A complete guide to your client’s skin care

Every person’s skin has a different type and texture. These differences can also be affected by outside environmental factors such as the weather, or personal care choices like using the wrong products, or not caring for the skin at all. This however, can all be altered with the correct skin care products, and the correct knowledge and regime on how to properly care for the skin.

Top tips for skin care in Summer

For most, summer is the best time of the year. The lovely warm weather, holiday season, a chance to catch a tan. But unfortunately summer is also the most damaging to our skin. The powerful UVB rays and the extra time we might spend in the sun can cause serious harm to the skin. To combat this, we’ve put together some top tips for skin care in summer so you can provide advice for your clients. 

1. Stay protected – No matter how sunny it may seem outside – maybe it is a really cloudy dull day – the skin still needs to be protected. Making sure your client’s skin stays protected by using a daily SPF, and topping up when needed is the first step in the right direction. The sun’s rays can penetrate through clouds, and even glass, before then penetrating the skin causing harm to unprotected skin which appears in the form of premature skin ageing, sunburn, hyperpigmentation, and in some cases cancer. Wearing SPF does not completely stop this, but will protect the skin for longer.
2. Wear SPF 50 or higher – As mentioned above, SPF is a pivotal step in protecting and caring for the skin. To properly stay protected we recommend using an SPF needs to be 50 or higher. In theory, this will allow your client to stay in the sun for 50 times longer than if their skin was bare. The level of SPF that you get from the product you’re using directly depends on the amount you apply, which should be 2mg per cm² approximately two finger lengths of product for the face and neck. Applying less than this hugely affects the SPF protection that you’re getting, which is why the higher the SPF, the better. The Heliocare 360° range offers a number of SPF products for every skin type, all factor 50 or above. The unique formula also offers protection against UVA, visible light and infrared-A which most standard SPF products do not.
3. Actively seek shade – It may not be on your clients agenda to sit in the shade whilst on holiday, or even whilst out and about in the summer months. However, this is a vital step in caring for the skin during the summer time. Wearing a high sunscreen factor does indeed protect the skin from the sun’s harmful rays, but it cannot protect it completely. Staying exposed to the sun for longer than 20 minutes (unprotected) and longer than 30 (protected, depending on the skin type) can harm the skin and cause damage that may not be visible straight away, or ever. 
4. Do not use sunbeds – Although this is a useful tip all year round, sunbeds become more popular in the summer months. There is in fact no safe way to tan your skin. Sun exposure causes free radicals to penetrate the skin. If enough of these are allowed to enter your skin they begin to alter your DNA, causing things such as dark spots and moles. These can, in time, cause cancerous cells if further exposed. Tanning beds are an even worse way to gain that bronzed glow. The UV rays emitted from sun beds are typically more powerful than the midday sun – according to the NHS.

Top tips for skin care in Winter

Winter may seem like one of the seasons where the skin feels most protected from the sun’s rays and heat of summer. However the change in temperature can be bad for the skin if not cared for properly, and actually, the sun’s rays can still be harmful – even when not seen.

1. Moisturise – The drop in temperature and the cold air on the skin can really dry it out. Once you are inside, the heat produced by the warmth of the indoors can also play havoc on the skin as it is a drastic contrast from the cold outside. One way to combat this is to make sure your clients are using a nourishing moisturiser. This may mean changing to a more rich, moisturising formula than what they use in Summer. Using this day and night can protect the skin from the environmental changes and keep it nourished and hydrated.
2. Keep on using that SPF – Although the sun’s rays are more powerful and visible in the summer months, they are still dangerous in the winter too. The UVA, visible light and infrared-A radiation produced by the sun are present all year round and can penetrate through the clouds and still reach the skin. Make sure your client is protected by using high-level, broad-spectrum protection daily.
3. Change your cleanser – As mentioned, the winter months can be drying on the skin. To keep it healthy and protected a winter skin care routine is all about moisturising and keeping the skin hydrated. This is why it can be a good idea to change your client’s cleanser to a gentle, more hydrating formula to combat the dryness of winter.
4. Keep hydrated – As well as making sure your client’s skin is hydrated from the outside by using moisturisers and cleansers that aid this, they need to make sure they are still drinking plenty of water too. This may not seem as obvious as it is in summer, but drinking plenty of water will hydrate the skin from the inside out, keeping it plump and nourished.

Top tips for skin care in Autumn

Autumn is the season in between the hot and the cold. For this reason the tips for summer and winter skin care can be mixed together to create a pretty good routine to care for the skin in autumn. However, we’ve put together some pointers to get your clients in the right direction.

1. Use a hydration booster – Again, during the changing season and changing of temperatures this can dehydrate the skin. During the autumn, not only does the temperature plummet but the humidity levels do too. This can dehydrate the skin and dry it out. To combat this before it happens, we recommend advising your clients to use a hydration booster in the autumn months. This can be anything from a moisturising serum or cream. This step goes straight after cleansing and right before moisturising. Your client can even continue this step through to winter if they prefer.
2. Breakouts are normal – Not everyone will suffer with breakouts throughout the autumn months, but you may have some clients that do. The change in temperature, humidity, and even the change in products to combat the drying effects of all these changes, can cause breakouts. These can sometimes go away on their own, and other times might need a bit of help. Either way, it’s good to let your client know that this is normal and change their regime accordingly.
3. Moisturiser and SPF –  We have put these two tips together as they are relevant to all seasons. Continuing on with the high-level broad-spectrum SPF is pivotal in caring for the skin. This will keep it protected all year round which in turn will promote its natural skin health. Continuing to keep the skin nourished by moisturising is another important step to care for and protect the skin throughout the year. This could also be a good time for your client to switch to a heavier moisturiser to combat the dryness of autumn and then winter. 

