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Compared to a chemical peel, microdermabrasion offers the benefit of more precision and enhanced results, with no down time. Treatments are arranged as sessions generally as part of a four to eight visit strategy, with the goal of accelerating the regeneration of cells to the outer surface of the skin. This article will provide additional applications and describe alternative therapies, as well as delineate contraindications.
Equilibrium We grapple daily to stay on top of elements that threaten our health and well-being. The need for equilibrium is dire. The concept of a medi-spa is not mysterious in the least. Neither is it new. Indeed, it’s such a natural union of spa and corrective, aesthetic medicine that one wonders why the idea hasn’t hit center stage earlier. In these times, it’s easy to forget that a holistic approach to medicine and well-being has been a long time coming. For quite a while, medical practice has been, for want of a better word, largely conservative, with “alternative” approaches sidelined to the secondary.
In a 16-year career as a licensed aesthetician, nothing made the experience more rewarding than the people I was privileged to serve. And, while some clients were more memorable than others (for every conceivable reason) a notable handful unintentionally left valuable, indelible lessons for which I’ve long been grateful. Those accidental teachers might never have been encountered in any other career—the cyclical visits or extended time together in safe seclusion—an uncommon characteristic of most working environments. We may meet and touch thousands of people during the full term of our professional lives so it would be a wonder that a few of them wouldn’t somehow alter the course of it slightly or substantially.
Vibrational healing or medicine is a term used to describe the modalities that influence the energy fields and centers of a person in order to bring about healing. Combined with aesthetics, the practice of advanced skin care, powerfully effective treatments designed to promote inner and outer (and therefore longer lasting) healing are very possible. The modalities of vibrational healing use a number of vehicles, including the five senses, flower essences, and vibrational frequencies. Light therapy, homeopathy, and flower essence remedies are examples. The principle of activity in all of these is that everything, even down to cells has a vibrational pattern that equals healthiness.
When we feel “out of balance” it is often a reflection of too much stress, which ultimately, if not taken care of, will manifest into a physical symptom and may lead to illness. We live in a symptomatic society. When illness is present, we immediately take a pill or call our family doctor to remedy the situation with a prescription. After taking a pill or seeing the doctor, we feel better, everything is ok until we get sick again and this continuous cycle keeps going.
I’m a big fan of imperfection. Believe it or not, I view imperfection as the ultimate goal of a professional skin care practice. This may come as a jolly surprise to my employees, who know that my management style is hardly laissez-faire. I have a fixation for hospital-cleanliness, for instance. To paraphrase the great Robert Duvall character in Apocalypse Now, I love the smell of Windex in the morning. Clutter bugs me, and I don’t know how otherwise reasonable people can work in it. Until quite recently, I could not tolerate denim worn in the office (I’ve never been a fan of “Casual Fridays”), because I thought it brought out the most slovenly tendencies in people.
These days, it's easy to get distracted. The real trouble is, the distractions take our attention from the issues which really count - client service being key among these. We are such sensory beings, and barraged as we are with marketing messages, a simple trip to the store may turn into a phantasmagoric trip down the rabbit-hole. When I buy groceries, I will often see shoppers, apparently from other places, who cannot hide their amazement at the shampoo aisle of my local supermarket. Has washing your hair ever involved so many decisions? The same goes for purchasing a pair of blue jeans.
These days, it's easy to get distracted. The real trouble is, the distractions take our attention from the issues which really count-client service being key among these. We are such sensory beings, and barraged as we are with marketing messages, a simple trip to the store may turn into a phantasmagoric trip down the rabbit-hole. When I buy groceries, I will often see shoppers, apparently from other places, who cannot hide their amazement at the shampoo aisle of my local supermarket. Has washing your hair ever involved so many decisions? The same goes for purchasing a pair of blue jeans.
In 1983 I landed my first real job as a career aesthetician at a famous Union Square skin care salon in San Francisco, Calif. High on enthusiasm but lacking experience and clients I found myself positioned on the bottom rung of eight staff professionals that all received new customers ahead of me, leaving this new recruit with many an empty hour on his schedule. To help fill my time and, hopefully, earn a decent paycheck I proposed to the salon owner that we offer a complimentary make-up application to anyone following a facial treatment. I would do the work without compensation other than a commission on any product I sold.
In the 60s, the British were setting the style trends and the world followed. Twiggy, miniskirts, go go boots, and the Beatles were all the rage and the Mod Look was born. Today, 40 years later, the Mod Look is back with a new modern twist! The look is bold, but don’t be afraid to introduce your clients to the hottest trend in make-up this season. Modern Mod is an inspired vision; it is softer than the look of the 60s and can be easily achieved.