Ep 163 – Body Care is Skin Care

0:00:08.1 Maggie Staszcuk: Hello and welcome to ASCP's Esty Talk. I'm your co-host Maggie Staszcuk and ASCP's Education Program Manager. 

 

0:00:15.0 Ella Cressman: And I'm Ella Cressman, licensed esthetician, certified organic formulator, ingredient junky and content contributor for Associated Skin Care Professionals. 

 

0:00:24.6 MS: We all know skin care is self-care, that's what we're doing as estheticians, but what about body care? Not every esthetician performs body treatments or even sells body products. Do you Ella in your treatment?  

 

0:00:37.8 EC: I do, I do, but not... Well, let me just start saying my favorite treatment ever is a salt glow. 

 

0:00:44.9 MS: Oh yeah. So easy to perform. And it feels great. 

 

0:00:48.1 EC: So good. I love to receive that. 

 

0:00:51.0 MS: I do, too. 

 

0:00:51.7 EC: But I don't give those. 

 

0:00:53.9 MS: Okay. Okay, got it. 

 

0:00:54.6 EC: I do not give those. I do, however, do a lot of resurfacing or chemical peeling or micro-needling chest, some neck, top of the hands, backs. Yes, I'm treating the body because my spot is corrective, and there's still a ton of corrective opportunity for that. 

 

0:01:16.6 MS: Totally agree with you. And side note, I will say I never go out and get professional facials, which is a personal problem of mine, but when I do get a treatment, it is a salt glow. 

 

0:01:28.0 EC: We should go and book one. [laughter] Yes, it's my favorite. 

 

0:01:32.9 MS: Yeah, couples treatment, let's do it. Wave at each other. We are here to tell you all today, body care is skin care. 

 

0:01:44.6 EC: Secret is out, guess what? There's skin below the chin. 

 

0:01:48.4 MS: Skin below the chin, I love that. Okay. There are so many skin care concerns that we learn about as estheticians that are actually affecting the body. And it's obvious, acne is a big one, keratosis pilaris, that little bumpy chicken skin that you get really anywhere but back of the arms is where we think about it most, folliculitis, those in-grown hairs. And what about the dreaded pubic region. 

 

0:02:14.1 EC: What about folliculitis in the pubic region?  

 

0:02:16.0 MS: Yes, yes, totally, of course. We've talked a lot about the pubic region, not necessarily in the positive way, but that also is a body treatment area, not just waxing. 

 

0:02:29.3 EC: Absolutely. 

 

0:02:31.0 MS: Have you ever given a vagacial?  

 

0:02:34.3 EC: I have not. I've not given a vagacial, but I would recommend some. When I was doing a lot more waxing, the intention behind waxing is to make it pretty and accommodating, I don't know the right word but what I would notice is in-grown hairs, hyper-pigmentation even like pock scarring in that area. And doesn't that defeat the purpose?  

 

0:03:03.3 MS: Totally. Yes, I agree. I think that, at least my perspective in the Denver area where I was working is there was a period of time when that kind of thing was really trending, and it wasn't just the vagacial but it was also like putting on jewels and... 

 

0:03:21.1 EC: Vajazzle. 

 

0:03:21.4 MS: Vajazzle, thank you. 

 

0:03:23.7 EC: And they had dye. 

 

0:03:25.7 MS: Yes. They had dye, the whole nine yards. But I'm really curious to everyone listening in, I wanna know if you're performing these kinds of treatments, I wanna know if that is coming back. 

 

0:03:35.2 EC: And what you are doing. Are you making it a fun thing, like Maggie is talking about with bedazzling and jewelling and decorating, or are you correcting and hydrating and doing all of those things?  

 

0:03:50.7 MS: Yeah, I actually have a story about the dye in the nether regions. Yeah, I had a client, she was like a cute little old lady, and by old we're talking 80 plus. 

 

0:04:05.0 EC: No. 

 

0:04:06.0 MS: Yes. 

 

0:04:06.5 EC: Oh, my gosh. 

 

0:04:06.9 MS: And she would come in on the regular, every week, booking her eyebrow wax, and then give me a wink, wink, nudge, nudge would I dye her pubic hair. 

 

0:04:20.6 EC: And?  

 

0:04:21.0 MS: No. Heck no. 

 

0:04:22.9 EC: She resiliently asks you?  

 

0:04:24.2 MS: Oh yeah. It was almost like she forgot that she asked me last week. 

 

0:04:29.7 EC: Well, are you kidding me?  

 

[laughter] 

 

0:04:34.1 EC: I don't even know where to go with that. What did she say? What did you say?  

