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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.
When a guest comes into your establishment, what do they see? What do they feel, smell, hear, and maybe even taste? Your focus on the details of client care gives the ability to take a satisfactory experience into an extraordinary and magical one. This magic can reside in a one room spa studio or in a 10 room mega spa. It can exist in the surgi-center medi-spa or the multipurpose treatment room in the back of a conventional salon.
Is your goal to be an expert in your field? Do you want to provide services that your clients can’t duplicate at home? If you answered yes, it’s time to break into the world of machines in the field of aesthetics practice, and harness these new trends to foster a competitive advantage. Machines can ramp up your services and provide a level of results not otherwise possible through a conventional, non-machine facial. Many of the new technologies today are developed to not only have benefits inherent to their respective capabilities, but also to penetrate targeted active ingredients deeper into the skin, allowing better absorption of your skin care products.
Most aestheticians love their job; they live, breath, and constantly discuss their work. Their vacations are spent at skin care shows, and their gifts to friends and family are free treatments. But they usually have a favorite service they do, and most have at least favorite one that they dread when they see it on their book. During my research for this article, I asked aestheticians across the country about their favorite and least service services to perform. Who knew that there would be an aesthetician out there whose favorite part of her services is to sell home care?