Take Stock of Your Skin Care This Summer

There are certain things almost everyone forgets to do before summer.

Wash the makeup brushes. Replace the sunscreen. Throw away the skin-care product that’s been sitting in the bathroom cabinet since who knows when.

None of them are particularly exciting. All of them matter more than most people realize.

As the weather warms up, your skin changes. A few small adjustments now can help you head into summer with healthier, happier skin.

Take a look at your makeup brushes.

If you can’t remember the last time you washed them, it’s probably time. Brushes collect oil, dead skin, makeup residue, and bacteria surprisingly quickly. A quick weekly wash can help reduce irritation, breakouts, and even improve how your makeup goes on.

Give your products an expiration-date check.

Skin-care products don’t last forever. Ingredients like retinoids, antioxidants, exfoliating acids, and growth factors gradually lose stability after opening, especially when they’re exposed to heat and sunlight. If a product smells different, changes color, separates, or has been sitting in a drawer longer than you can remember, consider replacing it.

Retire last summer’s sunscreen.

This is one of the most common mistakes we see. Heat and time can reduce the effectiveness of sunscreen, even if there’s still product left in the bottle. If your sunscreen is expired or spent the last year riding around in a hot car, beach bag, or golf cart, start fresh.

At Midwest Dermatology, one of our most recommended sunscreens continues to be EltaMD UV Clear SPF 46 because it works beautifully for sensitive, acne-prone, and everyday skin types. It’s lightweight, easy to wear daily, and available in both tinted and untinted formulas.

Re-evaluate your cleanser.

Summer skin is different from winter skin. Sweat, sunscreen, humidity, makeup, and more time outdoors often mean your skin needs a little more cleansing than it did a few months ago. That’s one reason our aestheticians frequently recommend cleansing twice daily during the summer months.

One cleanser that has quickly become a favorite around Midwest DERMaesthetics is Ourself Daily Purifying Cleanser. Patients love the rich cleansing foam, luxurious feel, easy rinsability, and the way it leaves skin feeling clean and refreshed without feeling stripped or dry afterward.

Pay attention to what your skin is telling you.

Feeling oilier than usual? Breaking out in places you normally don’t? Looking dull despite using the same products? Those are often clues that your skin-care routine needs a seasonal adjustment.

Summer is also a great time to schedule a skin-care consultation with one of our aestheticians. Sometimes a few simple tweaks to your routine can make a bigger difference than adding another product to the shelf.

Consider a summer reset treatment.

If your skin still feels like it’s carrying winter around with it, professional exfoliation can help.

One of the newest HydraFacial upgrades at Midwest DERMaesthetics uses an actual diamond-encrusted tip to gently exfoliate away rough, dull surface skin before the hydration phase begins.

Honestly, diamonds are a girl’s best friend for a reason.

The Wet Diamond HydraFacial combines advanced diamond-tip exfoliation with the deep cleansing and hydration HydraFacial is known for, helping leave skin smoother, brighter, and exceptionally soft heading into summer.

Healthy skin is rarely about one miracle product or one big treatment. More often, it’s the result of small habits done consistently. Summer is a great reminder to take a fresh look at yours.