Displaying items by tag: DERMASCOPE Magazine

From over-the-counter creams and lotions that consumers were required to self-apply, to customized spray tans applied in a few minutes by trained technicians, the airbrush/spray tanning industry has evolved to become one of the fastest growing and most lucrative facets of the beauty industry.
Salons, spas, dermatologists, and other skin care treatment centers have discovered the affordable and profitable opportunity in adding spray tanning to their menu of services, to open the door and invite in new clients.
Dihydroxyacetone (DHA) is a colorless 3-carbon sugar that, when applied to the skin, causes a chemical reaction with amino acids in the surface cells, producing a darkening effect. DHA does not damage skin as it only affects the outermost cells of the epidermis (stratum corneum).

In the last 20 years I’ve experimented with various ways of exfoliating the skin prior to sunless tanning and found that depending on the type of exfoliation it can be detrimental to the overall outcome. I have determined that sunless tans are extremely temperamental when it comes to exfoliation. Too much or too little exfoliation will cause a “lizardy” appearance. Sunless tans do best with a mild, surface exfoliation. Anything too harsh will create valleys in the surface of the skin, which will leave you with an uneven looking sunless tan.
I’ve learned this through my personal escapades.

Ancient Egyptians revered the aloe vera plant and considered it to be the “Plant of Immortality.” The glamorous Cleopatra regarded aloe vera as her beauty secret. Legend states that the Pharaoh kept the Aloe as a palace plant, assigning it a very high status.  Drawings of the aloe plant have been found inscribed in the tombs of the pharaohs. Supposedly, Alexander the Great in 333 B.C., was persuaded by his mentor, Aristotle, to capture the Island of Socotra in the Indian Ocean for its famed Aloe supplies, needed to treat his wounded soldiers.

I am not a chemist by trade, but rather a curious explorer of human biology and, more specifically, cellular metabolism. I am fascinated with how our biology so magically works, and I find the discovery process endlessly entertaining. It doesn’t surprise me that my second career is taking me towards cosmetic product formulations and that science is driving my abilities to create advanced corrective products that impact cellular health and anti-aging.While researching active ingredients to address inflammation, I stumbled on a patent abstract written by an 82-year-old man about a form of niacin that, when applied topically, acts as a vasodilator to increase circulation.

As a spa professional, it is important to be aware of the effect toxins have on the skin and the internal system. Being aware will in turn motivate you to become knowledgeable on how to select the right products, equipment, and treatments that can have a positive impact on repairing damage caused by toxin exposure.

For any given aesthetic concern, there are both surgical and non-surgical enhancements, which are available. Cosmetic minimally invasive procedures have gained tremendous popularity in the United States with a 53 percent increase between 2002 and 2004 according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. The desire to maintain a youthful appearance by any means of cosmetic treatment has proven the aesthetic industry to be one of the most profitable. In 2004 alone, Americans spent just under $12.5 billion on cosmetic procedures, according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (ASAPS).

Consumers should not be afraid to make an appointment at a “mediclinical” spa because of complex words like aesthetics, paramedical, and cosmeceutical. These words have one mission in common: consumer relaxation with results. Today’s Mediclinical spa concept is the millennium’s answer to a “one-stop healing shop.”
The American spa industry has grown exponentially in the last two decades and thankfully so. Proudly, I can say I was an aesthetician in the mid-1980s when skin care was just taking off in the United States, before licensing was available, and when the European facial “invasion” was just beginning to take hold. Ladies were coming in to relax and enjoy treatments that offered them pampering and a topic for conversation.

The warmer months of late spring, summer, and early fall are the time of year when people around the country spend a great deal of time outdoors, enjoying the beach, sunbathing, playing sports, or working in the garden. The additional activity is healthy for our overall well-being, but the exposure to the sun and air pollution can be very detrimental to our skin.

Since sun exposure is accountable for 80 to 90 percent of the extrinsic factors that contribute to visible skin aging and skin diseases, skin care professionals need to be aware of and observant for changes in their clients’ skin, especially during the warmer months.

In electrolysis, each professional has her own working habits, her own personal touch. These differences, from one electrologist to another, are sometimes the object of inquiries even intense discussions. On the list of subjects that are the most controversial in electrolysis, is the one about the best interval of time between treatments. How many weeks should go by between each session? Two, three, four, six, or eight weeks? There are many answers from one electrologist to another. At the second rank on the list, is the question about whether or not a temporary method of hair removal should be used between sessions.

With access to so much information, your client is increasingly placing their faith in real science to ward off the inevitable signs of aging. The uninformed aesthetician or skin care professional therefore needs to understand the importance of communicating hard science and not hard sell to their clients.