5 HUGE SKIN MISTAKES I SEE CLIENTS MAKING
If I were to describe the clientele and the variety of skin types I serve, I could probably inspire the next Dr. Seuss book.
Grandmas and Grandpas, and moms and dads
Career-women, athletes, and even some lads
From thick skin to thin skin, large pores, crinkled eyes
They all are so different but to my surprise
All make these mistakes that seem itty bitty,
But trust me, they’ll make your skin look quite sh….
You know where I’m going with this, right?
Okay, okay. All jokes aside, the point is that as an esthetician, I work with an array of people, skin types, goals, and concerns. But there are some core mistakes that I see clients making all the time. While they are certainly well-intended, it’s my job as their esthetician to help guide and educate them on how to take the best possible care of this organ that happens to live on the outside of our bodies. (So weird…)
I’m guessing that if several of my clients have been misguided with certain skin care misconceptions, a ton of others have, too.
That’s why I wanted to address 5 huge skin mistakes I see clients making.
1. Exfoliating Way Too Much or Way Too Little
One of the very first questions I ask clients in the treatment room is whether or not the client is using anything at home to exfoliate their skin, and if so, how often? Over and over again, I will hear something like, “Mmm… no… not really…” or, “Oh yes, I’m using a scrub every night in the shower.” Both these answers hurt my ears. To put it plainly, exfoliation is one of the easiest and cheapest ways of keeping your skin healthy and looking young, but too much of a good thing only trades one skin issue for another. Case in point, let’s say we have a client suffering from acne. She exfoliates every single day to try and keep her pores as clear as possible. But before you know it, her skin is dry, sensitive, red, and angry with her. Exfoliating every day does not leave you with soft, gorgeous skin. It leaves you with uncomfortable, irritated skin. The other side of the coin is not exfoliating enough. Using an exfoliant when you remember to every once in a while won’t give you results it promises, so really, you’re wasting your money on it. But simply scrapping it from your routine isn’t the answer, either. Not exfoliating your skin leaves you with a layer on your face made up of dead skin, oil, toxins, dirt, bacteria, and all sorts of other things we come into contact with during the day. GROSS. This leaves your skin extra prone to breaking out, clogs your pores, and ages it tremendously. So, how do you exfoliate enough but not too much? The general rule is 2-3x per week. If you have extremely oily skin, you may be able to get away with more than that. If you have extremely sensitive skin, you’ll want to choose an exfoliant that uses gentle acids (like Lactic Acid!) to break down dead skin cells instead of an abrasive scrub. Either way, your skin will tell you if you’re exfoliating too much. Watch for red skin, increased sensitivity, a tight feeling, or dry patches. These are all signs of over-exfoliating.
2. Not Treating Your Neck and Chest
We’ve all seen her. You know exactly who I’m talking about. The middle-aged woman with a gorgeous complexion and a leathery chest ridden with dark spots. The reason for this is a lack of treating her chest with the same caution she treats her face. A good esthetician will teach you that your neck and chest are basically just extensions of your face. If you want to avoid a leathery chest or a sagging neck, it’s vitally important that you apply all your skin care products from your hairline to your nips. Complete your skin care routine naked, if you must.
3. Not Reapplying Sunscreen
It’s common enough to hear about people forgetting to apply or choosing not to apply sunscreen. There are lots of reasons people skip this extremely important step, none of which are good or accurate reasons, but that’s for another soapbox on another day. But even those who religiously apply an SPF before leaving the house don’t often remember to reapply. Truth is, your sunscreen ain’t gonna last the whole day. In fact, most of them only last around 2 hours. That means if you’re applying your SPF at 8:00 am before leaving for work, by 10:00 am that sucker is long gone. When the sun is responsible for 90% of our skin’s aging, I’d think taking a quick 30 seconds to put more sunscreen on is worth it. The sun doesn’t just cause burns, and it doesn’t just cause cancer. It also causes spots, discoloration, wrinkles, sagging… the list goes on. Side note: an easy trick I like to tell clients who wear makeup during the day is to invest in a powder SPF. That way you can reapply it right over your makeup without messing it up!
4. Picking Your Skin
I sort of feel like I shouldn’t even have to explain this one. Listen, I know it’s nearly impossible to leave a budding pimple alone. Trust me, I know. But picking at it without knowing how to professionally do so (that means only estheticians and dermatologists allowed!), isn’t just bad because it could make it look worse. The likely consequences are more pimples, a ruptured follicle wall, broken capillaries, scars, and making it look worse. Leave it alone. The risks aren’t worth it.
5. Not Listening to Your Esthetician’s Home Care Advice
Would you pay for a personal trainer at the gym and put in all the work with her just to go home and stuff your face with cookies, pizza, soda, alcohol, and donuts? Every single day? Of course, you wouldn’t. So, then why would you pay for a facial and the expertise of a skin care professional only to go home and continue to do things your way, using the products you insist upon? I know that sounds harsh, but sometimes it takes putting things as frankly as possible in order to understand what we’re actually doing. It is very common for clients to come for a facial and ask for advice and recommendations, only to turn around and continue to do exactly what they have been doing, expecting results from a monthly facial alone. But that would be like going to the gym once a week and eating whatever you want, whenever you want, and expecting your body to change. It simply doesn’t make sense. Listen to your esthetician. If you’re a skeptic, that’s okay! I’m a natural skeptic, too, and it is so important that you trust your esthetician. You don’t have to blindly take her word for everything. You are allowed to go home and do research if you need to. You are allowed to ask for samples of products that are recommended to you. You are allowed to build up a trust. Just don’t keep doing the same things day in and day out and expect change. If I remember correctly, that’s the definition of insanity. 😉