 

0:04:39.2 MS: Well, it's not on the menu, so. 

 

0:04:43.5 EC: She is asking for the not on the menu service. 

 

0:04:46.2 MS: Right, right. 

 

0:04:47.2 EC: Oh my gosh, I don't know what one would say like, "Hey, I'm getting some greys and I really want match the drapes." [laughter] What do you say? Oh wow, that's crazy. It's one thing if you offer it and if you boast about it and stick it out, but to wink, wink, oh my goodness. 

 

0:05:09.3 MS: Like slip me a $20, I don't know. 

 

0:05:11.0 EC: Oh my goodness. 

 

0:05:12.9 MS: So you are more corrective, and you mentioned doing treatments on the back, treatments on the chest, I think that's a great way for estheticians to really boost their offerings. 

 

0:05:24.3 EC: I could tell you a story like, you know how estheticians we love... I don't know, for me, I can watch those pimple popping videos. It's almost cathartically relaxing for me. And I'll watch them and I'm like, "Oh, ah, oh, he got it yeah." And then watch the TikTok commentary ones, all of that. I can't help myself. I had this bikini waxing, I didn't hate it, but it was not my jam, I really love the corrective work, but I was still doing them because I had rent to pay. And I tell you there was this one that it was like a flashing light, like Las Vegas come in and just check me out, there was this, I don't know, this inflamed follicle, but it was ready. It was ready for me. I couldn't help but just suggest that they let me extract. I turned it into a corrective facial, but when I tell you how many hairs came out of that infected follicle or the inflamed follicle, it was like Christmas and I just thought about it for weeks. That was like, oh my gosh, but that was my only crazy story like that, other than just still taking hairs, removing hairs. One of my first bikini waxing clients would actually ask me to tweeze anything that I couldn't get, so it would be there forever. 'Cause they did it, and when I was a brand new esthetician, I was like, "Oh, of course, no problem." The wax itself would take me like three minutes and then 20 minutes of tweezing. Very uncomfortable. Hold that thought. We'll be right back. 

 

0:06:56.9 Speaker 3: DMK is the world leader in paramedical skin revision education with certification programs designed to give licensed professionals a thorough understanding of the skin and an in-depth study of the DMK concept of remove, rebuild, protect, maintain. Created by the botanical visionary Danné Montague-King, DMK offers skin revision training and education for all ages, skin conditions and ethnicities in more than 35 countries, harnessing the body's innate healing mechanisms to change the health of the skin. Learn more at dannemking.com, that's D-A-N-N-E-M-K-I-N-G.com. Elleebana, Australian born, globally loved. Elleebana's story is simple. They love lashes and brows, they shoot for the stars and lift lashes to new heights. Their addiction is real, their passion is popping, and there is nothing more they crave then offering excellence, service and innovation in products. Elleebana Lash Lift allows you to offer your customers luscious lifted lashes that can last up to 12 weeks in one safe 20-minute treatment. Learn more at elleebana-usa.com. 

 

0:08:22.2 EC: Okay, here we go. Let's get back to the podcast. 

 

0:08:24.0 MS: We mentioned earlier that the industry has shifted. It's my perspective, body treatments were something that you did in a spa, you went to a resort spa, and like you said, we're seeing those medical spas or clinical settings, I feel like they're on every corner, and that's the direction people are going. 

 

0:08:44.9 EC: That's what people have time for. 

 

0:08:46.5 MS: Right, right. You said it. I think the industry has shifted and you have estheticians that are going solo, they were booth renting, they're going more medical. They're going into business for themselves. It's less of the day spa business plan in my view. But there is also this renewed focus on body positivity, accepting who you are, and with that comes more body treatments on the spa menu, whether you are clinical or not. 

 

0:09:16.0 EC: And I think, you said spa menu. Yes, there's more body treatments on the spa menu and then... Sorry, but there's more people going off menu. [laughter] There's more people who have, "I can do that," approaches. Have you thought about that? During consultation or whenever, even some companies who are formulating kits and such are doing so in a manner that's leaving left over product for hands and chest and other areas, not just the face. 

 

0:09:47.2 MS: I love that. You have left over a product, use it. 

 

0:09:50.6 EC: Absolutely, and it's good and it works and you're seeing it immediately. You think of, there's a popular brand that does those under eye patches and they hand treatments now and chest treatments. It's everywhere, and it is a different intention than it was in the early 2000s, or before, that it is absolutely about, I love myself, I just wanna tweak this or tweak that so I can wear different clothes. I want to address... It's not as much, you can address stretch marks, but it's more of the hyper-pigmentation or the chicken skin on the back of your arms, those little things that I think it's profitable, but it's also incredibly beneficial for not just histologically, but emotionally, too. 

