Thanks to my boss at the laser place I spent my weekend at the Epicuren Symposium. If the event was to have another name it would have been “Spirituality, the Road to Wellness”. The highlight of the event was a nearly 5 hour workshop with Deepak Chopra a well known spiritualist. The event was amazing, and so was the information. Although I can’t tell you every thing I learned I can share the most pertinent for you and me.

Wellness is not only the future, but the present. More and more people are moving to holistic medicine to prevent illness and keep their soul well. The mind, body, and spirit connection is one that many scientists are beginning to recognize and it’s having an effect on our world. The American Medical Association has announced that they now recognized the health benefits of massage, and that is is no longer just a luxury item. Companies are allowing people to put money aside, tax free, in an account for wellness items like gym memberships, massage, and spa treatment. It is estimated that in the next 5 years over 500 million dollars will be spent on holistic wellness and less on traditional health care. Dr. Howard Cohn of Health Dynamics in California said, “Many people are realizing that health care is bogus. That in western medicine we drug a problem not treat a cause and that’s good for medical companies, but bad for our our country’s health.”

The best part of all this is that the main place for people to take care of their “wellness” needs is at a spa, medispa, holistic center, or wellness center. When clients come to see me I work hard to not just take care of their skin, but transport them to a better place—a place where their spirit can unwind and be free. Deepak Chopra spoke of this. He called it the “off” or “the space in between”. It is the place we go when our mind and ego shut down and allow our spirit to speak. The ego is controlled by the head, or the mind. It cares about what car you drive and what people think of you, but your soul or spirit just is. It cares about what’s inside you and what your connection is with every thing else that is. To hear your soul you must be in the off or space between and one of the best places for this is while receiving a treatment. This is a time for your ego and mind to be “off”, but for your soul to harmonize with the person working on you.

Exciting new worlds were opened for me at this event, but the idea of wellness which has been floating around in my head for a while, has made a solid home within me. When I find my own studio, which I hope to do soon, I want to create a space for these ideas and dedicate my learning to weaving wellness and spirituality into my services. So here’s to the new world of wellness and our journey together…

In my profession I often sound like a broken record. I find myself saying the same things to clients over and over again. I know I probably always sound interesting and deliver the lines like they are new, but trust me, the stuff I said to you when we first met is almost the exact same stuff I said to someone else. Sometimes I say it at a certain point in our relationship, and sometimes I just say the same thing over and over again in the hopes of being heard…WEAR YOUR SUNSCREEN EVERY DAY!!!

Since I have a whole new batch of clients at the laser place, I recently found myself back to repeating my “first time client script”. There are some really good pieces of wisdom in that script. One of the ones off the blemished skin script (yes indeed each skin type has its very own script!) is my favorite and goes something like this.

“Looking at your skin I can tell that you sleep more on BLANK side.” The client gasps at my psychic-like knowledge of their sleeping habits.

…Honestly, I am not psychic. The skin tells stories about you. It just takes someone good at reading the stories to.. but wait… I digress… that’s a different script. You’ll have to wait for a different blog for the rest of that script…

Where was I? Oh yeah…

“Looking at your skin I can tell that you sleep more on BLANK side.”

“I DO sleep more on that side” the client says in awe.

“How often do you change your pillow case?” I ask while they are still pondering my ability to know how they sleep.

“INSERT CLIENT ANSWER HERE.”

“You should change your pillow case every night.” I say matter of factly. The client sputters at this but I power on. “I know it seems decadent, but think of what gets on a pillow case in a day. Dirt, drool, animal fur, smog, oil…heck your face secretes a whole bunch of stuff!”

“Eeeww I never thought about that…” the client replies, pretty seriously grossed out.

“Yep, think of a pillow case as underwear for your face. You wouldn’t wear those two days in a row would you?”

“No way!” the client almost screams; thinking that there’s a Linens-N-Things on the way home.

If you are a client of mine you have heard it at least once, and if you are a good little client you actually paid attention to me when I told you that one of the best things you can do to stop breakout is change your pillow case every night. It does sound decadent. I know. But it really does work. Pillow cases are gross places and yet such an easy and cheap thing to change nightly. Go out and buy a laundry cycle worth of daily pillow cases. Then change them every night before you go to bed. Give it two weeks. You’ll see a difference in your skin.

In my profession I often sound like a broken record. I find myself saying the same things to clients over and over again. I know I probably always sound interesting and deliver the lines like they are new, but trust me, the stuff I said to you when we first met is almost the exact same stuff I said to someone else. Sometimes I say it at a certain point in our relationship, and sometimes I just say the same thing over and over again in the hopes of being heard…WEAR YOUR SUNSCREEN EVERY DAY!!!

Since I have a whole new batch of clients at the laser place, I recently found myself back to repeating my “first time client script”. There are some really good pieces of wisdom in that script. One of the ones off the blemished skin script (yes indeed each skin type has its very own script!) is my favorite and goes something like this.

“Looking at your skin I can tell that you sleep more on BLANK side.” The client gasps at my psychic-like knowledge of their sleeping habits.

…Honestly, I am not psychic. The skin tells stories about you. It just takes someone good at reading the stories to.. but wait… I digress… that’s a different script. You’ll have to wait for a different blog for the rest of that script…

Where was I? Oh yeah…

“Looking at your skin I can tell that you sleep more on BLANK side.”

