Aging skin has always been a hot topic in the aesthetic industry and drives most clients to treatment rooms. As the industry advances with technology and ingredient research, so do the choices of how to treat aging skin with the best results. There are a myriad of products, facial treatments, and opinions available that all claim to offer the fountain of youth. So, how does one decipher what products are better, which treatment protocols deliver, and exactly who to trust, let alone, what is the best direction to take for each individual client? There is much to be considered and one thing to remember is that aging is inevitable. The goal is to do it as gracefully as possible.

Gina Marie McGuire is a licensed aesthetician and president of GINAMARIE Skincare, GM Revolution’s Professional Men’s line, and Continuing Educations, Inc. As an entrepreneur at heart, she has over 30 years of experience in the skin care industry and has been educating professionals and clients for the majority of her career. McGuire’s philosophy on caring for skin has always been from a holistic, yet scientific point of view. She feels strongly that when making the complex simple, options are endless. McGuire brings a wealth of information to the classroom, as she has extensive experience in retail, manufacturing, wholesaling, public speaking, educating, marketing, and skin therapy treatments.

Sun damage is a topic that skin care professionals talk about until they feel blue in the face. Yet, why do so many clients skip this crucial step in their skin care routine? The solution to this problem involves continuing to learn and educate themselves, so they can better educate their clients. When professionals know more, they do better. Setting an example and backing it up with education is going to help equip clients with tools and knowledge to make an informed decision and stick to a sun protection routine.

Samantha Dench is a 16-year licensed aesthetician, owner of Skin Deep, author, and speaker. Dench’s passion goes beyond treating the skin and incorporates internal health as means to achieve healthy skin for clients by finding the root of the problem. She loves to educate groups of women and share her knowledge and passion for skin. Dench finds pleasure in sharing her book to help women take control of their skin. She is a single mom of three and loves to cook, bake, and find creative ways for healthy alternatives to her favorite dishes.

Many skin care professional may often dream of clients who pay as much attention to their nighttime skin care routine as they do to their morning routine. Generally, when recommending a daytime skin care routine during summer, the textures and products gravitated towards include lightweight sun protection, weightless serums, and gel-based, oil-free hydrators. Additionally, brightening products are frequently incorporated to control hyperpigmentation triggered by hotter summer months and increased sun exposure. However, educating clients on the importance of incorporating a nighttime skin care routine is often overlooked despite its importance in reducing the sun’s harmful effects in the critical overnight hours when the majority of skin repair takes place. Learn which steps and ingredients are essential for nighttime skin care and confidently recommend products for clients’ routines.

Skin is a visible indicator of dysfunction often occurring elsewhere in the body or from the environment. It is aestheticians’ and clinicians’ purpose to find solutions for each individual, to discover what works for clients’ skin and curate a regimen that will fulfill their skin care needs not just immediately, but over time. In a society where modern comforts and quick fixes arrive through a rotating door, it is easy to be seduced by seemingly simple skin care trials and subscription kits. The most undernourished skin is ironically that which has been overly treated by a myriad of products and quick fixes. 

Most readers are unaware that medical doctors receive less than 1% of their total training in medical school learning about nutrition and the impact of food on the gut. Integrative medicine, the practice that merges Western and functional medicine, is on the rise. Medical doctors are increasingly frustrated over Western medicine not having all the answers for their patients. Patients are weary of being told their autoimmune concerns or other conditions cannot be treated.

 However, the tide is turning in the understanding of health and how it can be improved. There are several known factors that affect well-being, like nourishing foods, mindfulness and meditation, adequate sleep, stress reduction, healthy relationships, drinking water, exercise, and ongoing learning and stimulation of the mind.

Colette Brown has been a licensed clinical aesthetician since 2001. She is the director of education at Columbia Skincare where she leads the professional products division. In her role, she oversees education and treatment protocol training and supports research and development with new product development. Brown possesses a deep passion and understanding of the healing benefits of topical probiotics and how they contribute to the overall health and wellness of the skin’s microbiome. Based in Beverly Hills, California, Brown has a Bachelor of Art in education, is a certified holistic practitioner through the Kresser Institute, a licensed phlebotomist, and has certifications in advanced skin care procedures.

Everything built in life should begin with a good foundation. In the professional skin care industry, investing in education is the first fundamental tool that will begin to develop and strengthen a professional’s foundation and future. And when it comes to professional hair removal, sugaring is tool that requires diligence, patience, and above all, top-notch education.

Lina Kennedy is the president and CEO of Alexandria Professional, a worldwide leader in body sugaring epilation and skin conditioning. Kennedy is the pioneer of professional body sugaring and master trainer of professionals and distributors in more than 30 countries. As a beauty industry innovator, Kennedy has developed a full line of all-natural, vegan, and cruelty-free skin care products and treatments that are safe and effective for all hair and skin types. Kennedy is dedicated to ensuring that each professional trained in body sugaring learns and understands the exceptional results they and their clients can achieve through the Kennedy Theory. She is a motivational speaker, the author of numerous articles in beauty magazines, and a multi-patent holder.

