Accountability may seem like an odd topic to toss into this month’s issue, but trust me, I have not yet fallen off my rocker! The ability to recognize your weaknesses and strengths, admit when you are wrong, and assume responsibility for your actions and decisions all roll into one defining factor – your character. Accountability is a driving force of the person that you are, but even more critical, it is the driving force of the person that you want to be.

We can all come up with a million reasons why we have not done something, cannot do something, or never will. The fact of the matter is that anything can be done, anything can be had, and everything can be accomplished. It requires individual accountability to make the decisions, put forth the effort, and take action. How do accountability and continuing education go together? To flourish and succeed, readers must never stop learning. One can never sit back on their laurels and think they know it all. Regardless of age, accomplishments, and success, there is always more to learn.

Education is the key to success. It always has been and it always will be. Be accountable for your knowledge and continued education. Take full advantage of every page of this month’s issue, even the topics that you have no interest in. You never know when a light bulb will pop on and new information will ignite you forward. Enjoy!

Collective Aesthetics

How is 2023 this close to being over? It seems like only yesterday the year was just getting started. No matter, another month, another issue of DERMASCOPE – like clockwork. The wheels keep turning, and the industry keeps moving, leaving behind outdated ways of thinking. What does that mean for the professional? Simply look around. Look to the new wave of skin care practitioners taking over the industry. Beauty’s professional climate has never been so diverse in terms of service providers and clients. 

With this ebb and flow of diversity, naturally, more education is needed to keep up. For this reason, DERMASCOPE brings the multicultural skin and continuing education issue. From adequately categorizing skin and getting familiar with skin conditions afflicting clients with black and skin of color to selecting the very best educational courses and sources for readers’ needs, this issue has it all.  

DERMASCOPE wants to celebrate the differences within the community, never overlooking them. We want to push readers to new heights and ways of thinking, educationally and otherwise. The industry should work as a collective, made of the most beautiful and unique people inside and out. Xenophobia has no place here.  

A celebrated entrepreneur, China Wong is the founder and owner of SALON SPA W.  

What is your educational background, and how long have you been practicing? 

After graduating from Iowa State University, I began my career in the finance industry. As a client of up-scale Chicago salons and spas, I was mesmerized by the innovative environments, skilled service providers, and superb customer experience. I aspired to join their ranks and attended the prestigious Aveda Institute Chicago. Following completion of my program, I had the opportunity to work at the internationally renowned Van Michael Salon in Atlanta, Georgia. I eventually returned to downtown Chicago as an educator and department lead for a large salon and spa. After honing my skills in some of the most competitive markets in the country, I opened Salon Spa W in 2005 to bring my experiences, education, and up-scale service to Des Moines. 

My client list is extensive and has included Barack Obama, Arianna Huffington, supermodel Emme, Michele Norris, and NFL cheerleaders, to name a few.  

Why is your Ultraceuticals your ultimate professional go-to, and how has it helped you become one of the best professionals in the industry? 

We have been in business for 18 years and have had the honor of receiving some exciting awards, like being named one of the Top 100 Salon & Spas in the United States by Elle Magazine and receiving industry recognition from Salon Today Magazine as one of the Top 200 Salons for 10 years in a row. Bringing in Ultraceuticals helped our spa flourish and do just as well as thr other parts of our business. Empowering our professionals with products and services with proven, personal, and powerful results made all the difference!  

Why did you choose Ultraceuticals, and how did you find out about them? 

After years of trying countless over-the-counter products and pharmaceutical topicals for my acne and rosacea, an industry friend recommended Ultraceuticals. After just one month of a simple four product regimen, I saw major improvements in my skin. I was so excited by my results that I started purchasing products for co-workers, friends, and clients to try. I was shipping the products from Australia, but I quickly realized, I needed to find a way to get these products to all of our clients in the United States. The rest is history!  

How do you stay educated with Ultraceuticals? 

The access to global education resources from leading experts in clinical research and skin science with Ultraceuticals is extraordinary. Our best education experience was the Ultraceuticals Global Beyond Business conference in Sydney, Australia. Skin professionals from around the world gathered for top-notch education, motivation, and celebration. It included interactive research and development experiences, wellness initiatives, the latest in skin science, breakthroughs in skin care services and some great fun.  

