Autumn – the perfect season for an aesthetic treatment!

As Summer fades and Autumn approaches, it’s a time for digging out your warm clothes from the wardrobe, enjoying the great outdoors in its red, orange and gold glory, and treating your skin to a little TLC after a long summer in the sunshine.

Exposure to the sun’s rays, particularly during the sunshine-filled Summer months, can work to ‘speed up’ the visible signs of ageing. Exposure to UVA and UVB rays contributes to the formation of fine lines and wrinkles (as a result of reduced elasticity and a degradation in the overall condition of the skin), as well as pigmentation.

Although I am a firm believer in the motto ‘prevention is better than a cure’ when it comes to sun damage, and advocate the year round use of a broad spectrum sunscreen that protects from both UVA and UVB rays, I also help to tackle the visible symptoms of ageing, whether linked to overexposure to the sun or not, without making you feel guilty about the condition of your skin, or your skincare regime.

So why is Autumn such a great season for aesthetic treatments? First of all, many treatments – including Dermal Fillers and Vein Treatments – require that you avoid intense heat and/or sun exposure in the days or weeks following a treatment to improve the efficacy of the procedure. The pigmentation that can occur following a Microsclerotherapy treatment, for example, may take longer to fade if it is exposed to the sun in the 4 weeks following a treatment.

Following a skin-resurfacing treatment like Dermapen Skin Needling or a Chemical Skin Peel, some patients experience a warmth or ‘tingling’ sensation in the treatment area, as well as some short-term redness of the skin – both side-effects that tend to be short-lived and resolve themselves in the days immediately following a treatment. However, it is likely that patients will feel more comfortable in the cooler weather of Autumn if they are undergoing a treatment of this nature.

Finally, Autumn is a great chance to ‘cover up’ a treatment area immediately post-treatment, whilst the skin recovers, without overheating! Wearing trousers or a long skirt over legs that have been treated with Microsclerotherapy, or wearing your hair down following a facial PDO Threadlift treatment to disguise where the threads have been inserted into the skin can help you to feel more confident as your body heals post-treatment, and are both far more comfortable to do in the cooler days of Autumn than in the full heat of the summer.

So if you have been considered a non-surgical aesthetic treatment, but weren’t sure when was the best time to undergo a procedure, then consider this Autumn!