>
DERMAL
THE IMPORTANCE OF TOPICAL ACTIVES IN ACHIEVING SUPERIOR RESULTS
By Nancy Abdou
Selling skincare can often feel like a challenge to therapists, but rest assured, prescribing and selling active skincare not only is simple but also extremely beneficial for both you and your client. It’s all about education. Educating clients on the benefits and importance of utilising topical, functional active’s on skin that may be poorly functioning or sluggish is the key to a successful journey for both you and your client. Especially when invasive aesthetic treatments are being performed approaching warmer weather and melanocyte activity is higher and more likely to pose problems. First of all, let’s clear one thing up, not all skincare is created equally. There is a lot of science that goes into creating effective, cosmeceutical skincare so it is important your clients are using a quality professional range to really benefit from their home care products that have been specifically prescribed for their skin. When we are performing a treatment and creating controlled trauma, it’s vital that the skin is functioning at optimal levels to have the capability to create physiological changes, such as stimulating or synthesising collagen, elastin, GAG’s, cytokines, Interleukins and the like - to ensure the desired result, is efficaciously delivered.
SUN PROTECTION
There’s an abundance of active’s on the market, performing exceptional tasks, however, the following are my top 6 functional active’s to include in your clients home care routine while prepping the skin.
The damage UV dose to the skin goes far beyond what the eye can see and triggers several inflammatory responses within the skin. If the skin is not protected from UV stress for at least 2 weeks prior to invasive skin treatments, it is more likely to “overreact”, producing excess pigmentation and inflammation leading to possible long term or permanent scarring It is imperative that a physical protector, preferably one containing zinc, is applied regularly each day 4 weeks prior and 6 weeks post-treatment.
VITAMINS
PEPTIDES
Using the AB&C’s of skincare on a daily basis provides the skin with essential nutrition for optimal health. A - building block for collagen, increases cellular turnover and circulation, repairs damage B – plays an important role in inflammatory and immune response inhibits the transfer of melanin to keratinocyte C – essential collagen precursor, tyrosinase inhibitor, a powerful antioxidant Check out Skindividual’s Activate, VitaBoost and Lumen-C for a powerful yet gentle ABC trio ideal for skin preparation.
ANTIOXIDANTS
Including a high variety of antioxidants in your skincare routine is vital to prevent damage caused by oxidative stress. Antioxidants neutralise free radicals preventing them from causing further harm including those we create during treatments designed to deliberately cause inflammation, to instigate the fibroblasts via a controlled wound. The Skindividual Resveratrol Hydrator + is packed with a variety of antioxidants. 36
Beauty Biz Year 14 Issue 5
Peptides are specially designed, purpose-driven molecules which perform very specific functions or tasks. These outstanding ingredients come with many benefits and can be chosen based on their mechanism of action to enhance the desired treatment outcome and minimise downtime and adverse reactions. Skindividual Eye Radiance contains 2 very different peptides to protect against PIHP and boost the synthesis of strong healthy collagen.
HUMECTANTS
Humectants are a family of hydration such as glycerine or hyaluronic acid which draw and bind moisture to themselves, to increase skin hydration and enhance product penetration. Hydrated skin has better cell-to-cell and layerto-layer communication allowing optimal skin functionality and enhanced treatment results. The Skindividual HyaGlide contains multiple weights of sodium hyaluronate to fill the epidermis with moisture from top to bottom.
ATP BOOSTERS
Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) is the energy our cells need to function and boost mitochondrial
activity. When we are young and healthy our cells have an abundance of ATP and are capable of rapidly synthesising more on-demand. As we age and our skin is exposed to damaging environments such as pollution and UV which lead to slower synthesis and decreased stores of ATP. The Skindividual newly reformulated Lumen-C and Eye Radiance contains Ribose, a natural precursor to ATP which boosts the quality, quantity and synthesis speed of ATP within the skin. By including these 6 topical actives into all of your client’s skin preparation for 4 weeks prior to commencing your treatment program you are ensuring; · A stronger healthier skin and skin barrier · Optimal skin function and cellular activity · Improved mitochondrial function, boosting ATP · Reduced downtimes, side effects and postinflammatory hyperpigmentation · Quicker wound healing times and · Superior and enhanced results It’s simple really if the skin does not have the required ingredients and tools to do what it is supposed to do – what’s the point of even performing ANY treatment? There’d be no point really. Further, if the client experiences extended downtime, hyperpigmentation or a reaction, chances are, they won’t consider another treatment. So ensure you are prescribing what the skin needs and deserves, to give your clients superior results they’ll rave about, safely. Nancy Abdou is CEO & Lead Clinical Educator at The Australian Dermal & Laser Institue ABIA 2021 Best Educator Finalist and 2018 Best Education Institution Finalist. Learn more about Nancy and her online learning programs at www.dermalandlaser.com.au.