“I DO sleep more on that side” the client says in awe.

“How often do you change your pillow case?” I ask while they are still pondering my ability to know how they sleep.

“INSERT CLIENT ANSWER HERE.”

“You should change your pillow case every night.” I say matter of factly. The client sputters at this but I power on. “I know it seems decadent, but think of what gets on a pillow case in a day. Dirt, drool, animal fur, smog, oil…heck your face secretes a whole bunch of stuff!”

“Eeeww I never thought about that…” the client replies, pretty seriously grossed out.

“Yep, think of a pillow case as underwear for your face. You wouldn’t wear those two days in a row would you?”

“No way!” the client almost screams; thinking that there’s a Linens-N-Things on the way home.

If you are a client of mine you have heard it at least once, and if you are a good little client you actually paid attention to me when I told you that one of the best things you can do to stop breakout is change your pillow case every night. It does sound decadent. I know. But it really does work. Pillow cases are gross places and yet such an easy and cheap thing to change nightly. Go out and buy a laundry cycle worth of daily pillow cases. Then change them every night before you go to bed. Give it two weeks. You’ll see a difference in your skin.

Everybody’s Free (to wear sunscreen)

“If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be IT.

The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience.

I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded. But trust me, in 20 years you’ll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked…” – Mary Schmich, Chicago Tribune

…and you’ll still look good if you used your sunscreen!

Why Does The Skin Need SPF?

Okay I know you have heard it a million times, but there is a reason why all skin care professionals push sunscreen—it is the best skin preserver on the planet.

I know it’s hard to think about the skin as an organ since we tend to think of organs as boxy things that are hidden inside of us. Your heart, liver, kidneys—those are obviously organs, but skin is an organ too. It’s made up of very specific cells and tissues, and their collective purpose is to act as the boundary between you and the world. That’s why it’s loaded with sensors, and comes equipped with a tough, layered, design, so that it can handle environmental aggressors like abrasion, pollution, wind, cold, heat, and sunlight.

Why Tanning is the Devil

Living among the layers of your skin is a cell called a melanocyte. Melanocytes produce melanin which is the stuff that creates your color. Now melanocytes are our friends. Yes they create hyperpigmentation (brown, red, yellow, and purple spots), visible UV damage, and cancer, but you have to understand that they THINK they are protecting your skin because you aren’t!

When you go into the sun without the proper SPF protection and get a tan, what is actually happening is that the melanocytes are producing melanin pigment in reaction to ultraviolet light in sunlight. Ultraviolet light stimulates melanin production. The pigment has the effect of absorbing the UV radiation in sunlight. This reaction protects the skin cells, to a degree, from UV damage. But over exposure, or a build up of exposure will essentially trap the melanin deposits into the skin. I often tell clients that melanin is like the light from the stars. What we see now on the surface of the skin isn’t the immediate damage, but the damage from years ago. This means that the worst of your damage hasn’t even been seen yet!

If you’ve been to see me in Santa Monica at the laser place and had a Visia skin analysis then you know what I am talking about. There is nothing that will scare you straighter than seeing your future UV damage on an enormous monitor. What is worse, is that the melanin is only ONE way the sun’s rays damage the skin. Yes they cause spots and cancer, but they also break down the structure of the skin. UV damage creates lines, wrinkles, and sagging as well as discoloration and uneven texture. Let me repeat this lesson: THE SUN IS THE MOST DAMAGING DEVICE TO THE SKIN ON THIS PLANET.

How Do SPF’s Work?

Sunscreens block or absorb ultraviolet light. You can block UV light with opaque creams that reflect the sun off the skin like zinc oxide cream (you probably have fond memories of lifeguards putting this on their noses). You can also absorb UV radiation in much the same way that melanin does through chemicals absorption like PABA (para-aminobenzoic acid). The jury is still out on chemical protection for a few reasons. 1) They wear off into the skin. 2) Chemicals are often sensitizing to the skin. 3) There are many studies that say these chemicals can cause cancers with prolonged use. For me, I always recommend a product that uses some of both, but that relies more heavily on the physical blocks like Titanium and Zinc.

All sunscreens are labeled with an SPF (Sun Protection Factor). All sunscreens are labeled with an SPF (Sun Protection Factor). The SPF number refers to the protection level that formula will give you relative to the length of time it takes your skin to burn when unprotected. Simply multiply this time by the SPF number to find the maximum time each formula will protect you for. For example, if you usually burn in 10 minutes, an SPF4 lotion will protect you for 40 minutes, while an SPF30 will last 300 minutes. But realize that the strength of your SPF isn’t as important as how you apply it, and how often you re-apply it! You don’t have to glop the stuff on. Sunscreen is designed to sit on top of the skin, not in it. (This is why I hate moisturizers with SPF. Moisturizers are designed to go deeply into the skin, but and SPF needs to sit on top, so most combo products are easy to use, but very ineffective!) Apply a thin layer of sunscreen, but one that covers all your visible skin. Also try to apply it 30 minutes before you go out into the sun so it can bond to the skin. Suncreen wears off and the chemicals dissipate into the skin. If you are in the sun for more than 2 hours straight re-apply. If you are swimming or sweating a lot, re-apply every hour for best results.

