Personally, having a preteen daughter has been eye-opening as far as skin care goes. With a new skin care trend going viral every day, it is no wonder when many young girls ask for over-the-counter products from popular box-store brands that may contain harmful or intense ingredients, unbeknownst to them. Prying a little further will reveal that these recommendations are far from personal but come from TikTok, Instagram, or other social media sites. If working professionals have not gone down these online channels, they may be unaware that preteens having a multi-step skin care routine – complete with glycolic acid, retinol, or facial oil – is not a rare practice. 

 Gone are the days of waiting for Glamour or Cosmopolitan magazine to arrive each month to learn what products to buy. The medium may have changed, but the interest did not. Modern preteens are very much into skin care, and they have direct access to influencers and information at their fingertips. It is becoming obvious that interest in skin care, antiaging, and beauty is starting younger and younger.  

Most people don’t sleep enough or get quality sleep. I wish I could tell you that I’m writing this article because I always get enough rest. However, the truth is, I struggle just like you. As a single mom of two tweens and a teenager, a business owner, and head of household, getting proper sleep is my biggest downfall. My goal for 2023 is to focus more on myself and sleep is a self-care must, which I am improving on. Getting enough sleep is important and lack of sleep affects overall health, so knowing how to schedule your sleep can make all the difference. 

THE IMPORTANCE OF SLEEP

Because life is so busy, you might be avoiding or putting off sleep, almost like it is an inconvenience. However, lack of rest puts the body under stress and produces cortisol. This causes a decrease in productivity because your brain needs sleep to recharge. Yet, many struggle with sleep because of an active brain. When you sleep, your organs repair themselves, which is essential for skin as it is the largest organ of the body. If you don’t get enough sleep, your organs can’t function properly, which not only leads to health problems but also accelerates the aging process. Skin care professionals are supposed to be experts at slowing down the aging process, yet most aren’t sleeping enough – the foundational rule of age management. 

References: 

1. Partial sleep deprivation linked to biological aging in older adults. American Academy of Sleep Medicine – Association for Sleep Clinicians and Researchers. (2018, March 9). Retrieved February 22, 2023, from https://aasm.org/partial-sleep-deprivation-linked-to-biological-aging-in-older-adults/

Samantha Dench is a 15-year licensed aesthetician, author, speaker, and owner of Skin Deep. Dench’s passion goes 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 for skin through her book and speaking engagements.

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. 

Sun damage is a topic that skin care professionals talk about until they feel blue in the face. Yet, why do so many clients skip this crucial step in their skin care routine? The solution to this problem involves continuing to learn and educate themselves, so they can better educate their clients. When professionals know more, they do better. Setting an example and backing it up with education is going to help equip clients with tools and knowledge to make an informed decision and stick to a sun protection routine.

Samantha Dench is a 16-year licensed aesthetician, owner of Skin Deep, author, and speaker. Dench’s passion goes beyond treating the skin and incorporates internal health as means to achieve healthy skin for clients by finding the root of the problem. She loves to educate groups of women and share her knowledge and passion for skin. Dench finds pleasure in sharing her book to help women take control of their skin. She is a single mom of three and loves to cook, bake, and find creative ways for healthy alternatives to her favorite dishes.

Holistic aesthetics is becoming a commonly used term as skin care professionals are starting to shift towards natural ways to approach skin health and the body as a whole. Professionals are learning that what clients put into their body impacts their skin. Having this information readily available, they can help their clients more effectively. Spas can take the opportunity to rely on natural treatments, products, and modalities that can help their clients achieve desired results and build a business clients will trust.

Why are aestheticians not taught that inflammatory skin conditions stem from the gut in school? It is up to the individual to learn why professionals treat more inflammatory skin conditions today than they have in the past. This is not merely pandemic-related; it’s due to busy lifestyles, high stress, and unhealthy food habits.

