Pamela Hill Institute

If you offer laser hair removal to your clients, it is critical to remember that your patient care should not end when they leave your treatment room. Post laser skin care is equally important, as are follow-up treatments in certain circumstances.

As you may know, different people react differently to laser treatment. Some report a mild tingling sensation, following by minimal redness and they are fine within a few hours. Other people have a lower threshold for pain, and will experience redness for several days.

Scheduling Follow-Up Appointments

For clients that are having laser hair removal, it is important to respect and understand the three growth stages of hair (which will be discussed in detail in an upcoming post), so that the appointments are scheduled at optimal times. Ideally, you want to book subsequent appointments 3-5 weeks apart.

How Many Treatments Are Needed?

Every client is different and will require a different care plan. A person with fine hair may only require 3 treatments, while an ethnic client with dark, coarse hair may require 5 or 6 treatments to effectively remove all hair from the treated area. Make sure your client is aware that there is truly no guarantee of how many laser sessions it will take, but that they understand the average is 3-5 sessions.

Post Treatment Recommendations

As mentioned at the beginning of this post, your responsibility includes guiding your client safely through the after treatment phase. The advice you give will vary from person to person depending on color of hair and fairness of complexion. 

The client should stay out of the sun for several days at least, which should be assessed based on the clients’ skin sensitivity.

Let the client know what types of creams and ointments can and cannot be used on treated skin. Naturally based moisturizers and Vitamin E creams are fine. Heavily scented or essential oil based creams may irritate the skin within the first few days after treatment. Non clogging products are always best to avoid ingrown hairs and rashes (due to the open state of the hair follicles following treatment).

When your clients have a pleasant post treatment phase, with no problems or issues, they will be happy to come back for subsequent appointments. On the other hand, if the client develops a rash or unnecessary discomfort, they very well might hesitate to return. As you can see, going the extra mile for every single client is always good for long term business.

You might also be interested to read a relevant blog post on Advanced Hair Removal

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If you are interested in learning about or adding permanent makeup application to your menu of services, this article may be of interest to you. Although it is impossible to cover all aspects of permanent makeup in one segment, this blog will concentrate on detailing the three types of application.

Manual Method

The most time consuming of the three methods and requiring the most manual dexterity and skill. The manual method does not use any kind of appliance or electrical machinery.

Using a lifting technique aided by a manual application tool, the pigment is tapped into the skin by hand. The tool feature a handle and needle assemblies. The needles are disposable and single use only.

In this method, the needle is placed gently onto the skin surface, and then lifted forward and upward slightly to penetrate the skin. The permanent color is then implanted using a variety of lining and shading techniques.

Reciprocating Coil Machine Method

In this method, an electric tattooing machine is utilized. The reciprocating coil machine features a tube which holds the application needle. Using intermittent electromagnetic contact, the needle moves over the contact area with ease.

Color is implanted beneath the skin by guiding the needle over the skin surface, with the needle penetrating the skin and reaches the dermis layer. under the skin by guiding the needle attachment over the surface of the skin.

Once again, various techniques can be employed including lining, shading, ovuvoid and pointillism. For non-disposable tubes, rigorous sterilization must be employed. Disposable components are highly recommended.

Rotary Machine – Pen Method

This machine looks a lot like a digital thermometer and contains a tiny rotary motor. Not anywhere near as aggressive as the coil machine method, the pen moves in circular motions which cause the needle to move up and down.

The permanent colors are injected or implanted using lining, shading, pointillism and ovuvoid techniques. An autoclave is required to sterilize any non-disposable components.

If you would like to learn more about permanent make-up, you should check out my book Permanent Makeup by Pamela Hill.

Book Description

Tips and Techniques focuses on the newest techniques and the latest trends in permanent makeup that will give the reader a strong foundation and vital knowledge about this growing industry. Permanent makeup, while being one the hottest procedures in the aesthetics industry today, is also one of the most technique-sensitive. There is high demand for good permanent makeup artists in plastic surgeons offices, cosmetic dermatologists offices and spas. This text is designed to fully prepare the reader with comprehensive information, allowing them to move successfully into this exciting profession. With photos included to help illustrate the techniques, this book is an absolute necessity for the permanent makeup professional.

Clients with sun damage and age spots on their skin can be effectively treated  through microdermabrasion and chemical peels.  Both of these methods have proven successful for thousands of people over the years and will continue to do so in the future. 

