Affordable skincare: Is there such a thing?
Skin care treatments and regimens can be affordable when you buy smart – not for instant gratification. This industry can drain your pocket books and take everything but your first born. Don’t fall for the lies and trickery! Let me help you be smart with your skin care dollars!
I am an aesthetician, but I am also a consumer just like you. I’m still approached with company representatives, MLM entrepreneurs, & no-it-all’s all trying to sell me something. Here is where I differ from you. I am a skin care fanatic. I am passionate about skin care. I’m also a product junkie! I research products and ingredients. I make sure I know something in it’s entirety before I recommend it to a patient, family, or friends. As your Esthetician, this is a huge advantage for you! I am here to help you weed out the lies from the truth. And despite what consumers think about this industry, you don’t have to spend thousands to look great and achieve healthy skin. Phew! Good thing!
Where we go wrong is expecting a treatment or a product to give instant results. With filters, Photoshop, and companies paying consumers to give positive reviews, it’s hard to trust what is out there. Let’s break this down and start with treatments. You should always have a consultation with a dermatologist or an aesthetician to determine your individualized skincare need. At that point, your professional will recommend a treatment geared to your desired result. There are lots of options. Some are less expensive and some are very expensive. Prices usually determine the depth of the treatment. Typically, if you are doing a superficial treatment such as a microdermabrasion, light peels or a dermaplane. You can expect the treatment to cater to your superficial layers. These treatments will slough off dead skin, remove vellus hair or chemically improve the top layers of the skin. But to treat fine lines and wrinkles or issues with pigmentation, we need to dig down deep! Treatments such as mid or deep chemical peels, microneedling or laser treatments are designed to stimulate collagen production from the dermal layer. You are going to spend less on superficial treatments. The deeper you go the more expensive the treatment. I recommend all of these treatments. Now, some estheticians may not like what I’m about to say, but aesthetic treatments should be sought out as a kickstart or a maintenance. All of those treatments are made to give results, but if you are not on a good home care regimen the results will not last and your money is wasted.
Oh yes, I said it. If you are not prepared to get on good skin care products do not waste your money with pricey aesthetic treatments. Because products improve the skin over time, patients on a budget are less likely to invest in products. They want instant gratification. If you have money to waste, go ahead. But if you’re like me, I want my dollars to count! So, I guess now you want me to tell you that there is some super inexpensive skin care line that’s going to transform your skin, right? Wrong. Unfortunately, good skincare does have a price tag. However, if you are using a line formulated like ZO Skin Health & Medical, you can count on your products lasting up to 6 months!
I’m sure you are rolling your eyes right about now. Oh, here she goes trying to sell me something! Nope! That’s not how I roll. I’m not a sales woman, I’m Esthetician. You will never be “sold” a line and I will never be dishonest to gain your business. I will only recommend and prescribe products that will improve your skin health. Sadly, in this industry there’s a lot of lies. That’s why you have a drawer full of expensive products that didn’t work, you never used, broke you out, dried you out, made you oily…..I could keep going! When investing in skin care products, you have to make sure the person recommending the products is a professional and has your best interest. Your skin is the largest organ in your body, do not trust it to just anyone! Sorry MLM skin care ladies, leave this industry to the professionals! I am a woman who buys local and supports entrepreneurs, but not in skincare. I know what is out there and I know what is in these products. I have researched them and probably tried 80% of them before I knew any better. I’m not going to bash these companies. I will not go into detail on why I don’t like each individual one. To sum it up, its dishonest and very costly. Consumers don’t realize that in order for a product to have an effective dose of the active ingredient it must be sold in a physicians office. This means that Sally down the street cannot sell a product with an effective dose of the ingredient that makes it work. Sally’s products are $300 to be auto drafted every month. So, for $300 EVERY MONTH you are using products that short you the active ingredient. I’m not saying these products will not work. What I am saying is I would never put that much money into a skin care line that does not deliver an effective dose of the active ingredient. What I will do, is spend much less on a pharmaceutical grade product that has the effective dose. To give an example, a certain MLM line has 2% of hydroquinone, an ingredient to treat sun damage. What Sally doesn’t know (because she is not a professional) is that hydroquinone is effective at 8% and should only be used five months out of the year. You’re not getting the effective dose and you’re not getting the knowledge of a skin care professional. ZO Skin Health & Medical averages $300 over several months, prescribed by A professional and contains affective doses of active ingredients.
Pharmaceutical grade products are designed to improve the skin, and force the cells to function at optimal levels. By improving the skin, you are ensuring your aesthetic treatments will last longer and give a better result. Take injectables for example- If Botox or filler is an option you are considering, you would want to improve your overall skin health before you follow through with injections. Botox and fillers can range from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. If your skin is unhealthy, you require more of the injectables. Healthy skin requires less injectables and ensures the injectables last longer. As a budget planning patient, I would never consider injectables if my skin was not healthy.
The bottom line is, skincare should be your first step. If you are concerned with spending your money wisely, spend it smart. Where should you start? Step 1 – Schedule a skin care consultation with a professional. At this appointment, we will discuss your concerns and do a brief skin analysis. Based on that, I will recommend a personalized regimen of pharmaceutical grade products for at-home care and treatment options. At this appointment, we will discuss a goal for your skin. If a budget is a concern, we will take that into consideration when deciding on a plan. And here’s the best part… My skin care consultations are absolutely FREE!! I’m am Esthetician you can trust! Your skin is my specialty! If you have any concerns or want to know more, feel free to contact me anytime 985-893-6073
Your Esthetician,
Sam