In a bout of curiosity, Antonie van Leeuwenhoek discovered the polyamines spermidine and spermine under the lens of his microscope in 1678. Over 300 years later, science is finally discovering the enormous impact his find will have.

The massive amount of recent research investigating spermidine, a natural polyamine that induces autophagy, is producing valuable information about how the level of spermidine in the body is related to health, longevity, and aging. The crux of the recent breakthrough around spermidine is its ability to seemingly slow and, in some cases, reverse the signs of aging by way of inhibiting five of the nine hallmarks of aging.¹

This capability has been noted before, namely in another compound called rapamycin. Unfortunately, while rapamycin was shown to inhibit six of the nine hallmarks of aging, dosing protocols still remain somewhat uncertain. It can have potential side effects, and it requires a doctor’s prescription and supervision. Spermidine currently stands alone as a supplemental polyamine capable of reversing signs of aging, slowing the overall impacts of aging, and extending our health span.

Elizabeth Yurth, MD is co-founder and medical director of Boulder Longevity Institute, where she has been providing tomorrow’s medicine today to her clients since 2006. Along with her 25-plus years as a practicing orthopedist specializing in sports and spine medicine, Dr. Yurth has made it her mission to learn and share the latest scientific research on how to truly heal the body at the cellular level. She is fellowship-trained in antiaging and regenerative medicine and has completed 500 and more hours of continuing medical education training focused on longevity, nutrition, epigenetics, bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, regenerative peptide treatments, and regenerative orthopedic procedures.

In the age of instant gratification, the pressure to deliver treatments that are fast and efficient can feel overbearing. Short and one-time treatments can deliver improvement in skin complexion, but it is short-lived.

René Serbon is an international skin expert. She started her education focusing on business studies (marketing) and then moved to aesthetics. Serbon’s mission as an industry consultant and educator is to teach other industry professionals to empower the public to obtain healthy skin at any age without the need for intensive and harsh treatments. She does this by demystifying the beauty world for her clients, helping them grow their businesses, and proving that managing a strong business in this industry is possible and beauty is not a sacrifice for science; they truly co-exist. She began studying in New Zealand and completed training in beauty therapy (called aesthetics in Canada and the United States), as well as electrolysis through the New Zealand Institute of Electrolysis and Beauty Therapy. Serbon sat for international exams and is a diplomat of both CIBTAC and CIDESCO. She completed post-graduate training in laser, intense pulsed light, and the Pastiche Method of Advanced Skin Analysis, for which Serbon was later an honoree as a Pastiche recognized educator. She also serves on the board of education for the International Association for Applied Corneotherapy. reneserbon.com 

Aging is defined as biological changes that result in the body losing minerals and nutrients. This process causes physical, emotional, and psychological changes within the human body. Depending on your skin type, this can result in age lines and dehydrated skin. Oily skin, on the other hand, is a wealth of gold during the aging process. This is because the over-active sebaceous glands have shown the natural antiaging elements that skin needs when it’s going through the aging process.

Richard Martin’s transitioned into the beauty and wellness industry after training in constriction and pursuing diplomas in drafting and building from Heriot University Scotland. After working in construction and wastewater management, he decided to formally receive training and get certified in massage and general beauty therapy. Later, Martin earned a post-graduate diploma in education and training with specialization in sciences. He trained the first cohort of visual impaired massage therapists in this hemisphere and is the first male spa educator to certified by the America Hotel Lodging Institute as a certified hospitality educator in Jamaica. The transition from hard skills to soft skills has made him much more dynamic.

As skin ages, it’s inevitable that your client’s daily or weekly skincare needs will likely need to change with it. The average cellular turnover or renewal starts to drastically decrease, no longer occurring every 28 to 30 days but taking well over 56 days. This means the dull, dry, and flakey appearance that many aging clients may be concerned about will be much more apparent than they may have previously experienced. Therefore, it’s inevitable that your client’s skin care needs and routines will likely need to change as they age.

With age also comes increased sensitivity, thinning of skin, slower healing, and loss of natural lipids to name a few biological changes. This means that skin that once was able to tolerate acids or more aggressive treatments may start to have a hard time handling them.

Andrea Gregaydis is a licensed aesthetician and international CIDESCO diplomat. She holds multiple additional licenses as a New York state instructor and nail technician, as well as a certified laser technician. Gregaydis is the lead instructor at the Aesthetic Science Institute and has over 10 years of experience as a practitioner, team coordinator, and role model for hundreds of future skin care professionals. She is contributing author to top industry trade magazines, as well as a speaker at various aesthetics conferences across the United States. She is also a CIDESCO International Examiner.