I always thought those at-home LED masks were kinda gimmicky. But watching them use a medical grade one on a client with acne scarring changed my mind. The esthetician told me they see real results after 6-8 sessions. Has anyone else switched their opinion on light therapy after seeing it in a clinical setting?
Last Tuesday I mixed up a 20% glycolic peel for a client and it hit me how much has changed since I started 3 years ago. Back then my first boss insisted on keeping everything under 10% for most skin types and I thought she was being too careful. Last month I bumped a client's peel up to 15% and got a nasty reaction that took 2 weeks to calm down. She was right all along about respecting the lower percentages for building tolerance. I guess experience really does teach you things no textbook can. Has anyone else gone back to basics after getting too confident with stronger stuff?
I was doing extractions on a client with stubborn comedones yesterday and nearly gave up after 10 minutes. Then my coworker pointed out I was pressing too hard and not angling my tools right, and the stuff came out way easier. Has anyone else had a random lightbulb moment about a basic technique they thought they had down?
Was doing a medium depth peel on a client in Miami. Left it on for 12 minutes instead of 8 like the directions said. Her skin turned bright red and blistered by the next morning. Had to comp her for 4 follow up visits and learned to always set a timer on my phone.
I just hit 500 client hours last month and I'm still trying to process it. That's 100 more than my usual goal of 400, and my hands are feeling it hard. Has anyone else dealt with burnout after a big milestone like this?
I had this client, came in every month for facials, always had perfect skin. One day I asked her what she used at home and she said Cetaphil. I laughed thinking she was joking but she was dead serious. I actually tried it for a week and my skin looked better than with my $50 cleanser. Now I keep both in my cabinet but honestly I reach for the cheap one way more. Anyone else have a product category where the budget stuff just works better for you?
Honestly I started charging a re-fill fee plus a 15 minute add-on for anyone who comes in past the 3 week mark and it cut my headache complaints in half, has anyone else tried a similar policy?
Bought it two years ago after seeing all the hype. Used it for a month and saw zero difference in my skin. Has anyone else had luck with those things or am I not the only one?
I kept seeing everyone on here swear by longer enzyme peels for hyperpigmentation. But after trying a 30 minute lactic peel on myself and ending up red for 3 days last month, I switched it up. I did a 5 minute mandelic peel at a lower percentage on three clients with stubborn sun spots and their skin cleared up faster than any long peel I've done. The shorter contact time seemed to cause less inflammation and the results showed up in 2 weeks instead of a month. Anyone else find that shorter peels work better for certain skin types?
I was at my booth in a salon over on Elm Street when a lady got up during a hydrafacial because she said the extraction felt "too rough." I've been doing this for 5 years and never had anyone leave before. Some estheticians say you should push through with firm pressure for better results, others think you gotta back off the second someone flinches. What's your take on handling clients who can't handle the tough parts of a treatment?
Chose microneedling at $350 a session over peels because she had deeper scars from 5 years back. After 3 rounds, she's got maybe 40% improvement. Anyone have better luck mixing both approaches on darker skin tones?
I've been doing hydrafacials for like 4 years now, so I thought I knew everything. Last Tuesday I got a new machine in and I set it up all wrong. I had the suction too high and the solution dripping way too fast. My first client of the day ended up with these red marks all over her cheeks. I felt so bad and offered her a free peel next visit. What really saved me was my coworker Sarah who showed me the calibration settings I skipped. Has anyone else messed up a new machine on their first try?
I bought one of those at-home hydrafacial devices off Amazon for around $400 last month thinking it would save me money. After three uses the suction stopped working completely, and when I tried to get a refund the seller ghosted me. Anyone else get burned by cheap esthetician equipment online?
I spent $350 on that Dr. Dennis Gross mask 6 months ago and saw zero results after daily use, then my derm told me to just try a $20 Skinceuticals dupe. Has anyone else had better luck with basic ingredients over fancy devices?
I did a lash lift on a regular last Tuesday at Blush Studio and she came back the next day with red, swollen lids. The glue I always used suddenly caused a reaction after 3 years of no issues. Has anyone else had a brand of lift solution suddenly start causing problems like this?
I used to go through two packs of cotton rounds a week for toner and removing makeup. Switched to reusable bamboo pads about 4 months ago after a client told me she was saving $30 a month. Now I just toss them in a mesh bag and wash them with my towels every few days. They actually feel gentler on my skin and I don't get those little lint bits stuck to my face anymore. Has anyone else made the switch and found a brand that holds up after 50 washes?
For about 2 years I was really aggressive with extractions thinking that was the only way to get everything out. Then I took a course with a woman named Rebecca at the Aesthetic Institute in Austin who showed me that gentle pressure and proper prep work actually gets better results. Now I spend more time on prepping the skin and way less time digging. Anyone else have to unlearn this habit?
Had a client last Tuesday who came in demanding a hydrafacial even though her skin was clearly broken out and irritated. I told her a gentle enzyme treatment would be better, and she got annoyed and said I was just trying to upsell her. On the flip side, I've had clients who trusted my advice and ended up with way better results. So do you guys think it's our job to refuse services that could make things worse, or should we just give people what they want and let them learn? Had another esthetician tell me she always does what the client asks because 'they're paying.' What's your take on this?
My old mentor at the Aveda Institute in Portland told me to strip my routine down to just cleanser, moisturizer, and SPF. Said anything extra was just wasting money and irritating my skin. I followed that for about 6 months and my acne got worse and my texture was all over the place. Turns out my skin actually needs a gentle active like lactic acid a few times a week plus a niacinamide serum. I started adding those back in last fall and my skin cleared up in like 3 weeks. Anyone else had a skincare rule that just didn't work for your actual skin type?
I used to swear by doing lymphatic drainage with my hands. Did it for like 6 years straight. Then my aunt gave me a jade gua sha last Christmas and I figured why not. First time using it on a client I saw way more lift and she even commented her jaw felt less tight than usual. Hand massage is nice and relaxing but gua sha just gets deeper into those knots around the cheekbones. Has anyone else had clients prefer one over the other?
I was so sick of waking up with bags under my eyes every morning that I finally caved and dropped $28 on a cheap jade roller from Target. Used it for two weeks straight before bed and in the morning with my eye cream, and honestly my face looked exactly the same. Anyone else find a better tool or trick for facial puffiness that actually shows results?
I was checking my booking stats yesterday and realized I've done 512 facials since January. That's like 10 a week average which feels insane when I think about my slow first year in business. Has anyone else tracked a random milestone that caught them off guard?
Was looking up ingredient lists on the FDA site after a client broke out bad, turns out those $60 'clean beauty' bottles from the mall are mostly filler. Has anyone else dug into the actual labels on their stock and felt scammed?
Kept telling clients those $200+ LED masks were just a gimmick for spa retail sales. Then I borrowed my coworker's Dr. Dennis SpectraLite mask after she got results on her melasma in about 6 weeks. After using it 3 times a week for 2 months straight I saw my own post-inflammatory marks fade way faster than with serums alone. Has anyone else had a treatment they wrote off turn out to actually work?