15 Tips, Tricks & Med Spa Treatments for a Beautiful Summer

Summer is fast approaching, and with it come vacations, beaches, barbecues and getaways to celebrate the warmest season. This is the season of weddings, reunions, family vacations and all sorts of other photo opportunities, making summer an important time for people to show off their best selves. Warmer weather also means a whole new summer wardrobe and the right figure to go with it.

It’s only natural to want to feel good about the way you look, and appearing fit, youthful and healthy doesn’t need to break the bank. With just a few simple lifestyle commitments and a med spa treatment (or three), you can bring out your inner and outer beauty as you enjoy the summer to the max.

1. Stay Hydrated

[pullquote]Water comprises of 60 percent of the human body and replenishing your fluids throughout the year is key to staying in top shape and good health.[/pullquote]

Water helps flush toxins from the body, disperse nutrients throughout your bloodstream and protect sensitive tissue. In the summer heat, you lose more fluids through perspiration, so you’ll need to drink more water than usual to stay hydrated.

Staying hydrated is also good for your complexion, as your skin can easily dry out without enough fluid intake, becoming more susceptible to sunburns, breakouts and other common skin problems. Your fitness regimen also relies on proper hydration for maximum effectiveness.

As the summer approaches, keep these hydration tips in mind:

  • Ditching the sugary sodas, juices and cocktails in exchange for water can make it easier to slim down your waistline as bikini season approaches. If a plain glass of water doesn’t cut it for you, try sugar-free mocktails for a more thirst-quenching poolside beverage. Crush some fresh mint leaves into a glass, top with sparkling water and squeeze in your favorite citrus for a simple and refreshing summer drink.
  • In hot weather, try to drink the standard recommended 2 to 3 liters of water each day. That’s around 9 to 13 8-ounce glasses. To make it easier to keep track of your water intake, try to drink at least 1 glass every 90 minutes throughout the day.
  • If you’re exercising in hot weather, aim to drink 3 liters of fluids or more per day. For workouts that last longer than 90 minutes, carry water with you and replenish your fluids during your workout. Don’t forget to get your electrolytes from sports drinks, enhanced waters or electrolyte drink mixes.

2. Maintain a Healthy Diet

There is truth to the old adage that you are what you eat. Maintaining a healthy and balanced diet will help you look and feel your best during the summer months. While it may be tempting to indulge during summer barbecues or vacations, making healthy choices when it comes to the food you put on your plate will help you stay healthy, active and fit. Lean meats like fish and chicken breast, whole grains, cruciferous vegetables, and beans and legumes can keep your body well-nourished and satisfied without adding inches to your waistline.

A nutritious diet will also help keep your complexion clear and glowing. An excess of processed foods, refined sugars, fatty meats, alcohol or caffeine can all contribute to breakouts and a dull complexion. For the clearest skin this summer, stock up on avocados, nuts, leafy greens, beet root, green tea and berries.

Medical grade supplements like Vitamin-B injections or multivitamins can also deliver a welcome boost to your health. A good balance of vitamins can keep your energy levels high, your mood positive and your skin glowing.

3. Protect Yourself from UV Rays

[pullquote] There are few accelerants of age more powerful than sun damage.[/pullquote]

UV rays from the sun penetrate the skin’s surface when unprotected and can damage or destroy underlying skin cells. Sun damage reduces the skin’s elasticity, dehydrates the skin and can result in sun spots, hyperpigmentation or vascular lesions on the face, hands or body. Prolonged sun exposure can result in skin cancer.

People with fair skin are especially susceptible to sun damage, but everyone should practice diligent sun protection to avoid premature aging and skin discoloration. Medical grade sunscreen tends to have a high SPF while also preventing your skin from getting too oily and delivering powerful hydration. Sport a summer hat with sunglasses when you’re outdoors, and bring large umbrellas or shade structures to beach outings and camping trips so you can enjoy the summer weather without damaging your skin.

4. Treat Sunburns

If you do end up with a sunburn, treat it immediately. Untreated sunburns will eventually heal on their own, but they can cause lasting damage to the skin and increase your risk for developing skin cancer. The most important thing to do is to try to remove heat trapped in the skin. Follow these steps for an effective sunburn treatment:

  • Place a cold, damp towel over the sunburnt area for 10 to 15 minutes a few times each day.
  • Take cool baths or showers.
  • After a shower, pat yourself dry gently but leave some water on the skin. Then, apply a moisturizer to trap in the moisture and replenish the skin.
  • Use moisturizers containing aloe vera or calendula, both naturally soothing to sunburns.
  • Drink more water than usual to hydrate the skin and tissue.
  • Don’t pop any blisters that develop, as this could further damage the skin. Instead, let them heal gradually.
  • Keep the sunburnt area out of the sun completely until it is healed.
  • Use cooling masks to nourish and soothe sunburnt skin on the face, neck or décolletage.