UVA vs. UVB

There are two kinds of UV rays (well actually three but let’s ignore UVC for now), A and B. UVA rays are what we call “aging” rays because although they don’t burn they penetrate into the connective tissue and break down your DNA. Some scary facts about UVA rays:

• Can pass through window glass. (think in your car, home, and office)
• Is not affected by a change in altitude or weather. (think overcast, gloomy days)
• Is present all day and every day of the year. (ALL THE DAMN TIME!!!)
• Penetrates deep into skin layers. (aging you…aging you…)
• Effects long-term skin damage. (…still aging you…still aging you!)

Okay, so I NEVER want to hear that you don’t need sunscreen because you don’t go out in the sun. Now you know that when I reply, “So you’re a vampire then?” to this comment that I am not being snide—well maybe a little snide—but mostly being serious. You see daylight? Then you need sunscreen. Can you see outside without a candle or electric lighting? Then YOU NEED SPF. I imagine the myth that vampires never age has nothing to do with their undead nature and every thing to do with the fact they don’t ever get UVA damage.

UVB rays are the “burning” rays that burn you when you are in the sun too long. These rays:

• Cannot pass through window glass. (cool huh? But not so for UVA rays!)
• Cause sunburn.
• Cause tanning.
• Helps the body with normal vitamin D production.
• Varies with the season. It is more intense in the summer than in the winter.
• Varies with weather conditions.
• Is more intense at midday than in the morning or late afternoon.
• Is more intense at high altitudes and near the equator.
• Is protected against by the sun protection factor (SPF) in sunscreens.
• Is related to more than 90% of nonmelanoma skin cancer.

The SPF rating on bottles ONLY apply to UVB radiation because we have never had a way to properly block the UVA (aging) rays. Sure we put “broad-spectrum UVA/UVB protection” on SPF bottles, but we haven’t been able to actually stop all UVA rays or measure the blocking of UVA rays…until now.

Oh Jesus, I’m Scared! What SPF is Best?

So now we all want to run out and get a good sunscreen. That’s great! But which one should we choose? Up until about a month ago I would’ve said it didn’t matter too much coverage wise. There were a few things to look for like less chemical and more Titanium Dioxide and Zinc, but a new generation of SPF’s are hitting the market and in 2012 the FDA is supposed to start a new labeling policy. Will it happen? Let’s keep our fingers crossed. For now these are my favorites:

Powder SPF is my all time favorite. Made of BOTH Titanium and Zinc (old school but effective) you dust it on and it feels like nothing. Jane Iredale’s mineral makeup has SPF in all the products, but her Powder Me SPF and Absence Oil Control are weightless, highly water resistant, and great for the sporty outdoor dude or dudette. The next on my list is any SPF made my Epicuren. Designed by a guy who spent his life in Laguna Beach and Hawaii he knows sunscreen. The basic Zinc Oxide 20 is a top seller and safe enough for babies. Epicuren’s Active Sport 30 is the best smelling and working sweat resistant spf I’ve ever used. Finally, their Propolis X-Treme Cream 45 was used by the military in Iraq. The newest Silk Mist 15 is my favorite for the person who just goes from their car to the office, and maybe walks to the corner for their afternoon coffee.

There are many other good SPF’s out there, but there are a lot of crappy ones too, as one of my clients who ran out of her Epicuren in Mexico and bought something else (yes it’s a well known brand too!) that let her get a 2nd degree burn all over her body can tell you!

Everybody’s Free (to wear sunscreen)

“If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be IT.

The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience.

I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded. But trust me, in 20 years you’ll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked…” – Mary Schmich, Chicago Tribune

…and you’ll still look good if you used your sunscreen!

Why Does The Skin Need SPF?

Okay I know you have heard it a million times, but there is a reason why all skin care professionals push sunscreen—it is the best skin preserver on the planet.

I know it’s hard to think about the skin as an organ since we tend to think of organs as boxy things that are hidden inside of us. Your heart, liver, kidneys—those are obviously organs, but skin is an organ too. It’s made up of very specific cells and tissues, and their collective purpose is to act as the boundary between you and the world. That’s why it’s loaded with sensors, and comes equipped with a tough, layered, design, so that it can handle environmental aggressors like abrasion, pollution, wind, cold, heat, and sunlight.

Why Tanning is the Devil

Living among the layers of your skin is a cell called a melanocyte. Melanocytes produce melanin which is the stuff that creates your color. Now melanocytes are our friends. Yes they create hyperpigmentation (brown, red, yellow, and purple spots), visible UV damage, and cancer, but you have to understand that they THINK they are protecting your skin because you aren’t!

When you go into the sun without the proper SPF protection and get a tan, what is actually happening is that the melanocytes are producing melanin pigment in reaction to ultraviolet light in sunlight. Ultraviolet light stimulates melanin production. The pigment has the effect of absorbing the UV radiation in sunlight. This reaction protects the skin cells, to a degree, from UV damage. But over exposure, or a build up of exposure will essentially trap the melanin deposits into the skin. I often tell clients that melanin is like the light from the stars. What we see now on the surface of the skin isn’t the immediate damage, but the damage from years ago. This means that the worst of your damage hasn’t even been seen yet!

