from NT – Beauty Marketing di marzo 2011

Also available in the pdf version

TARGETING THE SIGNS OF AGEING.when it comes to facial treatments, the partnership options between doctor and beautician are many and profitable.

The key player in our external appearance, the face has always been the focus of special care on the part of people of all age groups. Women want a toned youthful face, and even men have now learnt to desire a healthy rested look. Many cosmetic surgery procedures meet current day needs, ranging from traditional evergreen anti-ageing treatments to those perfected to defeat other blemishes, such as skin spots, empty volumes and removal of bags under the eyes. We asked Dr. Stefanos Vourtsis, specialist in Reconstructive Plastic Surgery and Cosmetic Surgery, for his opinion about the practical benefits of a partnership with beauticians on the subject of ‘facial treatments’.

IMPORTANT ADVICE

After underscoring the fact that potential partnership options are many, as long as beauticians channel their public only to reliable surgical clinics with acknowledged fame, and precisely follow the advice of doctors during postoperative phases, Dr. Vourtsis says, “Regarding non-surgical facial treatments, such as deep peeling, I have often noticed that beauticians are somewhat reticent to advise clients to book a few sessions at a surgical clinic. Fortunately this wrong attitude is not very common. Medical treatments, by their very nature, have a more forceful action in terms of benefit for the skin as the results guaranteed have a broader spectrum than what can be obtained in the cabin, but beauticians must not be afraid of losing clients for this reason. Conversely, they must consider that a satisfied person will acknowledge a useful suggestion received and appreciate the Beauty Shop’s professional expertise, thus becoming a regular client for the preparatory and maintenance phases of the results”.

PRE- AND POST-OPERATIVE CARE IN THE BEAUTY SALON

Before facing any type of facial treatment―from infiltrations to laser therapy and the use of acids―it is essential to prepare the skin with deep cleansing procedures. The doctor says that masks and massages performed with elasticising cosmetics, even in combination with cosmetic devices that prepare the skin for subsequent surgery, are also effective. “The preparatory phase at the Beauty Shop,” says Dr. Vourtsis, ”is strictly related to the type of surgery the client wishes to submit to. Peeling requires a few sessions of treatment that entail the application of glycolic acid in a low percentage, while masks and depigmenting protocols are excellent for laser therapy”.

The same partnership opportunities can be created during phases that closely follow cosmetic surgery. Dr. Vourtsis says this after underscoring the fact that constant maintenance at the Beauty Parlour is the secret to prolong and strengthen beneficial effects achieved with the help of medicine.

“Even in cases of simple non-invasive surgery,” says the doctor, “such as, for example, vitamin infiltrations indicated to restore tone and enliven tired and stressed skin, a cosmetic revitalising programme entailing constant application of vitamin-based cosmetics is unquestionably an excellent complement. This is also true especially after infiltrations of hyaluronic acid, a substance that effectively attracts water. It is obvious that any type of treatment performed on facial skin, with the use of gels and creams containing hyaluronic acid and other active moisturisers, will considerably enhance the effect of infiltrations that, among other things, manifests increasingly as the weeks go by”.

Maintenance in a Beauty Salon must be proportionate, in terms of number of sessions and intensity of treatments, to the age of the client. “Regarding skin ageing”, concludes the specialist, “it is crucial to start following clients from the age of 30. This is the most interesting target because it is the one that ages best with the assistance of the beautician’s professional advice. It is always useful to remind people that skin must be trained, somewhat like the body at the gym and, then, submitted to beauty treatments with cosmetics chosen to suit the case, starting long before the onset of evident expression wrinkles. Only this approach will guarantee the client’s slow ageing and delay the onset of blemishes, which are difficult to fully remove, once they appear”.