5. Get a Tan without the Sun Damage

There’s nothing wrong with being fair-skinned, but if you’re the type to enjoy a warmer skin tone during the summer months, there are ways of getting a tan without damaging your skin. To sport a sexy summer tan without risking any of the associated sun damage, you might want to consider skincare product lines like SouthSeas®, which offer paraben-free bronzing products for natural-looking sun-kissed skin. Spray tanning is another popular way to achieve bronzed skin all over without burning up in the process. Spray tans can last for up to 10 days, making a quick treatment at your local medical spa the perfect prelude to a summer vacation.

6. Get a Facial

Regular facials can help keep your skin clean, your pores clear and any breakouts under control. Facials can also infuse the skin with hydration, proteins and nutrients, all while encouraging cell turnover, keeping your complexion young and fresh. European facials place an emphasis on the experience of relaxation, helping you let go of stress, soothing aching eyes and even minimizing headaches.

If you feel like your skin might need an extra boost of nourishment to bring that youthful glow back by summer, consider scheduling a facial once or twice a month.

7. Buff Up Your Complexion

Dry or damaged skin can quickly develop an uneven texture. Daily exfoliation can help, but exfoliating at home isn’t always enough, plus home exfoliating treatments can be too harsh on the skin and only increase the damage. If your skin has felt like sandpaper lately, it may be time to schedule a microdermabrasion session. Microdermabrasion is a nonsurgical rejuvenating facial treatment that uses a special buffing device to gently exfoliate the skin’s surface without damaging the skin or tissue. The process is essentially an aggressive exfoliation that leaves your skin feeling silky smooth.

Because microdermabrasion removes dull surface skin and exposes the newer skin underneath, it’s important to avoid direct sun exposure for at least 1 week after each treatment. You should notice a difference in the texture and appearance of your skin after only a single treatment, but most people get a series of microdermabrasion sessions spaced a couple of weeks apart. Microdermabrasion treatments also stimulate collagen production, so you may notice your complexion improving gradually over weeks or even months after your series of treatments is finished.

8. Renew Your Skin with a Chemical Peel

Chemical peels are another one of those med spa treatments you probably didn’t know you needed. Chemical peels penetrate below the skin’s surface, dissolving the outer layers of skin to reveal the smoother, clearer and younger-looking skin underneath. If this sounds intensive, it doesn’t have to be.

Peels come in a range of strengths, from “lunchtime” peels that result in few to no side effects and offer a quick complexion boost, all the way to deep chemical peels that you’ll want to have done long before you plan on heading to any special summer events. The stronger the peel, the more facial peeling you can expect, so plan your peel with your summer schedule in mind.

Chemical peels are known for improving fine lines, sun spots, acne scars, blemishes and uneven pigmentation. Like microdermabrasion, peels deliver the best results in a series. Ask your Certified Advanced Aesthetician about combining your chemical peels with a microdermabrasion series for a more extensive approach to facial rejuvenation.

9. Get Rid of Crow’s Feet and Frown Lines

[pullquote]Being proactive about maintaining your complexion from a relatively young age is something you’ll thank yourself for in later years. [/pullquote]

Dynamic wrinkles, usually in the form of crow’s feet, the horizontal lines beside the eyes, or frown lines, the short vertical wrinkles between the eyebrows, are one of the many curses of age. These lines are etched into our skin as a result of repeated facial movements like frowning, laughing, squinting or smiling. BOTOX® Cosmetic is made up of botulinum toxin, a muscle relaxant, and can be injected directly into the facial muscles that create dynamic wrinkles, relaxing the muscles and helping these pesky lines smooth out.

But BOTOX® isn’t only good for treating wrinkles after they start. Today, more men and women than ever are starting BOTOX® at a young age as a preventative measure to keep dynamic wrinkles at bay. Selfie culture might also contribute to BOTOX®’s popularity as people of all ages strive to look flawless and wrinkle-free in every photo.

10. Embrace Youthful Features

As we age, we tend to lose volume in our faces because of the natural thinning of facial tissue. This can result in sunken cheeks, prominent under-eye bags, deep creases in the nasolabial folds or marionette lines. Many people also develop thin lips and sagging skin or facial tissue as they grow older.

