When thinking of the word hydration for acne-prone skin, the old school thought process of stripping away the oil is still ingrained in many professionals’ brains. Thankfully, our industry has learned a lot since then, and aestheticians understand the importance of hydrating acne-prone skin to achieve desired results. We have a long way to go because the so-called unlicensed “skin experts” on social media are continuing to tell people to strip away oil, thus further damaging skin. The more you know, the better equipped we are to teach our clients and educate them to heal their skin.

It is crucial for clients to have a basic understanding of their skin. The job of a professional is to convey knowledge to clients in a way they can understand. Analogies are a good choice because they can help clients understand skin without getting too scientific. For example, hydration and oil can be explained by using the example of how a salad dressing separates if there is not the right balance of oil-to-vinegar. Professionals understand that lack of hydration begins in the basal layer of skin and that water floats oil out of the pores. Without proper hydration, oil can get trapped, which causes milia and white bumps on clients’ skin.

Samantha Fishella-Dench is a 15-year licensed aesthetician, owner of Skin Deep, author, and speaker. Her passion stems beyond treating skin to include internal health so she can achieve healthy skin for her clients by finding the root of the problem. Dench loves to educate groups of women and share her knowledge and passion of skin through her book and speaking engagements.