The Sun Gives Life, But Can Also Cause Damage

It doesn’t seem fair that one of the most enjoyable things in life, the sun, which shines its rays upon the earth to provide us with light and through that light makes life itself possible can also cause damage to our skin and appearance.  Too much sun in fact can even lead to dangerous problems like skin cancer or actinic keratosis, a colored spot on the skin that comes from too much exposure to the sun and can be a warning sign.  While it is not in itself indicative of skin cancer it can mean that you have an increased risk.  When you see a physician for an annual check up make sure that they look at any unusual  spots on your skin just to be safe.

Chemical Peels and Microdermabrasion

In the meantime, taking care of the more minor skin problems that the sun causes  can be done through the afore mentioned treatments of chemical peels and microdermabrasion.  When it comes to chemical peels  available for use by aestheticians.  Knowing the differences between them and assessing which chemical peel is right is important for proper treatment.  The primary difference is strength of the chemicals used. Phenol is the strongest of the commonly used agents and produces a deep peel which can help with pre-cancerous growths or other damage caused by excessive sun exposure.  It is often used on sun damage on the face.

Milder Options In Chemical Peels

Alphahydroxy acids (AHA) are milder agents that are in common use.  They provide brighter looking, smoother skin through producing lighter peels. And can include fruit acids, lactic acids and glycolic acids.  Alphahydroxy will sometimes be mixed with facial and become part of a daily regimen.  If the sun damage is slight then these agents are a good choice as they require a shorter recovery time.  Tricholoacetic acid is another option and can be used in varying concentrations.  It doesn’t last as long as Phenol peels and multiple peels may be needed, but it has a short recovery time and is popular with those who have minor problems and a limited time for treatment.

Microdermabrasion Is Another Popular Treatment

Microdermabrasion is a procedure commonly performed by aestheticians and  as a resurfacing treatment for the skin  is gentle and takes off the top layer of skin through use of micro aluminum oxide crystals, or a diamond tipped wand. A non-invasive and non-surgical procedure, it can be performed in the aesthetician’s office with no down time.  There are virtually no risks or side effects and most clients have very positive results. 

There are several methods the aesthetician may take in treating a client with sun damaged skin.  They include intense pulsed light (or IPL), microdermabrasion and chemical peels.  

Intense pulsed light treatment these days often takes the form of the foto facial.  This procedure takes about thirty minutes on average, and causes reconstruction of collagen and blood vessels beneath the skin.  The result is a reduction in lines and wrinkles, many of which have been caused by sun exposure over the years.    This is a popular, non-invasive treatment.  While the skin may be pink for a time after the treatment, no recovery time is needed. This is a treatment that a qualified, professional aesthetician can perform if they obtain the proper training and equipment.

The best candidates for this treatment are those clients who have early stage skin damage.  Settings on the light device are altered for each client to cover their particular skin conditions. Results seen will include a gradual decrease in redness, flushing and dilated capillaries.  Age spots, blemishes, fine lines, scars, hyper pigmentation, rosaga and spider veins will disappear.  Intense pulsed light emits over a variety of wavelengths, as opposed to a laser which emits over only one wavelength.
 
Chemical peels also provide solutions to sun induced skin damage.  A chemical peel requires use of a chemical solution to remove the outer layer of skin, the damaged layer, which allows new skin to take its place.  The chemicals used are adjusted for the individual patient of course, and their unique skin makeup.  Personal appearance enhancement and getting rid of skin imperfections that bother a client are common reasons for having a chemical peel.  

While some of your clients may have concerns over the strength of the chemicals used, as a practitioner, there are many chemicals available of different strength levels.  Milder agents like alphahydroxy acids are commonly utilized in light (surface) chemical peels.  These agents produce brighter looking and smoother skin and can include fruit acid, glycolic acid and lactic acid.  There is a very short recovery time required with these light treatment chemical peels.

Microdermabrasion is much like chemical peels in that it removes the outer skin layer, promoting the growth of collagen and new skin.  In addition microdermabrasion is helpful for acne scaring, wrinkles and other signs of aging.  Microdermabrasion exfoliates the outer layers of skin and brings out the new, clean skin layer that lies below.  Then much like a vacuum cleaner, the layer is removed by the esthetician.

Your clients know that too much sun exposure can be damaging, but most people continue to lie out in the sun anyway, especially younger clients.  As an aesthetician, part of your job is educating clients about the dangers of sun exposure and also recommend appropriate at home treatment systems, using the correct products suitable for a particular client’s condition. A result of that sun exposure in later life will be blemishes and imperfections in the skin.  By connecting with aesthetician, clients are able to choose from a variety of approaches to resolve problems, as per your recommendations, and greatly improve the quality of their skin.

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