If you’ve been to see me in Santa Monica at the laser place and had a Visia skin analysis then you know what I am talking about. There is nothing that will scare you straighter than seeing your future UV damage on an enormous monitor. What is worse, is that the melanin is only ONE way the sun’s rays damage the skin. Yes they cause spots and cancer, but they also break down the structure of the skin. UV damage creates lines, wrinkles, and sagging as well as discoloration and uneven texture. Let me repeat this lesson: THE SUN IS THE MOST DAMAGING DEVICE TO THE SKIN ON THIS PLANET.

How Do SPF’s Work?

Sunscreens block or absorb ultraviolet light. You can block UV light with opaque creams that reflect the sun off the skin like zinc oxide cream (you probably have fond memories of lifeguards putting this on their noses). You can also absorb UV radiation in much the same way that melanin does through chemicals absorption like PABA (para-aminobenzoic acid). The jury is still out on chemical protection for a few reasons. 1) They wear off into the skin. 2) Chemicals are often sensitizing to the skin. 3) There are many studies that say these chemicals can cause cancers with prolonged use. For me, I always recommend a product that uses some of both, but that relies more heavily on the physical blocks like Titanium and Zinc.

All sunscreens are labeled with an SPF (Sun Protection Factor). All sunscreens are labeled with an SPF (Sun Protection Factor). The SPF number refers to the protection level that formula will give you relative to the length of time it takes your skin to burn when unprotected. Simply multiply this time by the SPF number to find the maximum time each formula will protect you for. For example, if you usually burn in 10 minutes, an SPF4 lotion will protect you for 40 minutes, while an SPF30 will last 300 minutes. But realize that the strength of your SPF isn’t as important as how you apply it, and how often you re-apply it! You don’t have to glop the stuff on. Sunscreen is designed to sit on top of the skin, not in it. (This is why I hate moisturizers with SPF. Moisturizers are designed to go deeply into the skin, but and SPF needs to sit on top, so most combo products are easy to use, but very ineffective!) Apply a thin layer of sunscreen, but one that covers all your visible skin. Also try to apply it 30 minutes before you go out into the sun so it can bond to the skin. Suncreen wears off and the chemicals dissipate into the skin. If you are in the sun for more than 2 hours straight re-apply. If you are swimming or sweating a lot, re-apply every hour for best results.

UVA vs. UVB

There are two kinds of UV rays (well actually three but let’s ignore UVC for now), A and B. UVA rays are what we call “aging” rays because although they don’t burn they penetrate into the connective tissue and break down your DNA. Some scary facts about UVA rays:

• Can pass through window glass. (think in your car, home, and office)
• Is not affected by a change in altitude or weather. (think overcast, gloomy days)
• Is present all day and every day of the year. (ALL THE DAMN TIME!!!)
• Penetrates deep into skin layers. (aging you…aging you…)
• Effects long-term skin damage. (…still aging you…still aging you!)

Okay, so I NEVER want to hear that you don’t need sunscreen because you don’t go out in the sun. Now you know that when I reply, “So you’re a vampire then?” to this comment that I am not being snide—well maybe a little snide—but mostly being serious. You see daylight? Then you need sunscreen. Can you see outside without a candle or electric lighting? Then YOU NEED SPF. I imagine the myth that vampires never age has nothing to do with their undead nature and every thing to do with the fact they don’t ever get UVA damage.

UVB rays are the “burning” rays that burn you when you are in the sun too long. These rays:

• Cannot pass through window glass. (cool huh? But not so for UVA rays!)
• Cause sunburn.
• Cause tanning.
• Helps the body with normal vitamin D production.
• Varies with the season. It is more intense in the summer than in the winter.
• Varies with weather conditions.
• Is more intense at midday than in the morning or late afternoon.
• Is more intense at high altitudes and near the equator.
• Is protected against by the sun protection factor (SPF) in sunscreens.
• Is related to more than 90% of nonmelanoma skin cancer.

The SPF rating on bottles ONLY apply to UVB radiation because we have never had a way to properly block the UVA (aging) rays. Sure we put “broad-spectrum UVA/UVB protection” on SPF bottles, but we haven’t been able to actually stop all UVA rays or measure the blocking of UVA rays…until now.

Oh Jesus, I’m Scared! What SPF is Best?

So now we all want to run out and get a good sunscreen. That’s great! But which one should we choose? Up until about a month ago I would’ve said it didn’t matter too much coverage wise. There were a few things to look for like less chemical and more Titanium Dioxide and Zinc, but a new generation of SPF’s are hitting the market and in 2012 the FDA is supposed to start a new labeling policy. Will it happen? Let’s keep our fingers crossed. For now these are my favorites:

Powder SPF is my all time favorite. Made of BOTH Titanium and Zinc (old school but effective) you dust it on and it feels like nothing. Jane Iredale’s mineral makeup has SPF in all the products, but her Powder Me SPF and Absence Oil Control are weightless, highly water resistant, and great for the sporty outdoor dude or dudette. The next on my list is any SPF made my Epicuren. Designed by a guy who spent his life in Laguna Beach and Hawaii he knows sunscreen. The basic Zinc Oxide 20 is a top seller and safe enough for babies. Epicuren’s Active Sport 30 is the best smelling and working sweat resistant spf I’ve ever used. Finally, their Propolis X-Treme Cream 45 was used by the military in Iraq. The newest Silk Mist 15 is my favorite for the person who just goes from their car to the office, and maybe walks to the corner for their afternoon coffee.

