Post-Summer Skin Rehab: 10 Doctor-Approved Treatments to Reverse Sun Damage

Tthere are many ways—from lasers to other in-office treatments—to reverse sun damage. We rank these procedures from the least to the most invasive.

Try as you might to sidestep summer skin damage—whether it crops up in the form of a tan, freckles, or melasma—by sheer virtue of Earth’s relationship with the sun, experiencing the cumulative effects of the rays is pretty much inevitable. New York City board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Ryan Neinstein says that “every summer has its own story—and while we hope it’s a magical, short one, most of us end up with skin that tells the story of summer year-round.” Cue the record scratch. 

The bad news? “There’s no magic wand that’s going to wipe away all the damage caused by summer sun exposure,” points out Dr. Joel Cohen, a board-certified dermatologist in Greenwood Village, Colorado. The good news? There are things that can definitely help, and fall is the season to hop aboard the skin-rehab bandwagon. “Fall is a great time to start to really address sun damage, for several reasons,” says Dr. Gabriela Soza, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City. One, many of the best treatments can’t be done when your skin is tan, she says. (Although, spoiler alert, there are a few exceptions.) Two, you need to minimize sun exposure as much as possible after the fact. And finally, many of these require a few treatments, spread out over the course of a few months; start in September, and your skin will be in great shape come holiday time, she says. 

There are many ways—from lasers to other in-office treatments—to address not-so-sightly post-summer skin issues, and now’s the time to try them. Here, we rank these doctor-recommended options, from the least invasive to the most intense.

1. Cyspera

Estimated cost: approximately $200

Topical products are, obviously, going to be the most accessible, least aggressive way to go. Most important is the daily use of a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30, given that unexpected sun exposure will quickly undo any of your skin brightening attempts—a point underscored by all the experts we spoke with. Tried-and-true skin-care staples, such as retinoids and alpha hydroxy acids, are a nice option for exfoliating and generally brightening the surface of the skin, as are protective antioxidants such as vitamin C, says Dr. Cohen. But for actual dark-spot fading, he says that Cyspera, a prescription-strength cream, is his go-to. 

“The active ingredient, cysteamine, works on the same pathways as hydroquinone, inhibiting the production of tyrosinase, an enzyme needed to produce pigment,” he says. The upshot? It doesn’t have the potential side effects of hydroquinone and needs to be applied on affected areas for only 15 minutes per day; he recommends doing so while you make breakfast and have your morning coffee. It’s safe and effective for all skin tones, and you can start using it even when you still have a bit of a summer tan. It can also potentially be paired with in-office treatments, though you should consult with your provider as to how best to do so.

2. Clear + Brilliant 

Dr. Neinstein prefers this laser treatment for the busy, on-the-go younger person with little damage. “This ‘baby’ laser will help stimulate new collagen and will leave the skin slightly pink, not enough for someone to notice at a meeting a few hours later.” 

New York City board-certified dermatologist Dr. Paul Jarrod Frank reports that Clear + Brilliant is the No. 1 treatment in his practice in September, October, and November. “I hear the noise of the machine in my sleep,” Dr. Frank admits. It addresses the common signs of sun damage, like brown spots and increased pore size.

New York City board-certified dermatologist Dr. Doris Day is also a fan of Clear + Brilliant for its ease and low downtime. She likes using this targeted treatment to improve texture and tone. “It’s good for your skin, even if you have melasma,” she says. (However, it is important to mention if your skin has a tendency toward developing melasma so your doctor can be careful not to exacerbate it, she cautions.) Dr. Soza also calls Clear + Brilliant her favorite option for addressing summer skin damage, thanks to the unbeatable combination of efficacy and minimal to no downtime; expect a little redness for a few hours and a day or two of sandpaper-textured skin. She recommends three to five treatments, at one-month intervals, depending on the degree of sun damage and your end goals.

3. Laser Genesis

Estimated cost: starts at $575; can be done alone or in a series of four or five treatments 

Dr. Frank likes using Laser Genesis to treat post-summer skin, but he notes that it doesn’t really focus on brown pigmentation. That being said, a lot of people have broken capillaries after the summer. He has patients who complain about persistently red, ruddy skin resulting from chronic sun exposure. The Laser Genesis is a noninvasive treatment and takes only about 15 minutes. At Dr. Frank’s practice, it’s performed by his nurses. In terms of downtime, Laser Genesis results in post-treatment redness for only a couple of hours. “Usually within 24 hours, you see a dramatic difference,” Dr. Frank says. He occasionally combines this treatment with Clear + Brilliant. It’s important to note that all these treatments can often be combined, even at the same time. “They are not necessarily mutually exclusive,” he says.

Related: Chemical Peel vs. Laser: Which Treatment Is Right for You?

4. Intense Pulsed Light therapy (IPL)

The next level up from Clear + Brilliant and Laser Genesis is IPL. It involves a bit more energy, more downtime and more expense, says Dr. Neinstein. This light-based treatment targets brown spots and will initially cause the spots to become darker before they fall off. The skin will be red and noticeably irritated for a few days. “These treatments are popular for the chest and shoulders and can really help those with more developed signs of sun damage,” Dr. Neinstein says. “Some people like to renovate the whole house, and some like to just do the upstairs bathroom,” he quips. The downtime associated with IPL is a few days, and it’s also worth noting that the treatment is usually reserved for lighter skin types, typically Fitzpatrick I–III.

