It is well known that retinol is a powerhouse ingredient in the skin care world. There have been numerous clinical studies to back this up. The benefits are huge; it minimizes acne, brightens skin, boosts collagen, and is great for reducing fine lines and wrinkles. Regardless of the strength, it will always speed up the cellular turnover process allowing cells to behave in a more youthful manner. 

History shows us that the ancient Egyptians were the first to implement rituals intended to improve skin’s appearance. Of course, Cleopatra’s skin care formulations were not composed of synthetic ingredients created in a laboratory but rather, plant extracts like olive oil and aloe vera, along with milk and honey. While she would likely be pleased to see that many of those same ingredients continue to be used in skin care today, it is fair to say that Cleopatra would not recognize much of what she would find on modern day ingredient labels. Words like hyaluronic acid, isopropyl palmitate, or sodium polyacrylate would be as foreign to her as hieroglyphics are to the modern world. 

Minimally invasive cosmetic procedures such as soft tissue fillers, collagen stimulators, and botulinum toxin type A continue to increase in popularity. While these were traditionally intended for facial procedures, they are becoming more popular to treat various areas of the body. In addition, as new technologies of injectables debut, they target not only the face but the body as well. Popular areas include the neck, decolletage, hands, and buttocks.

Surgery inherently carries more risk, but do needle-based treatments offer the same reward?  As with all cosmetic procedures, individual results will vary. Some of these treatments can be reversed or will gradually wear off, while others are permanent. As with all injectable treatments, multiple treatments may be necessary to see the desired result. This is especially true with body injectables that cover more surface area and therefore need more product. It is true that in some cases, a similar cost is associated with surgeries and injectable-based treatments. This is greatly affected by the area being treated.

Leigh Reese is a board-certified nurse practitioner and certified nurse injector. She earned her Bachelor of Science in nursing from Texas Women’s University in 2013 and her Master of Science in nursing from The University of Texas at Arlington in 2019. Her background in the medical field has been in emergency room medicine and aesthetic medicine. Her goal is to create a natural and youthful appearance for her clients and help devise a plan for their aesthetic journey. She has a passion for continuing education, and her position at SkinRX Spa allows her to attend monthly advanced trainings.

Queen City Beauty Group + Wellness is the product of Nichelle Mosley’s passion for corneotherapy. After having worked with plastic surgeons, dermatologists, and family practitioners in medical spas and physician’s offices, she has taken her knowledge from each of those settings and blended them to form her business. Her clients are pampered and cared for, but above all else, they receive ethical corneo-clinical results.

The spa knows that when a client’s skin is truly healthy, they will not only see dramatic changes in their skin’s appearance, but they will also see those changes rapidly. The entirety of the client is considered at Queen City Beauty Group + Wellness, as Mosley works with clients to develop a homecare routine that will work for her client’s skin and lifestyle choices.

Queen City Beauty Group is both a client-focused spa in the Charlotte, North Carolina area capable of amazing skin transformation and a great place to have some regular self-care “me time.” 

Contact Information:

QueenCityBeautyGroup.com

980-613-1598

@QueenCityBeautyGroup

A face specialist and educator, Ashley Hanon is the owner of FACE by Ashley in Winter Park, Florida.

Contact Info:

(941) 787-9784

Facebyashleyhanlon.square.site

@faces_byashley

A common inquiry from clients is how to treat the bumpy, rough texture of skin on their arms. Although this is often related to skin on the upper arms, it is not isolated to this area. What clients are asking about is a treatment solution for a condition called keratosis pilaris. 

René Serbon started her education focusing on business studies later moved to aesthetics. Her mission as an industry consultant and educator is to teach other industry professionals to empower clients to obtain healthy skin at any age without the need for intensive and harsh treatments. She began studying in New Zealand and completed training in beauty therapy, or aesthetics, as well as electrolysis through the New Zealand Institute of Electrolysis and Beauty Therapy. Serbon sat for international exams and is a diplomat of both CIBTAC and CIDESCO. She completed post-graduate training in laser, intense pulsed light, and the Pastiche Method of Advanced Skin Analysis, for which Serbon was later an honoree as a Pastiche recognized educator. She also serves on the board of education for the International Association for Applied Corneotherapy.

According to Potter Stewart, “Ethics is knowing the difference between what you have a right to do and what is right to do.”

In school, ethics is taught as a moral code for a professional to abide by while they are in practice. It teaches the importance of doing each client that is treated “right” by act and verbiage. This is not anything that can be seen, for it is a conscience compass; each professional chooses the direction to take while treating a client. It is this conscience guide that communicates with each professional, letting them know when something is out of their scope of practice.

Amra Lear, licensed massage therapist and aesthetician, NCBTMB provider, trainer, and co-creator of world-renowned treatments such as the Nobu Go, recently relocated to Pallavi Luxury Spa in Clearwater, Florida after spending the last 22 years of her career on the Las Vegas strip at two prestigious spas. As a spa spokesperson, she appeared internationally on various media platforms sharing her knowledge on spa treatments and wellness. 

Sustainable packaging is a topic being discussed with increased frequency and urgency within the beauty industry. While the industry is projected to reach a whopping $510 billion in annual revenue this year, the immense growth comes with an environmental cost.¹ Annually, the global beauty industry generates more than 120 billion units of packaging, the vast majority of which is single-use packaging that ends up in landfills where it can take centuries to degrade.²

In trying to meet the growing demands of consumers, the beauty industry’s carbon footprint has grown too large to ignore any longer. Consumers are also becoming increasingly aware of the environmental footprint their beauty purchases possess. In fact, 57% of consumers state they are willing to change their purchasing habits to reduce the negative impact it has on the environment.³ This influx in both corporate responsibility and conscious consumerism is creating a synergistic push for sustainable packaging, adding unprecedented momentum to a shift that has been long awaited in the industry. While sustainable packaging is a complex and constantly evolving topic, there are five primary ways brands can reduce their environmental footprint.

Allison Turquoise Kent-Gunn entered the skin care industry as a licensed aesthetician at the age of 18, starting her career in consumer-facing product sales. In this role she garnered a strong sales record and a reputation for client education. She then chose to pursue her passion for business, taking a role as the Head of New Business Development at a skin care laboratory where she collaborated with brands and product development to launch innovative skin care products. Graduating with her MBA in 2020, she has since taken her career to new heights by joining WWP Beauty as their West Coast Sales Manager, where she partners with brands ranging from indie to international to launch cutting edge formulations and sustainable packaging solutions.

Did you know that counting blessings can show up on your face as a clearer, smoother, and more hydrated complexion? When you are healthy and happy, it shows on your skin. The idea behind this mindfulness is all in the psychology of how a person thinks. If your cup is full, friends and family can usually see it on your face, and it can rub off in a good way – a healthy, glowing complexion.

Gratitude is a powerful antidote for a negative mindset. Have you ever heard of the saying, “What you think about you bring about?” Mindfulness has been a buzzword for quite some time now and is a valid concept that has been proven to have a measurable effect on the function and vitality of skin. After all, skin is the largest organ of the body and truly a mirror of what is going on inside.

Jaclyn Peresetsky is the founder of Skin Perfect Academy, Skin Perfect Spas, and Colore Me Perfect Analysis and Cosmetics. Her passion lies in advanced education for aestheticians in real life aesthetics. She contributes her expertise through speaking, writing, teaching, and continues to see her clients to further her knowledge and skill to share it with others.

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.