There are many other good SPF’s out there, but there are a lot of crappy ones too, as one of my clients who ran out of her Epicuren in Mexico and bought something else (yes it’s a well known brand too!) that let her get a 2nd degree burn all over her body can tell you!

In my line of business it’s pretty hard to know what I do. I mean, I go into a room, often dark, with a client and often perform very private procedures that I don’t talk about to anyone. So it only makes sense that my boss would hire secret shoppers, but the thing is my book is so darn hard to get on that when I am shopped it just isn’t that secret.

So I go into work on Wed and I notice an oddity on my book. It seems I have a new client, we’ll call her Sally Shopper, and she isn’t a request. Now this wouldn’t be odd except that I just don’t have spare time on my book. Since I dropped down to 2 days a week people have to fight for a slot on my book. We also have two new technicians who need clients. Because of this I never get new clients unless they specifically request me. All new clients go to the hungry new techs – which is as it should be!

So I double check to make sure there isn’t an “R” for requested next to Sally. I ask the spa desk to see if Sally has a file. She doesn’t. I then look at the other tech’s book and notice that they all have empty slots. I on the other hand have two loyal clients on my wait list for that day. This all strikes me as odd, but I figure that someone just forgot to put an “R” next to Sally’s name.

My Wed can be long and crazy. My 9am-12pm slots are secret slots that I save for good clients who couldn’t get on my book during my regular shifts. This means I come in at 9am and work until 9:30pm with only a two hour break to workout with my personal trainer and scarf lunch. Since I have a wait list today and no cancellations I know I am going to need to call those clients and try and fit them in my next wed morning slots. I do this because I love my clients and their loyalty to me, but I really hate working such long days when I don’t have to. So when Sally arrives I realize I shouldn’t have to!

Sally checks in and pays for an Atmosphere facial in cash. Now I have been shopped before and all I can say is THANK GOODNESS the higher ups have at least gotten better at sending shoppers in. Last year we had a bunch of shoppers sent to us with incorrectly filled out or expired gift certificates. One even forgot hers! But I digress. So she pays in cash and is shown to her locker. I am waiting for her when she enters the spa and show her to my room and give her the get on the bed spiel, leave the room for her to change, then step back in.

“So tell me about your skin.” I ask.

“It’s fine.”

“Okay…well I will be sure to take a close look at it and see if we can turn that ‘Okay’ into fabulous.” I say in a friendly joking manner. “It’s nice to see a new face on my book. Who recommended me to you?”

“No one. The person who made my appointment just called and they gave me you.”

“Oh.” I say a little startled. But I am sure that the person who made the appointment for her must have requested me. “Who made the appointment?”

“I don’t know.”

“Okaaaay.”

As the facial progressed things don’t get better. While performing extractions I always talk about product as a distraction from the pain and to bring home the fact that if we do everything right this part gets easier. Which means better skin AND less pain! As expected Sally doesn’t really do much, but she’s interested in trying a new product.

“Well what one product would you put me on that I would see a change fast?” She asks.

“Hmmm.” This is always a hard question to answer since one product won’t change your life unless you really use it, and usually the life altering products are demanding to use.

“Well you have a bunch of congestion Sally, so I think you would really benefit from the Kerafole mask. It’s my favorite mask in the whole world, but you have to use it.”

“How much is it?”

“I don’t know off the top of my head, but I think around $40.00.”

“Oh. Well I can’t really afford that. Could you just give me some to take home and try?”

“I am happy to get you a sample to try first, but realize it won’t be custom blended so it won’t work as well.”

“Will one sample be enough?”

“Well…no. It’s just a sample, but you can try it then come buy—”

Sally cuts me off and says, “Well I’d really like to have enough to see a change. I can tip you really well.”

“Oh that’s nice.” I reply a bit confused.

Then, flat out lying I say, “All my clients tip well. So are you interested in making the purchase or should I see if we have a sample for you?” I really want to make this sale because I know if she takes home the product she will be hooked.

Sally gets really quiet. It’s like she’s finally run out of steam, and it’s weird since she has been chattering at me the entire session. The silence feels palpable, and without all the noise I can finally think. In that moment of silence it finally hits me. Sally hasn’t been chattering she has been testing and interrogating me. She just tried to bribe me into giving her free product. Oh hell! I’m being shopped!

Like a movie I see the facial play out in rapid fire, but slowing down for the strange questions that threw me off balance, and the moments she tried to get me to do something a bit unethical. Everything clicks into place and becomes clear. The leading questions, the strange behavior, and most of all the unusual booking. She had an agenda, and I could only hope I passed.

I continued to give the facial, but now that it was all soaking in I was getting a little peeved. Why the hell was I, one of the top estheticians, getting shopped? What the hell was this person doing on my book?! I don’t have time for non-return clients. I have a TON of clients who would have killed for this time slot. All I could think about was my crazy 12 hour shift next Wed. and how tired I was going to be for my Thurs clients.

I finished the facial and pocketed the perfectly respectable $20 tip. And as is usual for me, once my anger wore off and I reflected on the experience I realized that I had been looking at Sally Shopper all wrong. I shouldn’t be mad that she took up a spot on my book. I shouldn’t be upset that she tried to trick and manipulate me. Heck it was all kind of funny since it took me nearly the whole damn facial to even catch on to her VERY obvious ruse. Nope. I just couldn’t be mad. I mean, my bosses have no idea what I do once I close those doors. It’s nice to know that they care enough to find out.