How do you promote yourself and the brand? 

Our nearly 1,600 Google reviews and 5-star rating, combined with a strong SEO strategy, drive our new business development. We feature skin success stories with amazing before and after images on our social media channels, web profiles, websites, in print, and throughout our space on digital screens. One of our most successful initiatives features before and after images of our staff showcasing their Real Visible Results with Ultraceuticals. Our clients were thrilled to see images of people they knew personally, building confidence and increasing purchasing. 

Besides working with the brand, what else has helped you become one of the best? 

Our commitment to developing top professionals has been key to our success. We combine significant career development opportunities through technical and business education, financial fitness, self-development, wellness initiatives, and benchmarking. This includes everything from hosting staff wellness events with massages, manicures, and pedicures to team yoga, rock climbing, river tubing, running or walking races, and training seminars. My greatest professional joy comes from seeing our team thrive in their careers and lives – a high tide floats all boats. 

How do you give back to the industry or community? 

SALON SPA W and our incredible team members provide volunteer and financial support to over 100 charitable causes. Each year, we create and sponsor programs that provide services to combat homelessness, help children, support women, and preserve our environment. Two of our most significant initiatives have touched the lives of over 5,000 members of our community – our seven year-long initiative to provide haircuts and grooming services to people experiencing homelessness and our nine year-long programming to host and support mentoring programs for children. 

China’s Must-Have Products 

Ultra A Skin Perfecting Serum Mild  

Ultra DNA³ Complex Recovery Night Cream 

Ultra Granule-C Microfoliant  

Ultra Brightening Foaming Cleanser 

@salonspaw 

salonspaw.com 

(515) 280-5358 

The popularity of male aesthetics treatments continues to rise, so it makes sense for skin care professionals to add treatments to their menu that appeal to male clientele. Male clients are just as eager to diminish acne, crow’s feet, and laugh lines as female clients and putting together skin care treatments that incorporate LED light therapy is a win-win. LED light therapy is affordable and noninvasive and comes with no downtime; it is the perfect add-on to a variety of treatments from skin to pain and even hair conditions. And if the rise in demand for male aesthetics services is not enough of a reason, here are three more reasons adding LED light therapy for male clients helps a practice grow and thrive. 

Picture it – a well-known organization has launched a new perfume to raise money for breast cancer. Many people who have had a loved one battle cancer would not bat an eye at purchasing this perfume for a great cause. Come to find out, the first six ingredients of the perfume are known cancer-causing ingredients. Everyone from doctors to nurses to cancer patients themselves have fallen prey to beauty companies’ efforts to sell products or raise money for cancer or cancer research but formulate with cancer-causing ingredients or ingredients that can interfere with cancer treatment. This is an example called pinkwashing – an ode to the pink ribbon synonymous with breast cancer – and surprisingly, most of the harmful ingredients being applied every day through personal care products are completely lawful.

UNREGULATED GOODS 

The United States skin care industry is one of the least regulated industries. There is little legal protection from people putting harmful chemicals on their bodies. There are 100,000 ingredients in the beauty industry and only 10% have been checked for safety. For example, fragrance listed on a product can mean up to 100 additional chemicals, but the FDA protects the company from listing them because these ingredients are considered a “trade secret.”  

For the development of healthy, functional skin, the hormones, melatonin and cortisol are critical, but how can skin care professionals detect when they go off course? What skin issues are brought on by excessive cortisol levels or a melatonin deficiency? It is important to understand the essential functions of cortisol and melatonin to provide insight into healthy functioning skin. 

