Estheticians' Guide to Glycation

This condition appears in the ASCP SkinPro app

What is Glycation?

A biochemical process that occurs in the body when glucose (sugar) binds to protein molecules, including collagen and elastin, and damages them, producing advanced glycation end products (AGEs). As a result, the proteins are unable to perform their normal functions properly.

What Should I Know About Glycation?

• Contributes to sagging, skin discoloration including browning or yellowing of the aging skin, and deeper wrinkles. 

• When aging skin is observed, some of the damage is likely caused by glycation.

• The glycation process makes proteins stiff and brittle, and in the long run weakens skin’s structural proteins, contributing to elastosis, wrinkles, dullness, and “crepey” skin. This is part of natural intrinsic aging but is made worse in people with high blood sugar.

• Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) also can cause other health issues and contribute to diabetes, atherosclerosis, and kidney disease.

Treatment Considerations for Glycation

• Research in glycation prevention in the skin is relatively new, but ingredients such as carnosine, aminoguanidine, resveratrol, terminalia extract, blueberry extract, and others may help to stop the glycation process topically. These are most often found in antioxidant products. 

ASCP members can access SkinPro to continue reading about glycation

Not yet an ASCP member? Join ASCP and get ASCP SkinPro, ASCP Career Toolkits, ASCP Skin Deep magazine, and the best esthetician liability insurance in the profession!

ASCP SkinPro

You've got the knowledge and the skills, but everyone needs a second opinion at times. ASCP’s SkinPro app informs and validates your treatment decisions helping you customize your treatment plans and improve client results. 

Included with ASCP membership, ASCP SkinPro is designed to aid in skin analysis by putting the essential knowledge of contraindications for common skin-related conditions and ingredients at your fingertips—now with 24 new conditions and 38 new ingredients.. Members can log in for access or go directly to the app.

Picture this: You’re in the treatment room and a client tells you they have atopic dermatitis and several allergies. You’re pretty confident you know how to proceed with treatment, but you want to be absolutely sure. Simply open the app, search for the condition, and you’ve got expert information at your fingertips. You can also use ASCP SkinPro to look up ingredients quickly and easily, identifying important contraindications and best practices so you can adjust your treatment plan on the spot.

Consult with ASCP SkinPro with confidence and elevate your treatment plans. The ASCP team sourced information from a variety of clinical journals and worked with Dr. Mark Lees, author of Skin Care: Beyond the Basics and a longtime contributor to ASCP Skin Deep magazine, to bring it all together.

HOW DO ESTHETICIANS USE ASCP SKINPRO?

• During consultation: Your client mentions a condition or ingredient allergy during the intake process and want to contraindications.
• During skin analysis: You observe a skin condition and want to make a quick decision about the best treatment.
• While retailing: You’re about to recommend a product for your client, but you want to confirm the contraindications and ensure the product will perform as needed. 

Already an ASCP member? Take a few minutes to try ASCP SkinPro here and discover your new go-to consultant!

Not yet an ASCP member? Join ASCP and get ASCP SkinPro, ASCP Career Toolkits, ASCP Skin Deep magazine, and the best professional liability insurance in the profession!