I haven’t gotten any word back yet about how I did, but I can just hope that I made us all proud. Then again, if you know me, I’m not really worried about it! 😉

In my line of business it’s pretty hard to know what I do. I mean, I go into a room, often dark, with a client and often perform very private procedures that I don’t talk about to anyone. So it only makes sense that my boss would hire secret shoppers, but the thing is my book is so darn hard to get on that when I am shopped it just isn’t that secret.

So I go into work on Wed and I notice an oddity on my book. It seems I have a new client, we’ll call her Sally Shopper, and she isn’t a request. Now this wouldn’t be odd except that I just don’t have spare time on my book. Since I dropped down to 2 days a week people have to fight for a slot on my book. We also have two new technicians who need clients. Because of this I never get new clients unless they specifically request me. All new clients go to the hungry new techs – which is as it should be!

So I double check to make sure there isn’t an “R” for requested next to Sally. I ask the spa desk to see if Sally has a file. She doesn’t. I then look at the other tech’s book and notice that they all have empty slots. I on the other hand have two loyal clients on my wait list for that day. This all strikes me as odd, but I figure that someone just forgot to put an “R” next to Sally’s name.

My Wed can be long and crazy. My 9am-12pm slots are secret slots that I save for good clients who couldn’t get on my book during my regular shifts. This means I come in at 9am and work until 9:30pm with only a two hour break to workout with my personal trainer and scarf lunch. Since I have a wait list today and no cancellations I know I am going to need to call those clients and try and fit them in my next wed morning slots. I do this because I love my clients and their loyalty to me, but I really hate working such long days when I don’t have to. So when Sally arrives I realize I shouldn’t have to!

Sally checks in and pays for an Atmosphere facial in cash. Now I have been shopped before and all I can say is THANK GOODNESS the higher ups have at least gotten better at sending shoppers in. Last year we had a bunch of shoppers sent to us with incorrectly filled out or expired gift certificates. One even forgot hers! But I digress. So she pays in cash and is shown to her locker. I am waiting for her when she enters the spa and show her to my room and give her the get on the bed spiel, leave the room for her to change, then step back in.

“So tell me about your skin.” I ask.

“It’s fine.”

“Okay…well I will be sure to take a close look at it and see if we can turn that ‘Okay’ into fabulous.” I say in a friendly joking manner. “It’s nice to see a new face on my book. Who recommended me to you?”

“No one. The person who made my appointment just called and they gave me you.”

“Oh.” I say a little startled. But I am sure that the person who made the appointment for her must have requested me. “Who made the appointment?”

“I don’t know.”

“Okaaaay.”

As the facial progressed things don’t get better. While performing extractions I always talk about product as a distraction from the pain and to bring home the fact that if we do everything right this part gets easier. Which means better skin AND less pain! As expected Sally doesn’t really do much, but she’s interested in trying a new product.

“Well what one product would you put me on that I would see a change fast?” She asks.

“Hmmm.” This is always a hard question to answer since one product won’t change your life unless you really use it, and usually the life altering products are demanding to use.

“Well you have a bunch of congestion Sally, so I think you would really benefit from the Kerafole mask. It’s my favorite mask in the whole world, but you have to use it.”

“How much is it?”

“I don’t know off the top of my head, but I think around $40.00.”

“Oh. Well I can’t really afford that. Could you just give me some to take home and try?”

“I am happy to get you a sample to try first, but realize it won’t be custom blended so it won’t work as well.”

“Will one sample be enough?”

“Well…no. It’s just a sample, but you can try it then come buy—”

Sally cuts me off and says, “Well I’d really like to have enough to see a change. I can tip you really well.”

“Oh that’s nice.” I reply a bit confused.

Then, flat out lying I say, “All my clients tip well. So are you interested in making the purchase or should I see if we have a sample for you?” I really want to make this sale because I know if she takes home the product she will be hooked.

Sally gets really quiet. It’s like she’s finally run out of steam, and it’s weird since she has been chattering at me the entire session. The silence feels palpable, and without all the noise I can finally think. In that moment of silence it finally hits me. Sally hasn’t been chattering she has been testing and interrogating me. She just tried to bribe me into giving her free product. Oh hell! I’m being shopped!

Like a movie I see the facial play out in rapid fire, but slowing down for the strange questions that threw me off balance, and the moments she tried to get me to do something a bit unethical. Everything clicks into place and becomes clear. The leading questions, the strange behavior, and most of all the unusual booking. She had an agenda, and I could only hope I passed.

I continued to give the facial, but now that it was all soaking in I was getting a little peeved. Why the hell was I, one of the top estheticians, getting shopped? What the hell was this person doing on my book?! I don’t have time for non-return clients. I have a TON of clients who would have killed for this time slot. All I could think about was my crazy 12 hour shift next Wed. and how tired I was going to be for my Thurs clients.

