Why So Blue? Aging & Self-Esteem Part 2

I JUST WOKE UP ONE DAY AND I WAS OLD!- What your client is going through.
“Mid-life astonishment is characterized by an amazement and despair at loosing one’s physical and sexual attractiveness, multiple losses accompanied by age, awareness of accelerated aging both physically and mentally, and recognizing our culture’s stigmatization of aging.   This process can lead to a loss of self-esteem, shame, depression, and social isolation.”
In our culture there’s a great deal of emphasis on youthfulness and appearances.  Clients often describe appearance changes caused by aging this way: “ I woke up one day and all of a sudden I looked old.”  They come to the esthetician to try to change this before trying something more invasive.   For some, the thought of getting work done or going under the knife is uncomfortable and vain.  They feel some guilt when starting to focus on themselves and are unsure about what’s normal for an aging face. 

What We Can Do.
Working with clients that have hit the realization that they are getting old can sometimes be difficult because they want it fixed now.  It doesn’t help that our culture gives women a false sense that all of their aging problems will be going in one bottle.  It is our job to be honest with clients on what we can help with and what we can’t.   The goal of a standard esthetician is to improve how the skin functions.  We cannot take a person that has elastosis, and hyperpigmentation and make it go away, it’s not possible.  I have an apron that says, “Esthetician not a magician”.  When I started practicing, I noticed every time I had a new client that was dealing with age related issues, they would leave happy with the results, but there was always a small level of disappointment.  I quickly figured out that clients experience a level of disappointment after a facial, because in the back of their mind they believe that when they get up from the table all of their wrinkles will be gone.  They are happy that their skin is glowing and feels great but those gosh darn wrinkles are still there.  Clients see on TV that they can get great skin from a 30 dollar bottle of moisturizer, and they just paid you 60 so they should be looking good when they leave your table.  It's our job as estheticians to help them understand that it takes time to help improve their skin, and know that we cannot fix 30 years of damage in one day.

In Summary 
1) Educate your clients
2) Be Honest - Set realistic expectations
3) Take before and after pictures so they can see the changes
4) Be Compassionate- Listen to them and be compassionate

Why So Blue? (Aging & Self-Esteem) Part 1

First Day On The Job!
When I got out of school and landed my first job in a spa, I was trained by an esthetician that was twice my age.  Her age was not big deal to me, but for some reason it was to her.  The first amazing piece of advice she gave me was, “You are not going to make it in this business because you are too young; and older people will not respect you or listen to your advice because you can't relate to them.”   Wow, thanks for your words of wisdom lady.

What I Noticed in the Following Months
My trainer looked wonderful for her age, she exercised everyday, ate really healthy, took lots of vitamins.  All of her clients were amazed by how great she looked; which was great because she helped her aging clients understand that they can look great by taking care of themselves and their skin.  Her clients would buy all of these products, expensive services, and followed all of her recommendations.  One day she decided that she was going to get lipo and a facelift because deep down she was not happy with the way she looked. In my opinion, if a little nip and tuck makes you feel better about yourself, then you shouldn't be ashamed about getting it or denies having it done. My problem is when people lie about getting work done.   She couldn't hide it from her existing clientele but when it came to new customers she made it seem that she got her astounding looks by the products and services she offers (false advertising).  This set of events caused me to do some real soul searching and find out what clients need when it comes to aging gracefully.

The Lessons I Learned
I have concluded that the major thing that customers want from their esthetician is honesty.
I decided to write about this topic because it's important for estheticians to understand what our clients are going through, and how we can help them through the process on an emotional and physical level.  Honesty and sincerity are the keys to helping people deal with aging.  For example, don't tell a client that all of their hyperpigmentation will be gone by the end of a 125.00 dollar bottle of serum.  When someone is having issues with their skin you never want to make empty promises or claims, it will only end in disappointment for them and a loss of respect for you. Stay tuned for part two tomorrow.

Theories of Aging

There are many theories about how we age. Is aging a disease or an inevitable process that all biological creatures must experience, or can it be prevented?

Intrinsic aging defines the natural signs of aging as a genetic process.
Extrinsic aging refers to the visible signs of aging as a genetic process.

Internal and external factors directly relate to two separate groups of aging theories.

1) preprogrammed Aging that is due to genetic factors.  It suggests that aging is determined by a predetermined biological clock that starts at conception, and that genes play a strong role in the aging process.
Theories associated with preprogrammed theory include- Programmed Longevity, Telomerase Theory, Immunological Theory, Pacemaker Theory, Genetic Theory.

2) Damage-Based Theories- These theories refer to aging that is influenced by environmental or lifestyle factors that cause damage to cells and body systems.  These theories focus on the damage that happens at the molecular level then move outward.

• Free Radical Theory- states that aging is caused by accumulated free radicals attacking the DNA, proteins, and fats of living cells, causing cell death.
• Membrane Theory- states it is the damage done by free radicals in the cell membrane that causes change in the cell's ability to transfer chemicals, heat, and electricity.
• Cross Linking Theory- (Glycation) Relates to the binding of protein and simple sugars (glucose) to protein.  When cross linking occurs, protein is damaged and unable to perform as intended.  The result is thick, dry,sagging, yellow skin.
• Wear & Tear Theory- indicates the war and tear on our whole body system accelerates the aging process.  This theory lead the way to the free radical and cross linking theory.
• Inflammation Theory- This theory is new.  It states that chronic inflammation result in accumulated damage to the body.  The theory explains that the inflammation cascade is a long strenuous process on the body, cells and tissue.  Once the inflammation cascade is started it should end when the immune response is activated without an invader or does not receive the signal from T-cells that tells the immune cells to stop.

Conclusion
If we take a cross-section of all the theories you can see that no one theory is independent of the other.  They all lead to aging.  We cannot always see the decline of our bodies, but eventually all damage will become apparent.  Depending on your theories about aging changes how you approach treating clients.  If you believe in the pre-programmed approach, you have to ask yourself can we even help aging skin?   The reality is that no one theory can stand on its own, they depend upon one another.
What is your opinion?
Resource-  Milady's Aesthetician Series, Aging Skin, Susanne Schmaling.