I’ve spent a ton more time outside lately since I picked up tennis, and let me tell you, my skin is showing it. In addition to battling some new sun spots, I’ve also noticed that my skin is sensitized in new ways that I hadn’t experienced before. Maybe you’re also seeing this as summer wraps up and the weather, maybe even your daily routine, is changing. 

Here are three easy tips for healing post-summer skin. It’s time to get the glow back!

1. Rebuilding the Barrier

I went to my facialist about a month ago and told her my skin looked like I pressed my face onto a bacon skillet (lol). It was red, irritated—not necessarily breaking out—and overall sensitized. We realized quickly that the sunscreen I was using while I was playing tennis for hours outside was pretty much cooking my skin from the inside out. Yikes!

The takeaway: Chemical sunscreens (and don’t get me wrong, I do love me my safe chemical screens!) are not a great fit for me when I’m going to be exercising outside. The combination of heat and sweat, along with the release of heat from the sunscreen (that’s how chemical sunscreens work) was really doing a number on my skin barrier.

She recommended this barrier building serum, which has been nothing short of a miracle worker for my skin. Even after a few hours, my skin was noticeably less red. Now I use it at night, and I consistently wake up to skin that’s the color it should be—not a red, irritated mess.

And a reminder: If your barrier is compromised, hold up on using all those products with active ingredients; they will only irritate your skin further. Fix your barrier to heal post-summer skin, and then go in with the heavy hitting products (I’m talking retinol, acids, etc.)

If you don’t want to take my word for it, listen to Dr. Heather Rogers, board-certified dermatologist, skin educator and founder, who broke down all the things you need to do to rebuild your barrier, here.

2. Get Back on Track with Regular Facials

I took a pause on getting facials for a while, but I recently started going back to an esthetician for a deep-cleansing facial every two months or so, and it makes a world of a difference. There’s something about getting that deep cleanse and those extractions at the hands of a professional that makes a huge difference. There is nothing I could do at home that could even approximate the clean, bright glow I get from going to an expert.

There are some great options for affordable facials these days like Clean Your Dirty Face, Glo30, or Hand and Stone.

I know this is kind of a duh tip, but don’t underestimate how much professional hands can help in getting your skin back on track.

3. Introduce Richer Formulas

When my skin is feeling extra sensitive, I also love returning to a rich cream at night; it feels like I’m wrapping my skin in a nice, protective blanket. I’m still working my way through the Aeonia cream, which is rich and lovely (their SPF-boosting serum is great for daytime, too!), but if you’re looking for a drugstore option, nothing beats this Cerave PM lotion in my opinion.

Tell me: What’s your best tip for healing post-summer skin?

Head to my Substack for one more helpful tip for healing post-summer skin as well as three more podcast episodes on getting great skin. Thanks for reading!