Samantha Dench is a 16-year licensed aesthetician, owner of Skin Deep, author, and speaker. Dench’s passion goes beyond treating the skin and incorporates internal health as means to achieve healthy skin for clients by finding the root of the problem. She loves to educate groups of women and share her knowledge and passion for skin. Dench finds pleasure in sharing her book to help women take control of their skin. She is a single mom of three and loves to cook, bake, and find creative ways for healthy alternatives to her favorite dishes.

By now, everyone knows the importance of wearing daily sunscreen to protect skin from ultraviolet radiation that damages the melanocytes and accelerates the aging process. Yet, so many clients fail to wear sunscreen daily, whether they forgot to put it on, don’t like the way it feels, or supposedly applied it before they left their house. Since professionals are all educated about sunscreen, I want to focus on the differences in sunscreens, finding the right sun protection product, and educating clients as to why the must be wearing sunscreen every single day.

Samantha Dench is a 16-year licensed aesthetician, owner of Skin Deep, author, and speaker. Dench’s passion stems beyond treating the skin to include internal health to achieve healthy skin for clients by finding the root of the problem. She loves to educate groups of women and share her knowledge and passion of skin. Dench loves to share her book to help women take control of their skin. She is a single mom of three and loves to cook, bake, and find creative ways to find healthy alternatives to her favorite dishes. 

Exfoliation is a topic of debate for many professionals and so-called skin experts. Everyone understands the concept of exfoliation, yet most people are doing it all wrong. Exfoliation is an important step in a skin care routine as there are many benefits of enzymes and gentle exfoliation techniques.

Let’s go back to the basics and relearn why exfoliation is an important step in a skin care routine. Not digging too deep, it is important to remember that skin naturally exfoliates when it goes through a cellular cycle. The stratum corneum is the protective layer and replaces itself every 28 to 30 days, yet as one ages, that cellular turnover rate slows down. Exfoliation becomes more important with age, but the key is to exfoliate correctly.

Samantha Dench is a 16-year licensed aesthetician, owner of Skin Deep, author, and speaker. Dench’s passion stems beyond treating the skin to include internal health to achieve healthy skin for clients by finding the root of the problem. She loves to educate groups of women and share her knowledge and passion of skin. Dench loves to share her book to help women take control of their skin. She is a single mom of three and loves to cook, bake, and find creative ways to find healthy alternatives to her favorite dishes. 

Skin care product options are endless, and clients can find many products offering a solution to their skin problems. The problem is that at some point, skin problems worsen, and clients seek out a professional to help with their skin. Professionals are grateful because they love helping their clients achieve healthy skin, but it is essential to look at the bigger picture to understand why so many women and men struggle with their skin. A bonus to a professional’s job is giving a great facial. However, the real job is to understand clients’ skin struggles, figure out their homecare routine, and teach them to understand their skin, so they can begin to make smart skin care purchases.

A great facial cannot be given without understanding clients’ complexions. It starts with a thorough skin analysis, asking questions to get clients to open up and share what’s really going on. The beauty industry was built to support clients with poor self-esteem. Many clients come to see professionals because they are fixated on a specific problem, frantically searching for a solution. Client consultation time should take precedence because professionals must understand where the client is coming from. There are underlying factors such as work, stress, and so on that may affect a client, showing physically through their skin.

Samantha Dench is a 16-year licensed aesthetician, owner of Skin Deep, author, and speaker. Dench’s passion stems beyond treating the skin to include internal health to achieve healthy skin for clients by finding the root of the problem. She loves to educate groups of women and share her knowledge and passion of skin. Dench loves to share her book to help women take control of their skin. She is a single mom of three and loves to cook, bake, and find creative ways to find healthy alternatives to her favorite dishes. 

There are some first-time clients who will dump an entire bag of skin care products on the table when they come in for their first facial appointment or consultation. Thankfully, they sought out a professional for guidance and support with their skin. With the vast amount of so-called skin experts, beauty influencers, beauty bloggers, and YouTube’s famous “how-to videos,” it is no wonder women and men are confused when it comes to skin care and what they should or should not use. Skin care professionals should understand how to help clients navigate the internet, how to simplify clients’ skin care routines through education, and lastly, how to empower clients to make smart skin care purchases for their skin.

