I’m moving all my old client records into a new computer system I’m trying out. As I plow through the records and type the info into the proper fields its become very clear that the clients who have seen the best results are those who are dedicated to the task. They are the ones who see me like clock work, do every step every day regardless of how silly it sounds or how tired they are, and trust me to do my job. They don’t come to me and tell me what to do. They don’t complain that they don’t see results while confessing that they just can’t do fill in the blank every day. And most of all, they allow for the amount of time the process takes.

Skin Fitness is not a quick fix and what I do isn’t a miracle – no matter what my clients may say. I can’t even count how often someone has thanked me for the work I have done and all I’ve been able to do is thank them right back. I work hard for my clients. I train, I stay up on the latest research, and I listen to what they and their skin tells me. But ultimately the results are as good as the effort they put in. They are working hard. They are staying focused. They are dedicated to the task. Without them I am just and esthetician fighting to minimize damage during every facial with no time to correct problems. Without their hard work I’m nothing.

One of my clients once explained to me that dedication like I require is an art. He said, “It’s like when I plan an exhibition. You see what needs to be installed and changed. You see what needs to be hung where. You know the goal and then have to dedicate yourself to the task of getting it all done in time in the most perfect way you can. And damn does it take work! But after a while the ebb and flow of what you do becomes simple. It becomes a skill and then an art, and suddenly the dedication is second nature. It’s a part of you and not really work at all.”

This is exactly what my dedicated clients learn. At first taking care of their skin is hard. They have to work at it. It’s a slow process that takes more time than they want to give, but over time it becomes part of their every day routine and suddenly it’s simple and they feel lost without it. Dedication. That’s what I am asking of every client. But I only ask because I am dedicated to perfecting your skin.

While putting the finishing touches on my new space, and preparing all the marketing materials that go along with my new business I have had to sit down and ponder how to express what it is that I do. Most people come to me to fix their skin, but what they may not realize is that Skin Fitness encompasses more than just the correct lotions and potions. Skin Fitness isn’t just about the topical. It’s about the internal and spiritual as well.

Your skin is a mirror that reflects your health on the outside. To look good you have to feel good both inside and outside. While I work to improve your skin I am also working to improve your self esteem, your mood, and your overall health. You can’t have beautiful skin if the rest of you is unhealthy and unhappy. Healthy skin is about total wellness. It encompasses the whole body because your skin encompasses your whole body.

Eastern medicine has long recognized the impact emotions have on the body. Their approach to health is a mind-body-spirit connection. Western medicine has traditionally thought of this as “hocus pocus”, but more and more studies are coming out scientifically proving that the concepts behind this principal is valid.

Anxiety, stress, depression are now all scientifically connected to illness, poor health, and depleted immunity. Studies have shown that depression is linked to poor outcomes from heart and spinal surgery. Fear, anxiety, and depression have been linked to increased post-op pain. It’s no longer strange to hear about a peer reviewed study, published in a well renowned medical journal supporting the benefits of nontraditional, alternative, or holistic practices. And it doesn’t matter whether you believe in the healing power of gem therapy, reiki, or reflexology either. Most studies can support all these claims as helpful in at least one way. They all include touch, and touch is something that we have proven people need.

Our skin is the only organ of the body that really “touches”. It is a sense that we take for granted. A physical magic that we never think about. “When Michelangelo sought to portray God animating Adam, he didn’t paint a bolt of lightning whitening Eden’s sky, he chose an outstretched hand, reaching down from above.” (Total Skin by David Leffell) He chose that because the power of touch resonates within us. Can anything express more emotion than a touch of a loved one when upset, or a hug from a friend after a long separation?

While studying child behavior in college I read a book by an anthropologist named Ashley Montagu called Touching: The Human Significance of the Skin. In it he discusses how all early experiences are passed through the skin, and how without touch we become less social, unhappy, and ill.

Although Montagu’s book came out in the 1970’s, new studies are showing that babies who are touched and cuddled walk and begin to speak sooner. Whereas babies who don’t get enough physical touch tend to suffer more physical and psychological ailments as they grow up. Residents in hospitals and retirement homes live longer and heal faster if they have regular visitors who care enough to touch them.

Skin Fitness is about total wellness and overall health. Mind-body-spirit. I see them as one and treat them as one. Yes I make you look good, but it isn’t just the creams I put on you. It’s the entire experience. It’s the power of my touch, my knowledge and training, the music, the lighting, the massage, the tea …well everything. Each element contributes to the experience. This is what makes what I do successful and what gets my clients the results they want.