Good-bye summer, hello fall! The long days of summer seemed like they would never end. Unfortunately, all good things do come to an end, and now it’s time to face the consequences of those many leisurely, blissful hours at the beach. The summer months can cause significant damage to your clients’ skin because of time spent in the sun, heat, chlorinated pools, lakes and salt water.
To address this damage, many estheticians use enzymes, chemical peels and mechanical exfoliation for skin rejuvenation at this time of year. However, today’s clients don’t necessarily want or need a deep peel. So in order to treat your clients’ skin without causing trauma or downtime, consider going back to basics, and customize a brightening treatment incorporating an enzyme, light chemical peel and mechanical exfoliation.
FRUIT ENZYME PEELS
Enzymes such as papaya/papain are used in skin care to digest dead skin revealing fresh, healthy skin cells. The use of fruit acid enzymes also provides skin with the beneficial effects associated with that fruit. For example, the skin can benefit from the brightening effects of lemon, due to their ascorbic acid. Fruit acids also provide skin with antioxidant protection. Enzymes can be used alone for sensitive skin, clients who have contraindications to chemical peels and for the purpose of softening the skin for easier extractions.
Protocol
Use enzymes within facials once a month to gently exfoliate and brighten the skin for an overall effect of clean, exfoliated, bright and nourished skin with the following protocol.
1. Cleanse skin twice.
2. Apply enzyme for 7-10 minutes (optional steam).
3. Perform extractions (optional).
4. Apply treatment serums.
5. Massage skin.
6. Apply nourishing mask.
7. Add moisturizer and SPF.
Duration and price: 30 to 70 minutes, based on length of the massage and whether or not extractions are included. Prices range from $39 to $150, depending on duration of service and inclusion of optional factors. Pricing is also based on the practitioner’s experience level and economic climate of the geographic location.
Contraindications
Contraindications for pure fruit enzymes are minimal as they are gentle and suitable for most skin types; however take into account any fruit allergies. Some enzymes contain acids such as lactic or glycolic already blended into the formula, and contraindications to this include pregnancy, lactating women, Retin-A or Accutane use.
CHEMICAL PEELS
Chemical peels are the most effective option, delivering lighteners deeper into the skin. Peel options may include trichloroacetic acid (TCA), Jessner’s solution or a blend of alpha and/or beta-hydroxy acids, including glycolic, lactic, mandelic and salicylic acid. Choosing the right type of chemical peel for each skin type is critical to achieving desired results.
• TCA and Jessner’s solutions are normally used for resilient skin, where moderate to aggressive peeling is desired to address keratinized, sun-damaged skin.
• Lactic and mandelic acid are more hydrating to the skin. They are still chemical peels that dry the surface of the skin, and the client experiences microscopic peeling. The overall effect is hydrating and brightening.
• Glycolic acid is the most effective at dissolving desmosomes (the bonds that hold skin cells together) to gently exfoliate keratinized skin. Aging causes the natural shedding of skin to slow, and a dull complexion to surface. Glycolic acid helps shed skin cells quickly to reveal a fresh, healthy skin tone.
All peels come in various strengths and pH levels. Choose a lower strength of each type of peel and treat more frequently. Many peels on the market also include tyrosinase inhibitors such as kojic, arbutin and azelaic acid to slow melanin production while the peel gently exfoliates the skin. The lower pH of a peel allows for the delivery of natural lighteners deeper in the skin, yet provide gentle exfoliation to move the pigment up and off the skin.
Series Protocol
TCA and Jessner’s peels are normally spaced one month apart, due to their more aggressive nature. The preferred method for most clients is a gentle progressive series of six.
Week 1: Consultation, photo-documentation, consents. Perform enzyme treatment or lactic peel.
Week 2: Lactic peel.
Week 3: Lactic peel with light mechanical exfoliation such as microdermabrasion.
Week 4: Glycolic peel.
Week 5: Glycolic peel with light mechanical exfoliation such as microdermabrasion.
Week 6: Glycolic peel with light mechanical exfoliation such as microdermabrasion (Jessner’s or TCA combination is also optional in week 6).
Some may think this protocol is too aggressive on a weekly basis, but when mild, gentle peels are used more frequently, the treatments are stacked and address the pigmentation issues on this frequent basis, rather than a more aggressive treatment once a month. Of course, the preferred method is dependent upon the esthetician’s philosophy and the client’s lifestyle.
