I want to be braver with my clients and be able to tell them what to do for home care with more confidence. I really want to be able to identify any and all skin concerns. I think the most important thing clients should be told is that IF they put the time in they WILL see the results. A good skin care routine may also require spending a little bit of money, but it is such a good investment. I was suffering from horrible acne at the beginning of January and had to see a dermatologist. Since I was not sure who to go to, I chose one from my insurance plan who could get me in the fastest since my acne was so bad. A lot of places had a three-month wait to get an appointment! I just couldn’t wait that long.
As it turns out, they performed extractions on me to bring down the inflammation and it was a VERY painful procedure. I am now left with horrible scars because of the procedure and I am currently working on finding a new doctor to correct this damage. I am not sure if the acne flareup was due to the makeup I was using at the time, or if it was more stress and hormone related, but it was a really horrible experience. I haven’t had acne like that since high school. Since the incident, I have been VERY skin-care conscious, and, of course, going to school for skin care has also made me very conscious.
I make sure to cleanse, tone and moisturize both morning and night, and I also work exfoliating and masking into my weekly routine. Now, other than the scars left behind from extractions, my face has never looked better. My point is, you will see results if you take good care of your skin. My skin feels and looks better, my makeup application time is quicker because I already have that nice canvas to start with. And, besides the short-term benefits, my skin will look better for longer as I age. I think that’s part of the reason I love this field so much: you get to try all these treatments and products and see the effects they have on your skin. And they really DO what they say they’re going to do. There is nothing like working with professional product lines!
May 2nd, 2008 at 7:52 pm
Colleen,
I encourage you to tell your clients what they need to do for home care for their skin. You have your own testimonial to give them as to what a difference it can make…and they are coming to you because they want to make an improvement in their skin (and many times they don’t even know what to do…do you know how many young women don’t know they should be using eye cream? It amazes me).
Also, for me, a visit to a facialist (esthetician), is like a visit to the doctor. I am often told that i have great skin, etc (I am lucky enough to be born with good genes and have spent a lifetime taking care of it as well). But when I go for a facial, the estheticians I trust the most tell me truth such as, ‘you are starting to sag. You are not going to have problems with fine lines, but you are going to have sagging & firmness problems. You need collagen & DNA, and look at this congestion in your T-zone… and stop squeezing your blackheads!” I also love it when they recommend (but not push) products to me that will help with the problems I have. I consider them the experts, and consider the ‘consultation’ part of a great facial.
On the other hand, I can’t stand it when I feel like I’m being pitched on products (as if the esthetician’s goal is just to get me to buy products in additoin to the facial I am paying for). This tells me the esthetician isn’t interested in my well being, only the well being of her bank account, or that she is being pushed to make a sales quota.
It’s all in the delivery, and the personal concern you show for your clients…and it is what will keep them returning to you in my opinion.
It’s about showing your clients that you are genuinely concerned about them and their skin. And if you, you should never hesitate to speak up. Giving them suggestions on how to take care of their skin at home in between facials shows you care more about them than just the facial you are giving them at the moment.
I hope this encourages you to guide your clients on the path of home care… it’s so crucial to our skin in the long run. It’s like the ‘maintenance’ between facials. If we want beautiful skin, we’ve got to do some work for it!
May 5th, 2008 at 11:27 am
Nancy, thank you for the great comment. I always think about how when clients come to us it’s almost like a doctor visit, just like you said! It’s so true - clients are coming to us for knowledge and answers. I also like when products are recommended and not pushed. I am going to make sure to incorporate a good home-care consultation into each treatment. Thanks so much!
July 10th, 2008 at 6:26 am
One of the easiest ways to bring this up, in my opinion anyway, is to point out the following:
“In any given month, I see you and use my products on your face one time. You’ve come back several times and I’m glad to see that what I am doing is working for you. Think about this, however: Chances are you wash your face and apply products approximately sixty times during that same month. Which do you think will have a bigger effect: the one time I use products or the sixty chances you have to improve your own skin at home?”
July 10th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
Acne is tricky. Many issues factor into the “why and how”. Be careful of any and all products you use…..iec…skincare and make-up. All products must be oil free!!!!! When an extraction is done correctly…..there is no mark left for more than 10-15mins. Invest time learning how to use an extractor efficiently. It is my favorite tool. It can be your best friend. Good luck.
July 27th, 2008 at 6:41 pm
I am confused why you are still having such “scars” from extractions? Please keep in mind that sometimes regardless of WHO does the extractions, an Esthy or a Dermatologist, it might leave a scar behind. My Dermatologist has told me this many times because some milia and other acne lesions will be a little larger and almost like a small size of a seed. When I have clients that the Dermatologists or N.P. has referred to me primarily for extractions and especially when they are for the larger acne lesions - milia or deep rooted blackheads, well I just explain to the client what I am up against and the possibility for a small scar and/or a bigger looking pore in these areas when healed. I also tell them that it may not happen and that their skin may heal perfectly. Of course, good home care goes a long well too.
However, I use a post extraction Spot-Treatment of Sensi-Peel Exfoliating Treatment on each of these areas and the clients are told that to expect each area to look a bit sunburned and will start peeling in about 2-3 days to expedite the healing process. I have found that if you include good Informed consent - both verbal and in writing as Home Care Instructions, that since they agree to it up front regarding what might happen, you will experience very few problems afterwards and the clients end up trusting you more. Also, most of my clients tell me in the end after the peeling that there was little to hardly any scarring unless it was pretty large to begin with. Often with the patients that had many extractions over the course of 2 appointments, about a month or two later when I see them, they normally express satisfaction having the lesions extracted and scarring is minimal. Note: SensiPeel is made by PCA Physicians Choice of Arizona.
Later,
April
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