Your late-summer skin recovery plan

Start with the barrier

After a summer outdoors, most skin is mildly dehydrated and a little inflamed. Before adding anything active, spend two weeks on a gentle cleanser, a ceramide-rich moisturizer and a daily broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher.

Once your skin feels calm again, reintroduce vitamin C in the morning and a low-strength retinoid two or three nights a week.

Treatments to book this season

Autumn is the ideal window for resurfacing. Lower UV levels mean less risk of pigmentation, and a short course of microneedling or a light chemical peel can clear the dullness that summer leaves behind.

One thing to avoid

Resist the urge to scrub. Physical exfoliants on sun-stressed skin tend to make redness worse, not better.