Yes. XERF is radiofrequency skin tightening, not a light-based or resurfacing treatment, so it does not come with the sun-avoidance windows that lead people to pause other treatments for the summer. At Skinsation LA in Los Angeles, clients return to work, exercise, or events the same day. Here is where the "no treatments in summer" idea comes from, why it does not describe XERF, and how to time a session before a trip.
Do you have to stop skin treatments in the summer?
No, and the reel embedded below opens with exactly that: "One of the biggest misconceptions? That you have to stop all aesthetic treatments during the summer." The idea is not baseless, though. It is a rule that belongs to particular treatments and gets stretched to cover all of them.
Treatments that work with light or resurface the skin come with sun rules. Our preparation guide asks clients to avoid direct sun exposure and tanning for at least two weeks before IPL, CO2 laser, or Morpheus8, with no self-tanner or spray tan in the same window. The rules continue afterward: CO2 laser and CoolPeel call for strict sun avoidance for four weeks or more, a medium chemical peel for two weeks or more, and Morpheus8 recovery means no strenuous exercise, saunas, or sun for three to four days. IPL works because broad-spectrum light is absorbed by pigment in the skin, and resurfacing leaves the surface healing, which is why the sun on either side of the appointment is part of the plan.
None of that takes those treatments off the table from June to September. It means they need a calendar, and a calendar is harder to keep in a Los Angeles summer or around a beach week. Our guide to the biggest summer skin mistakes covers how we time them.
Why is XERF different?
XERF is a next-generation, non-invasive radiofrequency treatment. The handpiece glides over a thin layer of conductive gel and delivers controlled RF energy into the deeper layers of the skin, which produces an immediate collagen contraction and, over the following weeks, stimulates new collagen for firmer, more elastic skin. There are no needles and no injectables.
Two things about that matter in summer. Radiofrequency is not light: it works on the deeper layers without affecting melanin, which is why XERF is one of the tightening options we can offer across skin tones, including for people who cannot tolerate certain lasers. And nothing is resurfaced. The treatment is non-invasive and carries no recovery period, so there is no healing skin to keep out of the sun. XERF is not on the sun-avoidance list in our preparation guide, it is one of the treatments we reach for most in summer, and the reel's on-screen text calls it a year-round treatment.
The summer rule belongs to light and resurfacing treatments. Radiofrequency is neither.
Radiofrequency does not target melanin, but it is still a heat-based treatment. Whether XERF is appropriate for your skin, and when, is decided at an in-person assessment. — Dr. Lusanik Galustian, MD
Can you get XERF right before a trip?
Yes. The reel asks the question we hear every spring: "Not sure what treatment is safe before your Euro summer trips?" With XERF, recovery is not the constraint. A session runs about an hour and a half, a mild flush afterward typically fades within 30 to 60 minutes, and clients return to work, exercise, or events the same day. Most describe the sensation as a warm, comfortable massage.
Timing is about the result rather than the recovery. Our XERF page describes a visible lift after a single session, and new collagen continues to form in the treated tissue over the following weeks. The caption on the reel says the same thing in plainer words: "A little collagen support now, results that continue building over the months ahead." A session before you leave keeps working while you are away. Individual results vary, and it is a series of two to four sessions, followed by yearly maintenance, that builds lasting firmness; the series can be planned around your travel dates rather than paused for them.
That is a different kind of planning from the rest of a pre-trip list. Botox and fillers are booked about two weeks ahead so they settle fully, and facials and glow treatments two to five days ahead for peak radiance.
- Your dates. With no recovery period to schedule around, the session is set by your calendar. Tell us when you leave and when you are back.
- One session or a series. A single session before you go, or a series of two to four mapped around the trip.
- What else is on the plan. Injectables want about two weeks of runway, and light-based or resurfacing treatments bring their own sun windows.
- Your pigment history. If you have melasma, say so at the consult, because the plan changes.
What still applies in the sun?
Sun protection does not become optional because the treatment can be done in any season. Reapply a broad-spectrum SPF every two hours whenever you are outside, and choose a mineral (zinc or titanium) sunscreen if you are prone to pigmentation. You arrive for your appointment with clean skin, free of makeup and sunscreen, so bring your SPF for the walk out.
Melasma is the one case we plan separately. Heat can be a melasma trigger and XERF is a heat-based treatment, so there is a small theoretical risk of a flare, which we assess rather than ignore. Our article on whether you can have XERF with melasma walks through how that plan changes.
How does XERF compare with other tightening options in summer?
XERF shares the no-recovery tier with Forma, another non-invasive RF lift, and both are on our summer list. Morpheus8 combines RF with microneedling for deeper remodeling; it comes with two to three days of recovery and the sun-free days noted above, so it takes more planning around time outdoors. Which tier fits is part of the same consultation, not a separate one.
XERF plans at Skinsation LA are set at a consultation, with medical oversight from Dr. Lusanik Galustian, MD. Our office is on San Vicente Boulevard in Carthay Circle, and we see XERF clients from across Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, and West Hollywood.
- You do not have to stop every treatment in summer. The sun rules belong to light-based and resurfacing treatments: two weeks without direct sun before IPL, CO2 laser, or Morpheus8, and longer afterward for CO2 and peels.
- XERF is radiofrequency. It works on the deeper layers without affecting melanin and resurfaces nothing, so it is not on our sun-avoidance list.
- Before a trip: about an hour and a half, a mild flush that typically fades in 30 to 60 minutes, and back to your day the same day.
- New collagen keeps forming over the following weeks, so a session before you leave keeps working, and a series of two to four can be planned around travel.
- Daily SPF still applies, and melasma-prone skin is assessed before a series.
This article is general education, not medical advice, and individual results vary. Whether XERF fits your skin, and how it is timed around sun and travel, is decided at an in-person assessment. — Dr. Lusanik Galustian, MD
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