 

0:10:35.5 MS: Yeah, entirely. And speaking about emotion, social media has played a role. We've talked about social media a million times on this podcast, but you have before and after photos, estheticians are showing what they can do and the effects that clients are getting from that. There's a lot of over-sharing with the consumer or the client on the treatments that they have or just in who they are in general, and even FAQs, I think. And that can be, "What can I get from this treatment?" to "I have this, what do you guys think?" 

 

0:11:10.3 EC: The one thing bringing up social media and before and afters, what's missing from those is the durings. When you have these amazing results, you have one, a consumer or another practitioner needs to understand that there was the before and then there was a process after that, and they think those can be proprietary, but that needs to be discussed when you're setting expectations. This is gonna take a little bit, depending on what it is. You need to keep up with your end of it too, I'm not gonna just peel or laser or they're even doing filler on your hands. 

 

0:11:46.5 MS: I've seen that. 

 

0:11:47.3 EC: If you're not doing hand lotion or SPF on your hands, whatever it is, you have to hold up your end of the deal still too. There is a during period, and so that's one opportunity that I think is... I mean, of course you don't wanna share everything, but add in there, this took 12 weeks. That would be a good bonus, and we do a lot of over-sharing. I don't. I was over watching. 

 

0:12:14.7 MS: Over watching. Scrolling through those videos. 

 

0:12:18.1 EC: And it's something else that's come up too is language has changed. 

 

0:12:22.8 MS: Yeah, oh, that's a really good point. I agree with you. 

 

0:12:25.8 EC: Absolutely. Where people are speaking more candidly using not dance around words or anything, you know what I mean? Direct. 

 

0:12:35.1 MS: I do. Not only has language changed, but just in general, we're more liberal or relaxed and things are more accepted. That goes along with the social media and the over-sharing like you're talking about, Ella. Have you seen the LUMI commercial? Are you familiar with their product?  

 

0:12:55.3 EC: Oh yes, in fact, I was a sucker. 

 

0:13:00.8 MS: You were a sucker?  

 

0:13:00.9 EC: Before they made it to... I was surprised when I saw it on TV. 

 

0:13:02.0 MS: You know what? Honestly, I was shocked by the commercial when I first saw it. 

 

0:13:10.0 EC: At one point there was a difference, there was more liberal, more pushing, more edgy commercials on social media, but now is on TV, and I knew it in on social media because I bought it from Instagram or from whatever. You know how I am. But to see it on TV, I'm like, "Hey, I know that. Oh... " I'm like, "No, they did that." 

 

0:13:32.2 MS: They did that. For anybody who doesn't know, they have a few products, but there is one commercial in particular, and it looks like it's shot maybe on this woman's iPhone, it's very... The word. 

 

0:13:47.2 EC: It almost looks like a live, a social media live that she's doing. 

 

0:13:49.8 MS: Yeah, social media live, entirely. And she's explaining how to apply a cream to your butt cheeks so that you don't sweat. [laughter] 

 

0:14:00.4 EC: Can you just say butt sweat?  

 

0:14:02.1 MS: Butt sweat, yeah, she doesn't hold back. 

 

0:14:06.0 EC: It happens. 

 

0:14:07.2 MS: It does happen. 

 

0:14:08.3 EC: Though we don't talk about it. 

 

0:14:11.1 MS: Right. And see, that is the key. Do we or don't we? I think that that's kind of how our industry is changing a little bit, and I'm sure as estheticians you've got clients that are coming in, some a bit more intimate and it's you and your client, but they're addressing perhaps some of these issues that they may be feeling insecure about, maybe not butt sweat, but they may be saying, "I've got this big pimple here," and it's not the face, is that something that you can assist them with. 

 

0:14:38.3 EC: I've taken many of a high frequency wand to that area post wax because of either an existing infected hair or just to prevent it. But I do think that we have a different level of... People are way more open with us. In a lot of ways, sometimes I don't wanna know those things, but the other thing too is products have benefit in those areas, everything below the belly button all the way around, because there is sweat, there's friction from undergarments that we use. There's different things so that it could be very beneficial, especially post wax. 

 

0:15:20.0 MS: Now, listeners we wanna hear from you, what trends are you adding to your menu in 2023? Share your thoughts with us on social media by commenting on our Instagram or Facebook posts or by emailing getconnected@ascpskincare.com. Thank you for listening to ASCP Esty talk and for more information on this episode or for ways to connect with Ella and myself or to learn more about ASCP, check out the show notes.