I was born in the early 1980s, making me defined as Generation X by some, Generation Y by others and as a millennial in some time frames. I identify with different character traits of different generations, but I’ve noticed that beauty market reports often attach the growth of anti-aging skin care to baby boomers. What gives? I get that boomers want to defy the hands of time and look younger, but what generation wants to look old? Technically, I represent three generations, and none of us is jazzed about a new wrinkle or age spot.
Bottom line: All of your clients want to look younger and preserve their youth, so you are not off base by making suggestions related to those goals. There are a number of ways to achieve younger-looking skin. The main ones being: sleep, water, diet, makeup and skin care.
Unless you follow your clients around all day with 64 ounces of water, a pillow and a salmon steak, you most likely have influence over one (maybe two) of these factors, but what a difference good skin care can make.
Skin care for youth preservation always starts with good sun care. Skin Inc. has touched on this topic a number of times, but there is still a significant portion of the population who does not use sun protection for a variety of reasons.
From there, skin care treatments and home care recommendations vary by skin type, primary concerns and lifestyle, but new technologies are popping up all the time.
Katerina Steventon highlights a few new, natural anti-aging ingredient technologies, specifically referencing dragon’s blood and extreme bacteria for their antioxidant and photoprotective benefits, respectively. For all clients, Steventon advocated the incorporation of facial massage, which has been shown to reduce skin sagging, optimize energy pathways in the body and increase penetration of active ingredients. After recently having one of Pure Erb’s meridian facial massages, I can tell you nothing is more on point.
Anti-aging skin care, however, is often focused on the face, ignoring the areas of the body that have thinner skin, a higher incidence of unprotected sun exposure and can age a person quickly if neglected the neck, décolleté and hands. Jennifer Linder, M.D., discussed the physiology of these “forgotten zones,” offering recommendations for treatments and at-home care, in which she also addresses the eyes.
For those seeking that latest in medical spa treatments for aged skin, Danné Montague-King discussed combining face mapping with fillers and face-lift threads with enzymes.
You could say that when it comes to skin care strategies to preserve the youth of skin or reverse the hands of time—regardless of generation—we’ve got you covered. Now, how about that salmon steak?
Yours in education,
Katie Anderson
Managing Editor