I finished the facial and pocketed the perfectly respectable $20 tip. And as is usual for me, once my anger wore off and I reflected on the experience I realized that I had been looking at Sally Shopper all wrong. I shouldn’t be mad that she took up a spot on my book. I shouldn’t be upset that she tried to trick and manipulate me. Heck it was all kind of funny since it took me nearly the whole damn facial to even catch on to her VERY obvious ruse. Nope. I just couldn’t be mad. I mean, my bosses have no idea what I do once I close those doors. It’s nice to know that they care enough to find out.

I haven’t gotten any word back yet about how I did, but I can just hope that I made us all proud. Then again, if you know me, I’m not really worried about it! 😉

No matter where you live you have probably experience a nasty sunburn. Living in Los Angeles the number one hysterical phone call I get is about how to treat a sunburn. I will save my lecture on using and re-applying a good SPF for another article because even I—Miss do gooder, never leave home without the sunscreen—have been known to get a nasty burn!

The when, why, and how of treating a sunburn all depend on the severity of the burn so the first thing you need to do is assess the situation. If you have burned to the point of blistering you need to see a doctor RIGHT AWAY. No if, and, or but! GO to the doctor.

If you are pink or red but have no blisters the first thing you need to do is take a cool bath or shower. Don’t soap yourself up. An alkaline soap is the last thing your skin needs. Instead treat it gently. By applying cool water the burn will feel better and it stops it from getting worse. If you have to use cool compresses that’s fine too. Just make sure you get cool water on the burned area ASAP! Do NOT use cold water. This will traumatize the skin.

The next step is product. The products I like best are:

Epicuren’s Aloe Vera gel. It is 100% pure Aloe that has been stripped of cinoil irritants and infused with Asymmetric Oxygen, which oxygenates the skin cells to promote cellular healing and calming. If you can’t find this Aloe use one from a natural food store that has no added color. Aloe gel is clear not green! Also make sure your Aloe gel is new. The bottle you bought last years has probably lost its potency, so buy a new one.

Epicuren’s Propolis Gel or Lotion. Propolis comes from bees in the Rainforests of Brazil and has recently been proven by doctors and scientists to help build immunity and resistance toward infections, ulcers, viruses, stress, burns, fungi and other harmful agents. Epicuren’s formula is extra penetrating and of the highest quality. Propolis Lotion is primarily for the body and is an excellent for burns because it heals, moisturizes, and fights cancer.

Epicuren’s Noni Gel. Known for its legendary healing properties, Noni Gel is made from the nectar of a tropical fruit grown in the mineral rich volcanic soil of Hawaii. Noni is great for treating sunburn and windburn. It is soothing, healing, and halts burns in their tracks.

Solarcaine. You can get this at just about any drug store these days. This product contains Lidocaine Hydrochloride (0.5%) which numbs the area and makes the burn feel better. I never recommend using this product alone because it isn’t really meant to heal as much as soothe.

Many skin care therapists offer body treatments with these products. During the summer this is my most popular body treatment for obvious reasons. 🙂

If you can’t find these products, or someone to do a body treatment then make sure the alternate products you choose are water based and don’t have much alcohol. You also want something very light that won’t stop the skin from breathing. Heavy creams and old remedies like butter and toothpaste just make burns worse. Easy home remedies that are safe to make burns feel better are white vinegar baths or compresses, green tea baths or compresses, and 100% pure lavender oil mixed with water. All of these remedies help relieve the burn, but don’t heal them as well as the above Epicuren items.

The final step for taking care of burns is after care.

Do not peel the skin. I know it’s fun, but it can be damaging to the live skin underneath. The dead skin hasn’t come off yet because it is protecting the living skin underneath.

Keep applying water based and gel moisturizers to the area. Once the burning subsides you can also use a good quality olive or jojoba oil for hydration, but if you are still red or tender use the water based moisturizers.

You may lightly scrub the dead skin off in the shower once peeling begins, but LIGHTLY is the key word here!

Keep the area totally covered when in the sun from the day you get the sunburn until at least two weeks after the peeling has completely stopped. That new skin will burn quickly and you have a greater risk of damaging it permanently.

Now I will step on my soap box for a moment to say the best way to treat a sunburn is to NOT GET ONE. So use a 30-45 SPF when you know you are going to be out in the sun and re-apply the thing every 2-3 hours.

No matter where you live you have probably experience a nasty sunburn. Living in Los Angeles the number one hysterical phone call I get is about how to treat a sunburn. I will save my lecture on using and re-applying a good SPF for another article because even I—Miss do gooder, never leave home without the sunscreen—have been known to get a nasty burn!

The when, why, and how of treating a sunburn all depend on the severity of the burn so the first thing you need to do is assess the situation. If you have burned to the point of blistering you need to see a doctor RIGHT AWAY. No if, and, or but! GO to the doctor.

If you are pink or red but have no blisters the first thing you need to do is take a cool bath or shower. Don’t soap yourself up. An alkaline soap is the last thing your skin needs. Instead treat it gently. By applying cool water the burn will feel better and it stops it from getting worse. If you have to use cool compresses that’s fine too. Just make sure you get cool water on the burned area ASAP! Do NOT use cold water. This will traumatize the skin.

The next step is product. The products I like best are:

Epicuren’s Aloe Vera gel. It is 100% pure Aloe that has been stripped of cinoil irritants and infused with Asymmetric Oxygen, which oxygenates the skin cells to promote cellular healing and calming. If you can’t find this Aloe use one from a natural food store that has no added color. Aloe gel is clear not green! Also make sure your Aloe gel is new. The bottle you bought last years has probably lost its potency, so buy a new one.

