Assess your client’s skin. After months of hibernation, your client’s skin is coming back out for the world to see. Take a few minutes to do a skin examination. The first line of defense starts with you. After all, you look at skin every day, so pay attention and know what to look for. If you notice any of these things about your client’s moles, take note of it and have them put in a call to a dermatologist as soon as possible. 

The ABCDEs of skin cancer:

• A for Asymmetry – One half looks unlike the other half.
• B for Border – An irregular, scalloped or poorly defined outer border. 
• C for Color – is varied from one area to another, shades of tan, brown, black, blue, and even red or white. 
• D for Diameter – Melanomas are usually greater than six millimeters (the size of a pencil eraser) when diagnosed, but they can be smaller. 
• E for Evolving – A mole or skin lesion that looks different from the rest or is changing in size, shape, or color.
  
  Being aware can help ensure that skin cancer is diagnosed in its earliest, most treatable stage. Clients can also look for a dermatologist in their area who offers complimentary skin cancer examinations. How awesome is that?

  Reach out. Book a treatment with a client you haven’t seen in a while. Out with the old skin, in with the new. Professional skin care treatments such as an enzyme treatments, glycolic acid peels, or micro needling all serve as a great benefit to kick off your client’s spring skin care cleaning and prepare your client’s skin for summer.

 Encourage clients to stock up on sunscreen. Make sure that your clients take inventory of their sun protection factor before the mercury rises. Always check the expiration date on your product. Since skin cancer and premature aging are preventable, make sure your client’s sun protection product is good to go before they head out the door. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is making changes regarding how sunscreens are marketed in the United States as part of the agency’s ongoing efforts to ensure that sunscreens meet modern-day standards for safety and effectiveness and to help consumers have the information they need so they can choose the right sun protection for themselves and their families.2 Your client’s sunscreen should cover a broad spectrum of ultraviolet A (long-wave) and ultraviolet B (short-wave) light. Choose a water-resistant sunscreen with a sun protection factor of 30 or higher. Tell clients to apply it 30 minutes before they go outside and expose their skin to ultraviolet rays. They should take care to reapply, even on a cloudy day, every two hours or following any swimming or sweating. Spending time in the sun increases a person’s risk of skin cancer and accelerates early skin aging.

 Look at your client’s current skin care regimen! Is your client using rich creams to combat winter dehydration and dryness? A creamy cleanser to take off the day’s makeup and grime? Spring is the perfect opportunity to change things up. Suggest your client lightens up with a gel-based glycolic acid cleanser. Add an antioxidant, used in skin care for their plentiful and varied anti-aging abilities, to the skin care regime. Advise that they swap out their current moisturizer for a lightweight, but multi-tasking ingredient packed serum.

 Get to know all about Epsom salts. This should be in everyone’s skin care kit. The uses are plentiful. The far reaching and miraculous ability of Epsom salt to reduce swelling, fade bruises, relax sore and tired muscles, relieve pain, soften skin, and draw out toxins has made it the most important ingredient in many ready-to-use bath salts.
One of the most effective uses of Epsom salt is the soak. For a detoxifying soak, your client’s can use two to three cups Epsom salts to a warm bath and soak for 40 minutes. They should take care not to add any soap or cleansing products to the bath. This will interfere with the Epsom salt absorption. They should cover their head with a cool wash cloth and be sure to drink a glass of water before and during the bath to keep hydrated. Your clients can start out once or twice a week, increasing gradually up to two to three times a week.

 Exfoliate. There are many benefits to exfoliation. Increased circulation and elimination of old dead skin cells will immediately leave your client’s skin healthier and glowing. When looking for an exfoliator, there are many wonderful options from which to choose. Your clients can even make their own with a few simple ingredients. Take one cup Epsom salts and mix it with one fourth cup extra virgin olive, sunflower or almond oil to form a paste. Add orange, lemon or lime zest – or a few drops of lavender essential oil, if you prefer a scented scrub. Store mixture in tightly sealed glass or wooden jars, avoiding metal because metals have an undesirable tendency to interact with the minerals in Epsom salt.

 Get your client’s glow on. Offer spray tans or start retailing self-tanning products for home use. On a daily basis, your clients can also opt for a tinted moisturizer, BB or CC cream, or choose from the ever expanding variety of facial bronzers for a temporary suntanned appearance. Best advice ever for self-tanning success!

 From plumpers to paralysis, injectable fillers are the top requested in-office treatment as summer comes rolling around. Since injectable treatments can take as little as 15 minutes, they are considered the perfect way to renew your client’s skin before a special summer getaway or the annual family reunion. The side effects are generally minimal and the treatment’s effects can be seen for an average of six months, depending on the product. As if in perfect alignment with the stars and planets, a summertime treatment can often last until the beginning of the winter holiday season, at which time it can be repeated.

 Lighten up on the makeup. Just like your client’s skin care, your client’s makeup should somewhat reflect the season. They should lose the cat eyes and ditch the heavy powders. Help them choose a sheer overall face coverage with a BB cream or tinted moisturizers and subtle lip colors in the form of glosses or balms, preferably with sunscreen. Softer and neutral eye colors work well and are not overpowering. If you live in a humid area and your have clients who exercise outside, help them choose waterproof eye makeup. It is a good option for summer. Make sure they have a specially formulated waterproof eye makeup remover on hand to remove at the end of the day as they can be quite tenacious.

 Wrap-up laser hair removal treatments and wax off what is left. Laser hair removal treatments are best done in the fall and winter. For your client’s treatments to be effective, it is recommended that there be visible hair growth. Many women prefer to do that growing under the wraps of multiple layers. Now is the time clients may want to tidy up or get a Brazilian.  Keep in mind laser and waxing services should be done, at the minimum, seven to10 days prior to heading outside for fun in the sun.

As the long days of summer get closer with each passing day, encourage your clients to take a few moments to relax in a lavender infused Epsom salt bath and reflect on the season that is leaving us. As spring blooms offer the promise of new beauty, hopefully these beauty tips will leave your clients feeling a bit more prepared for summer.

References
1. http://www.aad.org/spot-skin-cancer/understanding-skin-cancer/how-do-i-check-my-skin/what-to-look-for
2. http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/BuyingUsingMedicineSafely/UnderstandingOver-the-CounterMedicines/ucm258468.htm#Q5_What_do_consumers

Kimberly Czelusniak is a licensed aesthetician, business development specialist and entrepreneur. A published author, she is a content creator and beauty blogger for many leading skin care brands and aesthetic businesses. After spending 16 years as a B2B sales manager and skin care educator, her focus is now on the beauty industry’s emerging field of social media management and e-commerce sales solutions. Czelusniak is founder and author of the website www.skincareguruforyou.com, an informational website for consumers to get real, honest, expert advice and vital information regarding their skin and lifestyle choices. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.