5. BBL Hero 

Estimated Cost: $625; results may be seen in as little as one treatment

The newest generation of Sciton’s BBL (BroadBand Light), Dr. Cohen says BBL Hero has some distinct advantages over both its predecessor and IPL. “The handpiece is constantly in motion as you glide it over the skin, which essentially nullifies the risk of ending up with the rectangular, stamp-like pattern that can sometimes happen with IPL,” he explains. It also means that the entire treatment is faster. “Whereas a BBL session for the face, neck, and chest would take 25 minutes, I can treat those areas plus the arms, legs, hands, and back in that same amount of time.”  (To that point, this is an extremely effective choice for addressing sun damage all over the body, not just on the face.) Dr. Cohen says that in his experience, patients are seeing impressive results after only one or two sessions as opposed to three or four. Downtime can last for a few days; side effects include redness and swelling.

6. Pico Genesis

Estimate cost: $775; at least three treatments are usually required

No matter whether you want to get rid of one stubborn dark mark or are after a generally more even skin tone, Dr. Soza says, Pico Genesis is a choice option. “It works just as well for isolated sunspots as it does as a global treatment,” she says. Unlike other lasers, which use light or thermal energy, the Pico Genesis laser delivers photoacoustic pulses to the skin that target and break up concentrated areas of pigment. That means it’s safe for all skin tones and even for those patients with melasma, notes Dr. Soza. And if you’re doing a full-face treatment, it can be administered even when you still have a bit of a tan, she adds. (Though if you’re targeting isolated spots, it’s best to not have any sun-related color in your skin.) A few treatments are typically needed for the best results, though Dr. Soza adds that she sometimes uses just one in conjunction with a series of Fraxel sessions. Plan on a few days of mild redness after the fact, during which any dark spots will get darker and then flake off.

7. Vivace microneedling with radiofrequency

Dr. Frank likes to use Vivace for textural abnormalities. “It doesn’t work as well on sun damage per se, but a lot of people do like it to just clean up the skin, because they find that their skin is just texturally off after summer,” he says. The difference between traditional microneedling and Vivace, or radiofrequency microneedling, is that the latter adds the element of radiofrequency energy to the traditional microneedling procedure. Traditional microneedling involves a special device that creates micro injuries in the skin, stimulating the body’s own healing response—cueing collagen and elastin production. This reduces the appearance of fine lines and acne scarring in addition to tightening the skin. 

Radiofrequency microneedling also delivers radiofrequency energy further into the dermis, so it serves to enhance the skin-tightening and scar-reduction aspects. Because the radiofrequency energy is targeted so deeply, it can produce faster, more dramatic results. With Vivace, there is flexibility in downtime, because the settings and the depth of the needle can be adjusted, to provide a recovery period of between zero and three days.

8. CoolPeel 

This treatment uses carbon dioxide laser technology (CO2) to treat areas in under 10 minutes—and bonus: with little downtime. CO2 lasers use light energy to lift thin layers of skin from the face without causing heat damage to the surrounding area. This form of skin resurfacing is often used to target fine lines and wrinkles on the face, hands, neck, and chest. “It’s the first light, millennial-focused treatment for CO2 lasers,” Dr. Frank says. “What’s great about it is that it achieves what CO2 tightening was meant to do, which is tightening fine lines, [improving] overall sun damage [and] skin tone—and does it while minimizing the heat trauma,” Dr. Frank explains. Depending on the intensity setting of the laser, downtime ranges from 24 hours (mild setting) to four days (aggressive setting). The moderate setting requires two to three days of downtime. 

9. Fotona Laser  

Dr. Day likes to use this laser, which she says is the most versatile of the 30 devices she owns, for resurfacing—she uses it to treat everything from snoring to vaginal rejuvenation to fat melting to hair growth and even laser hair removal for lighter-colored hair. But for summer sun damage, Dr. Day uses it as a laser peel. “It does really nicely for that, but your doctor has to be very careful with melasma,” she warns. She does both ablative and non-ablative peels for her patients. Ablative laser peels remove the top layer of skin, while non-ablative laser peels work by heating up the underlying skin tissue without harming the skin’s surface, encouraging new collagen production. A light peel involves a few days’ downtime, while a heavy peel requires a week; it depends on the settings of the laser

10. 1927 nm thulium laser

Estimated cost: $1,600 on average; multiple treatments may be needed

Dr. Cohen says this type of laser—brand names include Moxi, Fraxel Dual, and LaseUltra—is ideal for a wide array of patients. “It improves multiple aspects of photodamage, including pigment and roughness as well as overall luminosity,” he says. And the benefits aren’t only cosmetic; thulium lasers are cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as treatment for precancerous lesions known as actinic keratoses, he points out. (In related news, it’s important to always check with your dermatologist that any signs of sun damage you see are purely cosmetic issues and not potentially skin cancer.) They’re appropriate for Fitzpatrick skin types I–VI, although the settings do need to be dialed down significantly on dark skin, and are a good way to “clean up” sun damage, freckles, and other types of excess pigmentation, even when you’re still a bit tan, says Dr. Cohen.
Dr. Soza likes Fraxel lasers in general, noting that they help with not only spots but also other signs of sun damage, such as fine lines and wrinkles. She typically recommends a series of three sessions, spaced one month apart. “The first session helps bring pigment up to the surface and gets some of it off. The second cleans up what is left over, and the third really fine tunes the results,” she says. Downtime will depend on the particular laser used and how strong the settings are, and it ranges anywhere from a few days to up to a full two weeks.