Waxing is a popular form of hair removal as it is quick, efficient, and clients feel the immediate hair-free results. Often, waxing is the preferred choice of hair removal because it is both fast and quite affordable. As with any professional service offered at a spa, it is important to take the appropriate steps to fully qualify a client as a waxing candidate prior to offering the service. There are several lifestyle factors which can directly impact the effectiveness and safety of the wax on a client’s skin and instances when waxing may not be the best form of hair removal. Here is a guide to qualify a client as a waxing candidate and other things to consider.

STEP ONE

Gather as much information as possible about the client in terms of lifestyle habits, medications, and their skin care routine. Using a client intake form that each client completes prior to their wax is a good way to gain a better understanding of their overall lifestyle choices. For example, waxers need to be aware if clients are using certain common ingredients found in skin care products. It is recommended that ingredients such as retinol and glycolic acid are avoided for 48 to 72 hours prior to a facial wax as both ingredients can cause skin to be more sensitive. These active ingredients work by decreasing the thickness of the outermost layer of skin, which may cause it to lift with the wax, leaving a very sensitive client. Asking clients to refrain from using these products prior to their wax helps reduce any chances of skin lifting during the wax. 

Additionally, it is good practice to understand other lifestyle choices, such as how much time a client typically spends in the sun. It is highly suggested to avoid suntanning at least two to three days after a wax as skin is sensitive and can burn more easily. Finally, there are certain medications that can indirectly affect the sensitivity of a client’s skin. Isotretinoin and prednisone are two medications that are known to cause skin to be highly sensitive. It is important to inquire what medications clients are taking ahead of their scheduled appointment as they will need to stop taking them well in advance so their wax can be performed safely. The intake form should be completed by all new clients in advance of the wax appointment so any issues can be addressed prior to the treatment and any disappointment can be avoided. Additionally, educating loyal clients on the importance of communicating any changes to their profile is also a good idea to avoid upsetting situations.

Lindsay Miller is the president of LYCON Wax North America. Having first discovered LYCON Wax in the United Kingdom 10 years ago, she has dedicated her time to growing the brand across North America, including introducing LYCON to Canada. Training and product quality are extremely important to Miller, and she prides herself on building a strong team around her that can offer the best customer experience possible. LYCON continues to be a market leader in hair removal wax and is used in top spas and salons around the world.

Is it possible to give clients a nonsurgical face-lift? Yes, absolutely. Buccal or intraoral massage is a natural, holistic alternative to injections and surgery. This technique is quickly becoming known to give a more sculpted look to the face, improve facial tone, relax wrinkle depth, and make clients feel like they have just come back from a vacation with higher cheekbones and glowing skin.

Quality control is a term most often attributed to the business of manufacturing. When a service-based business such as a spa incorporates service quality management into its many operating procedures, it can play a pivotal role in meeting or exceeding its customers’ expectations, which translates to healthy financial growth for a company. 

There are endless opportunities for an organization to develop quality control protocols throughout every aspect of its infrastructure. All are equally important. For the purpose of this article, there will be an emphasis on the service side of business because quality of service is paramount in all spa organizations. 

Once a business owner understands their company’s objectives, there are three key aspects that are important when initiating quality control in the service training module. Each one functions together, like a healthy ecosystem. When adequate structure is initiated and protocols are in place, quality services can be performed consistently.

A niche market is a focused, targetable portion of a larger market, selling specialized products or services. Niche markets have their own demands, preferences, needs, and identity. Establishing a niche market helps businesses gain competitive advantages and identify their target audience. Finding a niche can be based on many factors, such as geographics, psychographics, demographics, price, quality, and specific areas of expertise. 

WHAT IS THE KEY TO ESTABLISHING A NICHE MARKET?

The key to establishing a market niche is research. Study the current markets to determine what special segments already exist and what new sections could be evolved. The trick to capitalizing on a specific niche market is developing or finding a segment with accessible customers, moderate competition, and room for growth. Make sure to create a solid business plan for the niche services. First, create a well-defined mission and focus. What exactly is the niche? Second, target and define the clientele. Who is interested? How can they be contacted? What is the best way to market and where? And lastly, make sure the business can be differentiated from others, whether that is by having taken advanced education on the niche provided or ways to become an industry leader in the specialized area.

Chemical peels are versatile, simple, and effective ways to improve skin and help clients succeed on their journey to healthy and more youthful-looking skin. Chemical peels were ranked among the top five minimally invasive cosmetic procedures in 2019 by The American Society of Plastic Surgeons. This procedure is excellent for improving tone, texture, hyperpigmentation, acne, wrinkles, laxity, and acne scarring. There are many devices and treatments that promise to soften and smooth skin and address acneic, hyperpigmented, and aging skin, but chemical peels can treat all these issues and are often more affordable for clients.

Sometimes the words chemical and peel can conjure trepidation; however, there is no need to fear this treatment. There are several ways to become confident in chemical peel application and process.

LAYING THE FOUNDATION

Find out what the client’s skin concerns and goals are. They may want to improve conditions of acne, sun damage, hyperpigmentation, aging, sagging, wrinkles, and firmness, or a combination of these concerns. Discuss options and ensure the client commits to proper homecare in addition to receiving chemical peels, as the two go hand in hand. Have the client complete a client history form that includes all mediations, health concerns, diseases, allergies, and surgeries to see if there are any contraindications before administering chemical peels.