Epicuren’s Propolis Gel or Lotion. Propolis comes from bees in the Rainforests of Brazil and has recently been proven by doctors and scientists to help build immunity and resistance toward infections, ulcers, viruses, stress, burns, fungi and other harmful agents. Epicuren’s formula is extra penetrating and of the highest quality. Propolis Lotion is primarily for the body and is an excellent for burns because it heals, moisturizes, and fights cancer.

Epicuren’s Noni Gel. Known for its legendary healing properties, Noni Gel is made from the nectar of a tropical fruit grown in the mineral rich volcanic soil of Hawaii. Noni is great for treating sunburn and windburn. It is soothing, healing, and halts burns in their tracks.

Solarcaine. You can get this at just about any drug store these days. This product contains Lidocaine Hydrochloride (0.5%) which numbs the area and makes the burn feel better. I never recommend using this product alone because it isn’t really meant to heal as much as soothe.

Many skin care therapists offer body treatments with these products. During the summer this is my most popular body treatment for obvious reasons. 🙂

If you can’t find these products, or someone to do a body treatment then make sure the alternate products you choose are water based and don’t have much alcohol. You also want something very light that won’t stop the skin from breathing. Heavy creams and old remedies like butter and toothpaste just make burns worse. Easy home remedies that are safe to make burns feel better are white vinegar baths or compresses, green tea baths or compresses, and 100% pure lavender oil mixed with water. All of these remedies help relieve the burn, but don’t heal them as well as the above Epicuren items.

The final step for taking care of burns is after care.

Do not peel the skin. I know it’s fun, but it can be damaging to the live skin underneath. The dead skin hasn’t come off yet because it is protecting the living skin underneath.

Keep applying water based and gel moisturizers to the area. Once the burning subsides you can also use a good quality olive or jojoba oil for hydration, but if you are still red or tender use the water based moisturizers.

You may lightly scrub the dead skin off in the shower once peeling begins, but LIGHTLY is the key word here!

Keep the area totally covered when in the sun from the day you get the sunburn until at least two weeks after the peeling has completely stopped. That new skin will burn quickly and you have a greater risk of damaging it permanently.

Now I will step on my soap box for a moment to say the best way to treat a sunburn is to NOT GET ONE. So use a 30-45 SPF when you know you are going to be out in the sun and re-apply the thing every 2-3 hours.

Since I first started coining the phrase Skin Fitness Expert to represent what I do, I’ve been asked where I came up with the title. For me, Skin Fitness came about from constantly equating what I did for my clients skin with what my personal trainer did for my body.

As I used the analogy, more and more of my discussions with clients had parallels. Your skin has a routine that you do AM and PM every day. I alternate upper and lower body workouts every other day. 2X-3X a week you do specialty home care like a mask or a scrub. 2X-3X a week I do something that will kick up my cardio a notch. Your routine is designed to change as your skin changes. My routine changes as my body changes. You have certain problem areas you are working on like lines and acne. I have certain problem areas like a big butt and tiny arms that I am working on. The parallels can go on and on

As I started linking these two concepts in my mind the physiology of the skin began to click in with the whole fitness idea. The skin is the largest organ of the body. It is also one of the last organs to receive nourishment on the organ food chain. This is why whenever you aren’t feeling well the first thing you hear is “Are you okay? You don’t look so good.” Your skin is one of the bodies first alert system to problems. Yellow skin, pale skin, blue skin, flushed skin, red skin, hives, blisters, rash, I can go on and on. All these are symptoms of a problem that the skin sends out as a warning sign.

The saying you are what you eat has a lot of relevance to the body. I am a firm believer that chocolate and greasy food won’t destroy your skin, but in large or regular dosages it will effect your health and therefore your skin will also suffer. That is why nutrition is a major part of skin fitness. Now I will leave it to a licensed Nutritionist to tell you what to eat, but as a Skin Fitness Expert I can tell you how to feed your skin topically.

In California the most common thing I see is dehydration being treated as oily skin. I will leave off my lecture about water hydration and oil production for another time, but I hear the same thing 99% of the time when I talk to clients about this problem.

“Client, your skin is dehydrated.”

“But I drink a ton of water!” They say in an affronted tone.

Well sometimes what you think is a ton and what is really enough aren’t the same thing at all. Their are often other factors, but one thing is certain – if you aren’t getting enough H2O your skin will tell me, and I will make sure that it starts getting that water topically. A major part of my job is making sure you nourish your skin properly on a daily basis.

Exercise. Now This is a major part of a fitness routine that isn’t really understood in my profession. When you get on my bed for your visits my job is to kick start your skin. If you have ever worked with a personal trainer then you know they push you harder and make sure you do everything better than when you work out alone. Their attention gets you faster, better, more precise results. It’s no different with me. When a client gets on my bed I use alternate techniques and tools to exercise your skin. When you go home we have discussed your home care so that I know you are exercising your skin without me.

As far as I’m concerned Skin Fitness is the future. The days of froofy, luxury spas are gone and total body wellness is in. Facials for purely “aesthetic” reasons aren’t enough. You only get one body, and the best way to take care of it is to keep it all fit. This includes the largest organ of them all – your skin.