biologique Recherche Sérum Spectral. I spend a lot of time outside (paddling, running, biking, at the park with my son), and I normally see my melasma POP OFF in the summer but this summer it's staying really calm and I attribute it to this serum (really the only thing that's changed about my routine).
Facials: Summer facials for my lovelies with melasma are always cold (no heat anywhere), and typically include a gentle chemical peel with a blend of tranexamic, mandelic and lactic acids to really brighten the skin.
Pro Tip: When you’ve had some fun outside and you can feel that residual heat in your skin … Ice your skin!!! Yes, with ice cubes or cryosticks. Try it and thank me later.
Extra Oiliness
Why: Higher temperatures and humidity trigger higher oil production in your skin…. It’s a measurable fact.
Our best products for helping with oily skin in Summer:
🌊 Every summer I switch my cleansing milk to the BR Lait S.R. (in the clinical studies for this cleanser - on 20 women with oily skin - after using Lait S.R. twice daily for 28 days - their average sebum levels were 32% lower …crazy right?!?!).
🌊 Lotion P50T - the exfoliating toner that will change your life - help rebalance your sebum levels.
🌊 Masque Biomagic: A white clay-based masque that mattifies and tightens.
Facials: I love the Biologique Recherche facials for oily skin - the combination of P50, their treatments, masks and the cold rebalance the skin and make it look and feel tight in the best way possible.
Extra Tip: Switch your regular moisturizer for a thinner one, like the Emulsion Gel Biosensible S.R or the Dermaviduals Base Cream or even just a hydrating serum! People PAY for that glow… try not to worry too much about it!
Summer Dryness
Why: As a mega oily skinned person - this one always intrigues me - but if your skin gets more dry in the summer - you’re not alone! I actually see this a LOT. Skin can get dryer in the summer because of higher exposure to the sun, air conditioning, environmental pollutants, AND UV damage causes something called senescent cells
Time to Nerd out: UV radiation (especially UVA, which penetrates deeper into the dermis) generates reactive oxygen species and causes DNA damage. When a cell accumulates enough damage that it can't safely repair, it has two options: apoptosis (die) or senescence (stop dividing but stay alive). Senescence is essentially a defense mechanism against cancer, since a cell that can't divide can't become a tumor. So in the short term it's protective.
The problem is what those cells do afterward. Senescent cells aren't inert. They secrete a cocktail of inflammatory molecules, proteases, and growth factors collectively called the SASP (senescence-associated secretory phenotype). The SASP degrades collagen and elastin, drives chronic low-grade inflammation, and can push neighboring healthy cells into senescence too. This is a big part of what photoaging actually is at the cellular level: not just accumulated sun damage, but a growing population of senescent fibroblasts actively breaking down the surrounding tissue.)
Star Products to help with Summer Dryness:
🌊 The Sérum Progeskin by Biologique Recherche directly targets senescent cells - we recommend using a bottle of this serum once a year (it makes my skin SO CREAMY and bright when I use it!!!).
🌊 Hydrating Serums like the Extraits Tissulaires and Amniotique,
🌊 Applying and reapplying a hydrating face mist like the Dermaviduals Face Tonic will really juice up your dry skin.
Facials: I LOVE using out algae based jelly masks to push TONS of hydration into the skin. They feel cooling, they’re full of electrolytes that signal to your skin to take a big drink. The skin is always visibly different after using one of these.
Extra Tip: Apply skincare to damp skin, pat that hydration in, and in between skincare steps.
Rosacea Flares
Why: My rosacea-prone friends - when sunlight hits your skin, it kicks off vitamin D production. That's normal and happens to everyone. But that same process also switches on a molecule called cathelicidin, which widens blood vessels and triggers inflammation. In people with rosacea, cathelicidin is already faulty and overactive, so the sun ends up amplifying a problem that's already there. That's why your skin flushes, reddens, and flares after time outside.
Best Products for Rosacea in Summer:
🌊 SPF all day every day - our favourite for rosacea prone skin is the Epicutis Lipid Shield SPF 30.
🌊 Kiwi Seed Nanoparticles Serum From Dermaviduals. The soothing powerhouse with the highest concentration of bio-available Omega 3's.
🌊 Epicutis Sheet Masks Put these in the fridge and then apply them to reddened skin and feel your skin coooool 🧊 .
Facials: Our facials for rosacea-prone people always include lymphatic drainage to help reduce the pressure and inflammation in the skin, as well as yellow LED light (magic for redness). And if you have a facial with me - Isabelle - I especially love using the Qi Beauty Treatments for Rosacea.
Extra Tip: Cover that skin up! Hats. Shade. SPF. Your skin will thank you.
As always, I am ever so grateful for you all. Thank you for trusting me and my team with your skin. Let us know if you try any of our products or tips or better yet - if you're struggling with your skin in the summer - come pay us a visit for a consultation or a facial. Taking care of your skin is what we do best!
xox
Isabelle
