As a skin therapist starting out, a lot of information gets thrown at you - and with it, a lot of biased opinions and belief systems that muddy the information.
Over time, you start to realise that not everything you read, or even are taught, is based in objective truth.
My advice to new skin therapists, and indeed to clients/consumers in the skincare industry - is to always ask why.
Keep asking why, until you reach a rational answer. And if it doesn’t make sense yet; keep digging.
A few things I have done a 180 on in the last ten years…
"Accutane is terrible".
When I first entered the industry ten years ago, every therapist and educator I met, was against accutane, as it was called at the time (note - accutane, roaccutane, oratane, isotane, are all names for the same medication, which is isotretinoin).
At first, I jumped on the bandwagon of my superiors and trusted they had done their due diligence. And then about a year in, I met someone who'd had a positive and transformative experience with isotretinoin. It fixed his skin and saved his mental health, which was severely impacted by his acne at 15 years old.
I started to question what I'd believed and did some digging. I learned about how it actually worked. I learned that dosages had changed a lot in the last decade or so, and that side effects had reduced significantly since then. And I realised that some part of hating isotretinoin came from skin therapists feeling threatened by it, because it can replace some of the work that we do.
The thing is - if we care primarily about the needs of our clients, we would welcome with open arms an acne treatment that works, no matter where it comes from.
These days, with ten years of experience under my belt, I understand that isotretinoin is a medication that can transform peoples lives for the better. It's not for everyone, no. It's not perfect. There are downsides. But for some people, it's the best option. It's certainly the most financially accessible option. And it's a valid treatment option that should not be dismissed by our industry.
I still see a lot of skin therapists pushing the anti-accutane narrative and I hope that eventually they come to understand that things are not so black and white.
2. "Chemist products can't be good".
For years, I held this to be true. Again, it's a common belief amongst skin therapists - and again, it does in part come from insecurity. I do believe a lot of skin therapists feel threatened by the popularity of brands like La Roche Posay, and Cerave - because they are products we don't sell, and they are cheaper than what we DO sell. It's a more comfortable narrative for us to believe that these brands are "bad" and what we sell is indisputably superior.
As a general rule, serums sold over the counter at chemists/supermarkets/etc are not as effective as clinic brands - because the more active a product is, typically the higher the risk of adverse reaction. These brands are being mass marketed, so they tend to play it safe when it comes to formulations. That said, simple products that don't need to be active - cleanser, moisturiser - are absolutely fine to buy at a chemist, and I'd argue that there are some great formulations amongst these brands. For me, it does come back to accessibility.
Sure, you could argue that PCA Rebalance moisturiser is objectively more beneficial for an acne-prone skin than Cerave Daily Moisturiser - but it's expensive, and the Cerave will still do the job. Not everyone has the budget for an all-clinic-line routine, and that is A-Okay. I care more that my clients have a routine that works within their budget, than if they buy their products from me.
3. "Treatment cleansers are great"
I used to love treatment cleansers, I really did. Salicylic, mandelic, lactic, enzymatic - I tried them all.
Over the years though, we've learned a lot more about the effects of cleansing on the skin. We've learned that less is more, simpler is better, and over-doing it with your cleanser will ultimately damage your skin barrier and negatively affect your microbiome.
These days, there are no treatment cleansers on the shelves at Skin Ritual. I recommend gentle, simple cleansers only, and even tell my clients to just wash with water in the morning, and skip the cleanser all together. Simplifying this step has worked very well for both me, and my clients.
4. When to cleanse
I used to think that double cleansing was just a fad, and I felt that morning cleansing was a step that should not be skipped. Both have now changed for me!
Time and experience have shown me that double cleansing at night is in fact, really beneficial provided you are not using an overly drying cleanser. Especially if you are wearing sunscreen - one cleanse will not cut it.
The morning cleanse however, I've personally dropped and a lot of my clients have too. The more information becomes available about the skin microbiome, the more I've come to learn that the less cleansing we do, the better (within reason). Water, is absolutely sufficient on its own as a morning cleanse.
5. Last, but not least, "Stronger is better"
It really is human nature to make this assumption, and I think we're all guilty of believing it from time to time. But when it comes to the skin, sometimes the best routine is actually the gentlest. Tretinoin is not superior to Retinaldehyde. 15% niacinamide is not better than 7.5%.
But more than that, it's just not as simple as which % is best, because its about what is best for each individual - and that will vary.
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