Oily skin: how to treat and control it

Oily skin is a very common skin type across all age groups. It can be a confidence destroyer for some people, and feel hard to control. However, what most clients do not know is that their oily skin could actually be a result of deeply dehydrated skin. As the skin is so dehydrated it starts to produce excess sebum – the oil on the surface of the skin – to compensate for the hydration loss. Most oily skin types will take positively to a hydration booster in their skin care and see positive results. There are however, other types of oily skin that won’t. This is why we have put together a quick guide on how to treat and control it.

1. Discover why your client has oily skin – This is the first and most important step of your client’s skin care. Once you have discovered why their skin is producing more oil than needed, you can then start to treat and care for it.
2. Dehydrated skin – As mentioned above, most oily skin can actually be a result of dehydration. This can sometimes be hard to spot as the skin is in fact oily. However, if the client has combination skin, this can sometimes be a tell of dehydration. Try your client on more moisturising products, and/or hydration boosters and see if their oil starts to lessen. If so, their skin is in need of hydration, and this will be the way to combat and treat the excess oil.
3. Enlarged pores – Some clients may suffer from enlarged pores caused by excess oil and dirt clogging the pores. This can be treated with products containing ingredients such as AHAs (alpha hydroxy acids) and BHAs (beta hydroxy acids) which can help to increase exfoliation and unblock pores.
4. Cleanse the face morning and night – This may seem an obvious tip, but you may find that some clients with oily skin do not wash their faces regularly. Advise them to use a gentle cleanser – maybe even a slight moisturising one – morning and night. This will wash away the excess oil, whilst not stripping the skin of the nutrients it needs.
5. Stay clear of oil-based products – Keep your client away from any products that are oil based. Advise them to use a light moisturiser – gel is usually a good oil free option – and switch out their makeup products to more mattifying, water based options. The extra oil in oil based products can play havoc with oily skin, adding more oil, resulting in a shiny, greasy looking complexion which will more than likely wash any makeup away.
6. Face masks – Advising your client to use a face mask once or twice a week can help combat the excess oil. However, it needs to be the right type of face mask. A great option for oil skin is clay masks. These have an absorbing effect on the excess oil and are known to shrink the appearance of enlarged pores. However, these can be drying so make sure your client is using a light moisturiser after use.

Top 5 skin care ingredients that really work

It can be overwhelming when looking at the ingredients in skin are products. It’s hard to know which are there for a reason and which are there to simply make the product sound good. That’s why we have put together the top five ingredients which have been clinically proven to work.

1. Retinol – Retinol is a vitamin A derivative and is one of the most studied and widely used ingredients in skin care products today. The reason for this is its ability to promote skin renewal by boosting the skin’s natural collagen production. This can help combat acne, scarring, hyperpigmentation, along with many other imperfections that are visible on its surface. This can also help to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and help to repair sun damage.
2. Vitamin C – Vitamin C (in the form of ascorbic acid) is an antioxidant that helps repair the effects of UV damage. The ascorbic acid form of vitamin C is the best version in skin care products as it absorbs quickly into the skin and has a high potency. Once it is absorbed it helps to reduce the production of melanin, stimulate collagen production and boost skin health. It’s great for smoothing lines and wrinkles, combatting hyperpigmentation and generally brightening the complexion – it is one of the best anti-aging ingredients. 
3. Vitamin E – This vitamin is a great hydrator for the skin. It helps to heal the skin and can act as an anti-inflammatory agent. However, if the client’s skin type is extremely sensitive, oily, and/or acne-prone, vitamin E can sometimes work against this and may not be the right ingredient for that client. It is good to know that when vitamin E is placed with vitamin C in a skin care routine they work even better and have more benefits for the skin than they do alone.
4. Niacinamide – This is a form of topical vitamin B3. It has become especially popular in recent years and can be found in an abundance of skin care products. It is best known for its ability to visibility reduce the signs of ageing and hyperpigmentation whilst repairing the skin against sun and environmental damage. It is also good at evening out skin tone and is used as a combat against acne. 
5. Glycolic acid – Glycolic acid is a chemical exfoliant. When applied to the skin it breaks down the bonds between the outer layer of skin and the next layer of skin. This creates a peeling effect which is the exfoliation working. This makes Glycolic acid a great anti ageing agent by making the skin appear smoother and more even by removing the dead skin cells on the skin’s surface. This in turn reduces the look of fine lines and wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, and uneven skin tone. It can also be used to combat acne as it removes the dead skin cells that may block the hair follicles causing an outbreak.

Take a look at our solutions pages to learn more about the products and brands on offer from AESTHETICARE and how you can use them to help your clients.