Is There A Best Time Of Year For Laser Treatments? Absolutely!
The days are getting shorter, the air cooler, and the sweaters bulkier. This means laser season for men and women is finally here!
While you can receive a medical-grade laser treatment at any time of the year, there is an optimal time to have these medical spa treatments performed. That time is during the fall and winter months of the year, specifically when the sun isn’t so bright overhead.
While side effects from laser procedures are typically mild and temporary, sun exposure and heat can increase them many times over. If you’re exposed to the sun before or after your laser treatment, it increases the likelihood that your skin will develop unwanted dark spots (hyperpigmentation) or light spots (hypopigmentation), and these pigment problems can be very long-lasting.
For laser procedures that repair surface damage by exfoliating damaged skin cells (like traditional or fractionated laser skin resurfacing), your skin will be very sensitive to the sun after your procedure. On top of your natural sensitivity, laser skin treatments dramatically increase the sensitivity of the skin in the affected area. This means that you’ll want to avoid sun exposure and heat to the treated area. Prolonged exposure can cause the exact things that the laser treatment is fighting against, including darkening, freckling, and aging.
To help your laser treatment produce the best possible results with minimal risk of side effects, our Bella Luce providers recommend that patients protect their skin from the sun for 4-6 weeks before and after any laser skin treatment. This means you will need to avoid spending a lot of time outside in the sun and wear sunscreen daily, reapplying it as instructed, and wear sun-protective clothing.
As you can imagine, this can be difficult and inconvenient during the spring and summer when you want to spend your weekends lounging around a pool, going to barbecues, and taking advantage of the warm weather. For this reason, the cooler months of fall and winter make it much easier for patients to minimize their risk of side effects from laser procedures.
Since the shorter days are ideal for laser treatments you may wonder why starting in Fall is better than December or January? While some laser treatments are primarily done as solitary procedures (like our Pearl Resurfacing Treatment), many laser procedures are actually done in a series, like Intense Pulse Lights (IPL) and Laser Hair Reduction.
Our favorite Lasers for Medical Spa Fall and Winter Treatments:
While only 1 to 2 treatments are typically needed, Pearl and Pearl Fractional are some fall/winter treatment favorites. This laser is a skin resurfacing laser that safely treats signs of aging and damaged skin. It breaks up the outer layer of your skin leaving the second layer exposed. This layer will be extremely sensitive to the sun and it is recommended to stay out of the sun for 2 weeks after the procedure. The Pearl procedure reduces fines, wrinkles, improves tone, and texture and has a noticeably smoother, brighter complexion.
Laser hair reduction usually produces its best results after about six sessions (though this varies per patient). Because these appointments need to be spaced 4-6 weeks apart, it can take six months or more to complete a laser hair removal cycle. For some patients, it can take even longer, depending on their hormones, the resiliency of their hair follicles, their ability to maintain consistent appointments, among other factors.
IPL (photofacial) treatments can take up to three treatments to see optimal results. The procedure offers the advantage of improving skin tone, surface imperfections associated with aging, photodamage, freckles, brown spots, telangiectasia, and more. Treatments can be performed ever 4 weeks.
Other Great Fall/Winter Treatments
A chemical peel causes your skin to exfoliate and eventually peel off. As a result, the new, regenerated skin is usually smoother and less wrinkled than the old skin. During this process, your skin is extremely sensitive to the sun as your new skin adjusts to being exposed.
Obaji Hydroquinone skincare helps with hyperpigmentation (darkening of the skin). It lightens the skin and removes pigmentation that has been deposited into the top layers of skin and helps to prevent new hyperpigmentation such as sunspots. In the beginning stages, it is best to stay out of the sun as much as possible to avoid causing additional pigmentation to your skin, regardless of your skin type.
Obaji Retinols skin care can make your face extremely sensitive to the sun making fall and winter the best time to begin this routine. Retinols have been shown to improve the feel of firmness and elasticity and reduce the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, rough skin, and fight acne.
With all of these treatments, we recommend patients start their treatment series in the fall. By beginning at this time, you may be able to finish the recommended series by Spring! Just in time to be able to enjoy the warmer weather with exciting results.
Please feel free to schedule a free consultation with Bella Luce Med Spa in Oklahoma City by calling (405) 486-7450. We would absolutely love to visit with you and help you take advantage of our medical spa fall treatments and medical spa winter treatments!