Samantha Dench is a 16-year licensed aesthetician, owner of Skin Deep, author, and speaker. Dench’s passion goes beyond treating the skin and incorporates internal health as means to achieve healthy skin for clients by finding the root of the problem. She loves to educate groups of women and share her knowledge and passion for skin. Dench finds pleasure in sharing her book to help women take control of their skin. She is a single mom of three and loves to cook, bake, and find creative ways for healthy alternatives to her favorite dishes. 

I was that acne client – the one who did everything right. I used the right products, followed my regimen without ever skipping a morning or night and had regular treatments and facials. No matter what I did, I had no success clearing up my adult acne. I even took it a step further and kept my hair off my face, changed pillowcases every night, and used a clean washcloth at every cleanse. Every single aesthetician reading this has experienced this client. However, aestheticians are taught to treat skin topically, not look inside the body. Over the years, I’ve learned that certain foods are inflammatory and can trigger an inflammatory response in the body that presents itself on skin. It is important to look at inflammatory foods and how to help clients look inside their body to help their skin. 

Samantha Dench is a 16-year licensed aesthetician, owner of Skin Deep, author, and speaker. Dench’s passion stems beyond treating the skin to include internal health to achieve healthy skin for clients by finding the root of the problem. She loves to educate groups of women and share her knowledge and passion of skin. Dench loves to share her book to help women take control of their skin. She is a single mom of three and loves to cook, bake, and find creative ways to find healthy alternatives to her favorite dishes. 

When we get sick, clients and aestheticians alike tend to turn to medical doctors who prescribe medicine to combat the sickness. However, this is a temporary fix and does not always get to the root cause of the ailment. If one truly wants to feel better, a naturopathic or functional medicine doctor should come into the picture. These two types of doctors will help a professional’s skin care business. Skin problems such as acne, rosacea, eczema, and even dermatitis can be a result of internal ailments. Partnering up with a naturopathic or functional medicine doctor is going to be a game-changer to your skin care business.

Samantha Dench is a 16-year licensed aesthetician, owner of Skin Deep, author, and speaker. Dench’s passion stems beyond treating the skin to include internal health to achieve healthy skin for clients by finding the root of the problem. She loves to educate groups of women and share her knowledge and passion of skin. Dench loves to share her book to help women take control of their skin. She is a single mom of three and loves to cook, bake, and find creative ways to find healthy alternatives to her favorite dishes.

Skin care professionals and clients alike have experienced those annoying red spots that remain long after an acne breakout. They seem to last forever. Eventually, these red spots disappear, but as aestheticians know, there is a quicker solution and ways to help clients rid their skin of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.

Samantha Dench is a 16-year licensed aesthetician, owner of Skin Deep, author, and speaker. Dench’s passion stems beyond treating the skin to include internal health to achieve healthy skin for clients by finding the root of the problem. She loves to educate groups of women and share her knowledge and passion of skin. Dench loves to share her book to help women take control of their skin. She is a single mom of three and loves to cook, bake, and find creative ways to find healthy alternatives to her favorite dishes.

The number one reason our clients are coming into our treatment rooms is that they want you to solve their skin problems. When aestheticians give clients facials, they are reading their skin and understanding exactly what they need to achieve healthy skin. We understand the basics of giving a facial, we were taught that in school. Each facial should follow those guidelines to a point because each client is different, and each client’s needs are different. If we are to give the exact same facial to every client that walks in our door, we would have a lot of unhappy clients.

Samantha Dench is a 16-year licensed aesthetician, owner of Skin Deep, author, and speaker. Dench’s passion stems beyond treating the skin to include internal health to achieve healthy skin for clients by finding the root of the problem. She loves to educate groups of women and share her knowledge and passion of skin. Dench loves to share her book to help women take control of their skin. She is a single mom of three and loves to cook, bake, and find creative ways to find healthy alternatives to her favorite dishes.