References

1. Kresser, C. (2019, October 10). What really causes oxidative damage?. Kresser Institute. https://kresserinstitute.com/what-really-causes-oxidative-damage/ 

1. Tarocco, A., Caroccia, N., Morciano, G., Wieckowski, M. R., Ancora, G., Garani, G., & Pinton, P. (2019). Melatonin as a master regulator of cell death and inflammation: Molecular mechanisms and clinical implications for newborn care. Cell Death & Disease, 10(4). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41419-019-1556-7 

1. Reiter, R., Tan, D., Rosales-Corral, S., Galano, A., Zhou, X., & Xu, B. (2018). Mitochondria: Central organelles for melatonin′s antioxidant and anti-aging actions. Molecules, 23(2), 509. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules23020509 

1. Kauppila, T. E. S., Kauppila, J. H. K., & Larsson, N.-G. (2017). Mammalian mitochondria and aging: An update. Cell Metabolism, 25(1), 57–71. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2016.09.017 

1. Poljšak, B., & Dahmane, R. (2012). Free radicals and extrinsic skin aging. Dermatology Research and Practice, 2012. https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/135206 

1. Silva, S. A., Michniak-Kohn, B., & Leonardi, G. R. (2017). An overview about oxidation in clinical practice of skin aging. Anais Brasileiros de Dermatologia, 92(3), 367–374. https://doi.org/10.1590/abd1806-4841.20175481 

1. Poljšak, Borut & Dahmane, Raja & Godic, Aleksandar. (2012). Intrinsic skin aging: The role of oxidative stress. Acta dermatovenerologica Alpina, Panonica, et Adriatica. 2012;21:1-4. 1-4. 10.2478/v10162-012-0012-5. 

1. Reiter, R. J., Tan, D. X., Kim, S. J., & Cruz, M. H. (2014). Delivery of pineal melatonin to the brain and SCN: Role of Canaliculi, cerebrospinal fluid, tanycytes and Virchow–Robin Perivascular Spaces. Brain Structure and Function, 219(6), 1873–1887. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-014-0719-7 

People have control over precious little in their lives. For the majority of the day, the mind is running the show – making endless to-do lists and shifting focus in a million different directions, replaying conversations from the past and projecting potential scenarios of the future. This cannot be soothing for the soul. The good news is there are three simple, soul-sustaining secrets that can allow one to navigate life with grace and a smile (for the most part). 

AWARENESS

By nature, humans are programmed to be thinking machines, dissecting everything from wake to sleep. The mind is constantly churning out thoughts like “get ready for work,” “make breakfast,” “send appointment reminders,” “wake up kids,” and the list goes on and on.

I am not sure there is anyone else in the industry that uses the term, “age reversal” because it has not been the goal of most formulators and brands. While there are promising studies for future medical strategies to reverse aging, the skin care industry has been focused on slowing aging and making people look less old. Is there hope for more? 

Yes. As it relates to skin, aging can be defined as a loss of collagen and elastin, a loss of circulation and nutrients, and an increase in wounds that leave skin with hypopigmentation, hyperpigmentation, or chronic redness. Many companies offer products that temporarily lighten redness or pigmentation, but the goal should be to heal and reconstruct skin. How is that done?  First, use ingredients that rebuild lost circulation. They exist – chlorella, niacinamide, retinaldehyde, and growth factors to name a few.

Aging can be proactive but inevitable. Skin changes over time. Some of these changes can be quite intense and affect not just skin but also mental health and well-being. For example, a teenager with severe acne may feel self-conscious and lack confidence due to their skin condition. A person in their 40’s who has developed deep wrinkles from improper skin care and sun exposure can resent their older appearance. From birth to final breath, it is imperative to provide skin with the proper products to meet its changing needs.

Education is an important factor for the longevity of a skin care professional’s career and ensures not only safety compliance but also ethical standards and the understanding of current industry trends. Skin care professionals must remain humble, with a true willingness to learn and absorb more information at all times as the industry is constantly evolving and changing. Professionals must focus on three categories of education investment: quality and compliance, investing in yourself, and credentials. 

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Courtney Sykes is the chief administrative officer of Southeastern Esthetics Institute and is a licensed aesthetics instructor in South Carolina. Sykes is also the creator of Courtney Sykes Molecular Anit-Aging, a clinical skin care line for consumers and professionals. Her passion lies in creating real change in the aesthetics industry, assisting her students to obtain gainful employment, and making a difference in the lives of their clients. Sykes specializes in a science-based approach to skin health and education. Her primary focus is chemical peels, laser treatments, eyelash extensions, micropigmentation, and cosmetic lasers. Her background in medical spa management has led her to nationally accredit the largest licensed aesthetics school in South Carolina – Southeastern Esthetics Institute.