Facial fillers and BOTOX® are both delivered through injection and considered “lunchtime” treatments, but otherwise, the two are fairly different and tackle different appearance concerns. Dermal fillers like JUVÉDERM® or Sculptra® can restore lost volume in the face and help you reclaim your youth by reviving your features. Fillers can be used to fill in deep creases, such as the nasolabial folds or forehead lines, but they can also be used to enhance the symmetry or shape of the nose, lips or chin. When applied under the eyes, fillers can hide under-eye bags. Facial fillers are commonly combined with BOTOX® treatments to smooth out dynamic wrinkles as well as deeper creases.

11. Get a Nonsurgical Facelift

So you may not be ready to get a facelift, but nonsurgical facial rejuvenation might be just the right solution for your needs. While a facelift typically addresses advanced signs of aging, an innovative med spa treatment, Thermage®, uses radiofrequency energy to address the following complexion concerns:

  • Loose, sagging skin
  • Fine lines
  • Wrinkles
  • Skin bulges
  • Hooding around the eyelids
  • Sagging jowls or loose neck skin

Depending on the size of the area being treated, Thermage® treatments can last anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours. You can expect to feel pulses of alternating warm and cold energy during your treatment, a sensation caused by radiofrequency waves penetrating the skin and stimulating collagen production. Combine Thermage® with injectables for more noticeable results.

12. Soothe Away Facial Redness

If spending all that time in the sun has you looking a little red, Vbeam® laser therapy may be the right summertime treatment for you. Vbeam® can treat pigmented lesions, port-wine stains, vascular birthmarks, rosacea, broken capillaries and more. Vbeam® uses a pulsed-dye laser to deliver bursts of light into pigmented areas of the skin, causing the pigmented areas to fade and returning your skin to a clearer state.

Depending on the state of sun damage or facial redness you have, you may need up to 4 treatments to see the best results. The good news is that Vbeam® laser therapy requires no downtime, so you can return to your normal routine immediately.

13. Hair-Free and Hassle-Free

If bikini season leaves you feeling uneasy about all the nicks, ingrown hairs and razor burn from your shaving or waxing routine, now may be the perfect time to start laser hair removal treatments. Laser hair removal can be applied virtually anywhere on the face or body, making LHR the perfect one-stop solution for unwanted hair.

Unlike waxing, shaving and plucking, laser hair removal offers a long-term solution for hairless skin. A series of 4 to 6 treatments spaced about 4 weeks apart should leave you silky smooth, though you may wish to schedule touchup treatments once or twice a year to maintain your results.

At a professional medical spa, laser hair removal can be an effective and safe treatment for any of the following areas:

  • Bikini area
  • Underarms
  • Arms
  • Legs
  • Back
  • Chest
  • Areola
  • Feet
  • Hands
  • Face
  • Abdomen
  • Chest

14. Kiss Unsightly Veins Goodbye

Spider veins and varicose veins plague a number of women with their unsightly appearances. These veins can also be physically uncomfortable, resulting in soreness, itchiness and discomfort. Veins often become visible in the legs, leaving women feeling too self-conscious to wear their favorite skirts, shorts and swimwear.

Vein treatments use either laser therapy or injections to get rid of spider veins and varicose veins, restoring your legs to their more youthful, natural look. Most women have a short series of vein treatments, after which the veins may appear more prominent briefly before they disappear. While vein treatments won’t prevent new spider veins or varicose veins from forming, they can be repeated as needed to keep visible veins at bay.

15. Slim Down without Surgery

[pullquote] You don’t need to bend over backward to look fit, healthy and glowing this summer. Looking and feeling your best can be as simple as eating well, staying hydrated and planning a quick trip to your local med spa.[/pullquote]

Finally, if you’ve followed a diligent diet, stayed well-hydrated and kept up a solid workout routine but still have pesky fat bulges you can’t get rid of, it may be time for body contouring.

Not all fat-removing procedures are surgical, and CoolSculpting® offers men and women who aren’t interested in liposuction the chance to slim down their figures without downtime. Through a process called cryolipolysis, CoolSculpting® freezes and destroys fat cells, causing them to be eliminated by the body gradually over the following weeks and months. Only a few CoolSculpting® treatments can have you looking fit and healthy as you slip into that dream bikini this summer.

Meet Dr. Lee B. Daniel

Board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Lee Daniel is trusted by people who want a meticulous, deeply caring doctor.

Dr. Lee B. Daniel, Aesthetic Plastic Surgery
N/a
244 Country Club Rd
Eugene OR   97401