Preparing skin for a chemical peel is ideal and can help achieve better, more predictable results. Homecare products containing anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties like shea butter, vitamin E, and plant sterols like aloe vera are good choices. Before the first chemical peel, have clients read and sign a consent form and a periprocedural care form.

MaryJo Reeves is a beauty industry leader, licensed aesthetician, writer, and speaker with over 18 years of experience in the medical aesthetic field. Reeves has a Bachelor of Science degree from Northern Arizona University and shares her passion for clinical education and business development with fellow aestheticians, physicians, and skin health providers nationwide. She is a contributing author at Professional Skin Care Training. Reeves lives in Scottsdale, Arizona with her husband and their Shih Tzu, Francesca.

Chemical peels have been around since the ancient Egyptians applied sour milk (lactic acid) to their skin to enhance their appearance. With a long list of benefits, such as exfoliation, acne reduction, improved skin texture, and the reduction of hyperpigmentation and fine lines, chemical peels have become an increasingly popular treatment of choice because they offer a solution for a variety of clientele. Chemical peels are especially helpful for skin care professionals who are not able to perform microneedling or laser services but still want to focus on corrective skin treatments. With varying strengths to treat a range of clients, chemical peels allow you to make impactful changes in skin’s appearance. Because not all clients should be treated with the same level of peel, you will need to take note of any sensitivities that occur pre-treatment, and this will allow you to customize the service to the client’s desired results and lifestyle requirements.

ACIDS & BENEFITS

Multi-acid peels are an especially popular choice because they take several different acids with varying benefits and combine them into one formulation, targeting multiple concerns with one solution. An example of a highly popular multi-acid peel is the modified Jessner’s. Made up of lactic, salicylic, and citric acid (and sometimes trichloroacetic and other alpha hydroxy acids), this medium- to deep-depth peel can help reduce the appearance of scarring, hyperpigmentation, and wrinkles. This is an excellent choice for someone seeking to reduce acne scars and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation or someone wanting to combat the signs of aging.

Alex Hernandez has held several roles over the years with Face Reality Skincare and now serves as the lead educator for the brand. In her role, she oversees professional educational training material, protocols, and classes on a national level. She has been in the skin care industry for the last decade and has been a Certified Acne Expert since 2018. Hernandez has worked with hundreds of acne clients throughout her aesthetics career and is a daily witness to the impeccable results that can be achieved when clients partner with a licensed aesthetician.

Perhaps you’ve heard of or even received the heralded “Hollywood Facial,” also marketed as the “Porcelain Doll Facial.” Regardless of its title, these treatments are all cut from the same cloth: the carbon peel facial. Delicate enough for all skin types, this nonablative treatment promises a porcelain-smooth complexion while boasting a host of other antiaging benefits. Touting a low-pain factor, minimal downtime, and a cost-effective price margin, the carbon facial has become a staple procedure in the aesthetics industry.

CARBON PEEL FACIAL

Improving the look of enlarged and clogged pores, addressing pigmentation issues due to acne scarring and melasma, and reducing the prominence of fine lines and wrinkles are among its list of achievements. The carbon peel facial exfoliates skin deeply, stimulates collagen remodeling, targets photoaging, and leaves skin looking firmer and feeling more hydrated. Not reserved for the face alone, this treatment can improve the neck and chest area, as well as the back of the hands. Ideal candidates for this treatment include those with sensitive skin types that are prone to bouts of acne, rosacea, and eczema.

The main difference between the carbon facial and traditional chemical peels lies in how these results are achieved. Using a significantly gentler approach than a traditional chemical peel, the carbon facial rejuvenates skin by harnessing the power of controlled heat delivery by way of a laser. This approach draws out impurities, causing a peeling effect without damaging the outer layers of skin, as opposed to a chemical reaction which employs a fine acid composite to cause rapid skin proliferation. Results are visible immediately, all while remaining noninvasive, pain-free, and with minimal recovery time.

With over a decade of experience in aesthetics, Suzanne Whigham has immersed herself in exploring the most challenging aspects of skin care and conditions. As a regular contributor to DERMASCOPE magazine, she has a passion for writing and passes that knowledge on to her clients at her clinic, Epiderme Aesthetics, where she encourages a whole-body approach to skin health and wellness.

Inspired by mother nature’s natural regenerative power, S²RM technology is a scientific breakthrough in skin and hair care. Designed to help improve the quality of life for people suffering from a myriad of skin concerns and conditions, this technology is safe, healthy, and contains no genetic material. From severe trauma such as burns, oncology treatments, and wounds to chronic and aesthetic concerns, stem cell-released molecules provide a natural approach to an effective, professional skin care regimen. 

The oncology community has played a significant role in the development of this breakthrough technology, due to the intensity of damage done to skin’s barrier and deeper cutaneous and subcutaneous layers. Formulated on robust, evidence-based science, these products were developed to provide an oncology-safe, natural approach to preventing and healing the painful burning, scarring, and long-term side effects of treatments like chemotherapy and radiation.  

With an estimated 1.6 million people diagnosed with cancer each year in the United States, this skin-identical technology is not only disrupting the medical standard for oncology aftercare but also the skin and hair care industry as a whole.2 

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With various light therapy devices flooding online shopping channels and the plethora of misinformation available on the internet, it is time to define what LED light therapy really is, specifically near-infrared light therapy (NIR) and its therapeutic effects on the body.