Examine Your Skin From Head to Toe
Check your face, scalp, neck, arms, legs, hands, feet, and other areas that may have received sun exposure. Ask someone you trust to look at places that are difficult to see, such as your back.
Pay attention to a new or changing mole, a spot with an uneven border or multiple colors, or a growth that itches, hurts, crusts, or bleeds. Sores that do not heal and rough patches that remain despite moisturizing also belong on the list of concerns to discuss with one of our providers.
Continue Daily Sun Protection
Sun protection remains important after summer, especially in South Florida. UV exposure continues on cloudy days and during routine activities such as driving, walking the dog, or running errands.
Choose a broad-spectrum sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher and reapply during extended outdoor activity, particularly after swimming or sweating. Our guides to choosing sunscreen for melanoma prevention and avoiding common sun protection myths cover SPF, cloudy-day exposure, reapplication, and other habits that matter throughout the year.
Give Dry or Irritated Skin a Simpler Routine
Skin that feels dry, sensitive, or irritated may not benefit from several new products at once. A gentle cleanser, moisturizer, and daily sunscreen are often a good place to start. Adding multiple exfoliants or strong active ingredients can make irritation worse and make it harder to tell what your skin actually needs.
Our simple morning skin care routine explains how to keep these basic steps manageable.
Do Not Treat Every Dark Spot as a Cosmetic Concern
Freckles, sunspots, melasma, and post-inflammatory marks can become more noticeable after repeated UV exposure. Our article on how sunlight affects hyperpigmentation explains why existing discoloration may deepen after time outdoors.
A spot should be examined before you try to lighten or cover it when it is new, changing, symptomatic, or slow to heal. Once our providers determine that the area is a pigmentation concern rather than a suspicious lesion, we can discuss appropriate hyperpigmentation and melasma care.
Arrange a Post-Summer Skin Check
A professional evaluation can help separate routine dryness or discoloration from a change that needs medical attention. Hollywood Dermatology sees patients in Hollywood, Pembroke Pines, Hallandale, West Miramar, and Doral, FL. Call 954-961-1200 or schedule an appointment with our team.