Treatment Protocol
Follow the manufacturer’s recommendation for application of each type of peel.
Treatment duration and price: 20-30 minutes. Chemical peels are shorter in time due to the fact that they are more corrective and extractions, massage and nourishing masks are not performed. Prices range from $39 to $250, depending on the type of peel. Pricing also varies based on the experience level and economic climate of the geographic region.
CONTRAINDICATION CONSIDERATIONS
The following are just a few of the contraindications to chemical peels. Attend a complete chemical peel training before applying peels to learn about all the contraindications.
1. Sun exposure.
2. Pregnant or lactating women.
3. Prescription drugs such as antibiotics.
4. Accutane or Retin-A use.
5. Illnesses, such as diabetes and cancer.
6. Fitzpatrick skin types must also be considered to avoid post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.
MECHANICAL EXFOLIATION PEELS
Mechanical exfoliation, such as microdermabrasion, dermablading, dermafiles and scrubs polish the surface of the skin and are very effective at removing the keratinized corneocytes at the surface of the skin, but they do not address pigmentation in the lower levels of the epidermis. The overall effect is soft, polished skin.
Protocol
Perform the following mechanical exfoliation every four to six weeks.
1. Cleanse twice.
2. Degrease the skin.
3. Perform three passes with mechanical exfoliation.
4. Add moisturizer and SPF.
Treatment duration and price: 20-30 minutes. Prices range from $125 to $225 depending on length of service and options included. Pricing is dependent upon experience level of the practitioner and the economic climate of the geographic location.
Customization for each client
One protocol can be applied to 20 different clients and produce 20 different results. While all of the aforementioned exfoliation methods work well, consider customizing treatments for your clients. Aside from pigmentation, many clients have various levels of acne or want to address aging concerns. For most clients, recommend the series of six treatments, spaced one to two weeks apart for best results. The following is an example of a typical protocol:
1. Cleanse twice.
2. Place a fruit acid enzyme in a dish and boost it with a chemical peel. Use lactic or mandelic for dry, mature, pigmented skin, glycolic for keratinized skin and salicylic for oily skin. Advise your client that you are adding a peel boost to their treatment, and their skin may be flaky for three to four days. The overall effect is a “power facial”.
3. Light mechanical exfoliation.
4. Extractions (as everyone wants clean pores).
5. Apply treatment serum (may be applied either before or after the nourishing mask).
6. Apply a nourishing mask.
7. Apply moisturizer and SPF.
When you perform a thorough skin analysis and choose the correct enzyme and peel for each client, you achieve the best results to address each of your client’s concerns.
After completing a treatment series, stop and evaluate the results. Is the client happy with the results of the series of six? If not, add two to four additional weeks to the protocol. After the end result is achieved, put your client into maintenance mode and perform a monthly facial to keep their skin looking its best.
Contraindications
Contraindications to consider for microdermabrasion include pregnancy, lactating women, and Retin-A or Accutane use.
There are many great products on the market for addressing pigmentation issues. Look for antioxidants, tyrosinase inhibitors such as kojic, arbutin, azelaic acid with pH levels low enough to allow the ingredients to penetrate. Perform treatments consistently and frequently to achieve the best results, and emphasize the importance of home care to your clients as well.
WHICH ORDER OF EXFOLIATION DO YOU CHOOSE?
Enzyme/Peel 1st, Mechanical Exfoliation 2nd:
• Enzyme and/or peel softens stratum corneum first.
• Mechanical exfoliates more surface skin.
End result: More polished, softer skin. Effective at removing surface of skin.
Types of skin conditions: Closed comedones (remove surface so trapped oil can escape). Rough, dry skin.
Mechanical Exfoliation 1st, Enzyme/Peel 2nd:
• Mechanical exfoliates surface of the skin.
• Enzyme/peel penetrates further into the skin.
End result: Better penetration of the peel, deeper into the skin to the melanocyte, more flaking.
Types of skin conditions: Pigmentation where you need to deliver skin lighteners, texture issues where you want the end result to be a lot of peeling.
Enzyme 1st, Mechanical Exfoliation 2nd, Peel 3rd:
• Enzyme softens stratum corneum.
• Mechanical buffs or polishes skin for further penetration of peel.
• Peel penetrates further into the skin.
End Result: Ultimate penetration of the peel, deeper into the skin for acne and pigment.
Types of skin conditions: Resilient skin, acne and pigmentation, texture issues in which the end result must be peeling.
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