Client consultations are the most important step to any facial. During this crucial time, not only are you getting to know your client, you’re learning about your client’s skin and their routine by taking the time to ask specific questions. We were taught in school how to analyze our client’s skin before each facial; however, today you’re going to learn how to ask the right questions and educate your client to help you understand their skin.

HAVE THEM SIT UP

What does a client consultation look like? I started doing consultations face-to-face with my clients. This allows me to notice how their face moves, see how their skin is aging, and take note of any acne patterns, rosacea, capillaries, or pigmentation. Doesn’t it seem strange that we were taught to do consultations with our clients lying down? This is especially true if we have older clients. We still see their sagging skin, but it’s hard for us to understand their facial structures and really see what their skin looks like when they are flat on their backs. Depending on the type of facial your client is coming in for, you should see their face for what it is. Another important factor is to look for patterns on the face – a good example would be acne. Where is the acne forming and is acne on both sides of the face or only on one? Hyperpigmentation, melasma, rosacea, or capillaries can be more noticeable when a client is sitting up. I highly suggest that you try this method out and see how much more confident you’ll feel before beginning a client’s facial.

FILL OUT A CONSULTATION FORM

Prior to their facial, I have all clients fill out a consultation form, which we sit down and review together. In this form are questions about lifestyle, diet, medications, current skin care, and the client’s top skin concerns.

EVALUATE THEIR HOME PRODUCTS

I have clients bring in their current skin care products to check labels and find out if they actually like the products they are using. Most of the time, your clients are not happy with their current routine and are feeling frustrated about their skin and looking to you to help solve their skin problems for good.

If you haven’t done this step yet, I highly recommend you request that each client brings in their homecare. This is a great way to start asking your clients questions about each product. Ask them why they chose that specific product? Do they like it? How does their skin feel after using that product? Getting your client to open up and share their thoughts about their skin care will help you during the facial. Also, start to make note about the homecare products you will select for them to purchase at the end of the service.

For your seasoned clients, remind them to start bringing in their products around April and November because you need to review and swap out certain products for the warmer and cooler months. While you should always be checking in and reviewing your client’s skin each month, this is a great way to make sure that your regulars aren’t tempted by marketing pitches or their best friend’s home skin care party. If they have bought over-the-counter products, it’s time to get them back on track. Without a proper consultation, you may never know about their newly purchased facial scrub that is causing their dry skin problems.

REVIEW THEIR LIFESTYLE

Once the product evaluation is complete, you can move onto the client’s lifestyle, diet, alcohol consumption, exercise, medications, and hormonal changes. We know from school that lifestyle leads to intrinsic aging and, by asking the right questions about their lifestyle, we can offer the best facial for that client each month.

ASK QUESTIONS AND LISTEN

Another way to conduct a proper consultation is to ask more questions and get your client to start talking. They might be quiet at first, but once you get your client to open up and share, clients will tell you exactly what they’re looking for and what they expect from you. Ask questions, listen, and let your client lead the way.

EVALUATE THEIR SKIN

Once these steps are out of the way, you can step out and let your client get comfortable. Now, you can perform a magnified lamp or Wood’s Lamp evaluation and share with your client exactly what you see on their skin. You can help educate the client about what exactly is happening with their skin, which helps them better understand their skin. Once the client understands what is really happening with their skin, you can educate them on how the facial will help with their specific skin concerns. Educating clients will help you create a plan for their facial and future facials, as well as what homecare products they will need to go home with.

Now that you understand how to do a proper skin consultation, expect to see your upsells and retail sales grow.

Samantha Dench is a 16-year licensed aesthetician, owner of Skin Deep, author, and speaker. Dench’s passion stems beyond treating the skin to include internal health to achieve healthy skin for clients by finding the root of the problem. She loves to educate groups of women and share her knowledge and passion of skin. Dench loves to share her book to help women take control of their skin. She is a single mom of three and loves to cook, bake, and find creative ways to find healthy alternatives to her favorite dishes.