The Skinny On Skin
Skincare Essentials For Maintaining Beautiful & Supple Skin
by Judie Bizzozero
 Flawless.
Glowing. Gorgeous. These words describe what women all over the world desire
when it comes to skincare. Everywhere we look, we are bombarded with advertisements
for products promoting healthy-looking, younger skin. In fact, day spas and
salons agree skincare services are one of the most sought-after services. From
specialized facials and treatments to non-medical face-lifts and sunless tanning
applications, the choices are endless when it comes to beauty.
Skincare is one of the most rapidly growing segments of the beauty market.
Theories to explain what is spurring this growth are varied, but the trend itself
cannot be questioned. One of the most popular explanations is that, giving proof
to their worst fears, baby boomers and yuppies are aging and the effects of
years of too much stress and too little restraint finally are beginning to show.
This is where you come in. As spa professionals, you understand the daily war
your customers battle to maintain healthy and beautiful skin. From the moment
they wake in the morning and step into a steamy shower, their skin is assaulted
from all directions with heat, dryness, perfumes, oils, pollution and more.
Since the skin is the human body’s largest organ, it must be treated with respect
and nurtured it so it can provide a soft, supple and flawless look and feel,
while being strong enough to protect from harmful elements and dry, itchy blotches.
Your personalized attention to your customers’ needs will keep them coming
back to your facility week after week, month after month. The following are
some of the most crucial components to overall skincare health.
Making A Skincare Plan
The first step on the road to skincare knowledge is to evaluate your client’s
lifestyle. Take a long, hard look at diet, activities, environment and stress
level because they all play an important role in how the skin looks and feels.
In addition, evaluate each customer’s skin to determine whether it is dry, oily
or combination skin and suggest products that complement that skin type.
The second step is to educate customers about the products available to help
achieve a more youthful look. Familiarize yourself with the products that offer
the highest-quality ingredients and formulas backed by results and get customers
to purchase those products from you.
Moisturizers
Every professional knows that moisturizers are extremely important weapons
in the battle against dry skin. Moisturizers do just what their name implies—add
moisture to the skin and keep it soft and supple.
Moisturizers are absorbed into the upper layers of the outer skin called the
epidermis and cannot penetrate into the dermis or muscle. They are formulated
to protect the lower layers of the skin by forming a seal on the upper layers.
Moisturizers should be applied to the skin while it is still damp because putting
it on dry skin is of little use since it is not very easily absorbed.
Environmental elements such as heat, air, sun and water all can contribute
to dried, rough skin. Oil-and-water-based moisturizing lotions on the market
coat the skin with a film to bind water to the skin and also to maintain a smooth
look and healthier feel. Vitamins and botanicals also are popular ingredients
in moisturizers, and many of the lotion companies are using more advertising
and marketing programs to inform the public about their benefits.
Among the most commonly used vitamins are A, C, D and E. Vitamin A helps keep
skin soft, lubricated and healthy looking; vitamin C is supposed to act as a
preservative; vitamin D is believed to have certain skin-healing and UV-blocking
properties; and vitamin E is used primarily as an antioxidant to help maintain
product freshness. Antioxidants also may slow down the skin’s aging process.
This is key since the largest segment of spa-goers are baby boomers looking
to regain a more youthful and healthy appearance.
Additionally, many skincare and cosmetic companies are adding sunscreens to
their moisturizers and skincare products. With consumer confidence and knowledge
at an all-time high, minimizing the effects of uncontrolled exposure to UV rays
is a major concern to the end user.
Self-Tanners
One of the fastest-growing segments of the skincare market is sunless products
or self-tanners. These specialized skincare products have gained monumental
popularity over the past few years for a number of reasons, including the higher-quality
products that produce beautiful, bronze results, ease of application and a selection
of delivery methods.
In the past, self-tanners were messy and difficult to apply. Today, self-tanner
application has been refined and products have gained a respectable place in
the spa and beauty industries. In days past, sunless tanners didn’t live up
to their promise of deep, golden tans. Instead, they left the skin streaked
and splotched with a distinctive orange cast. Today’s sunless tanning products
are far more sophisticated than those introduced nearly 30 years ago. In fact,
these products have undergone a sort of metamorphosis—streaks, splotches and
orange are out; smooth, bronze and beautiful are in.
The key ingredient to the products’ evolution is dihydroxyacetone, or DHA,
which is an extract of sugar cane. DHA reacts with proteins in the skin to produce
a bronze coloration on the top layer of skin—in essence, a cosmetic effect that
does not saturate the skin.
Over the years, the formulation technology has been greatly improved to provide
better application and coloration. Many of the earlier products were formulated
using higher DHA concentrations; today, sunless tanners use lower concentrations
because of the improved technology.
Additionally, ease of application has really helped the growth of sunless.
Consumers can apply sunless lotions or sprays themselves or turn to their favorite
spa or salon for the service. A few years ago, stand-up sunless spray units
emerged onto the spa and tanning scene. The systems feature sophisticated designs
and advanced technology that provide an even, all-over tan to customers and
offer spas and salons an entirely new revenue center. Customers enjoy the privacy
of the spray-on booths, as well as the results, while salon owners welcome automated
systems that don’t consume employees’ time with cleaning and setup.
Also gaining incredible popularity on the spa front is the demand for airbrush
sunless-tanning systems. These relatively inexpensive units consist of a portable
compressor unit and sunless solution that is easy to operate. Airbrushing seems
to appeal particularly to customers who desire a quick fix for their face or
uneven tan lines. Spas and salons can perform airbrush applications right at
the front counter in a matter of minutes and make a nice, little profit. Many
spas are reporting wonderful increases in full-body applications. These also
go hand in hand with full-body exfoliation services.
Facial Scrubs And Body Exfoliants
Facial scrubs and body exfoliants have gained a nice piece of the skincare
market share this year. These products not only prepare the skin for a wonderful
spa experience, they provide a fresh, clean palette for sunless applications.
These products generally contain some kind of gritty, abrasive material and
are very simple to use. They literally slough off debris and dead cells on the
surface of the skin, leaving it fresh and smooth. Skin that has a misty, gray
tinge needs such treatment to remove the dead cells that are giving it that
color.
Today’s scrubs and exfoliants incorporate some of the best botanicals and aromatherapy
to give the customer an exhilarating spa treatment. Many spas have a full menu
of scents and smells specially designed for a luxurious experience.
It is important to note that these products are not for everyone. Thin-skinned
people should stay away from facial scrubs and exfoliants, as should people
with acne, because they tend to irritate such conditions. There also are stronger
exfoliants and peels that can be administered only by a professional in a spa
or salon.
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