Create a Better Skincare Routine with the Two T’s: Type + Thickness
As skincare pros, you often hear us talk about the importance of understanding your client’s skin type and then creating the proper treatment plan to address those challenges. Also, up there in importance? Thickness of the skin. Thickness is key because it tells us how often someone should exfoliate, which over exfoliating can create all kinds of issues all by itself. That’s why if you are really looking to be successful in caring for your client’s individual skincare needs, don’t worry about skin color and just focus on the two T’s: type and thickness.
Skin Type
Accurate skin analysis is what will really make a difference in facial treatments or in at home skincare routines for your clients. With the goal of correcting, balancing and improving the quality of the skin, treating the skin first for skin type will ensure long term results. Remind your clients that the type of skin they are born with is determined by the characteristics it displays and not by gender, ethnicity, color or condition. Instead, we look at pore placement and pore size, along with checking for dehydration when determining skin type.
Once skin type is determined, treat with skincare products that are formulated especially for that type. And since skin type can change over time due to a number of factors such as genetics, age, hormones, and even seasonal changes, it’s important to make adjustments as necessary.
Skin Thickness
Our other favorite “T” is thickness which helps determine many things including how often to exfoliate and what type of pressure to use during treatments. Thick, medium or thin skin is determined by pinching the skin at the jawline and comparing between the skin on the neck (thickest) and the skin on the eyelids (thinnest). Then use these exfoliation guidelines for treatments:
- Thin Skin: Enzyme Peel mixed with water
- Medium Skin: Enzyme Peel mixed with water and Power Scrub
- Thick Skin: Enzyme Peel mixed with water and Glycolic Solution or Salicylic/Lactic Pro
Dig Deeper
It’s also smart to spend some time digging a little deeper and ask some questions about their skin. If they get oily during the day, but don’t have oily skin, then other things may be a play such as their environment or stress. Do they react to products with redness, burning or a rash? Do they have any allergies to products or ingredients? Do you see hyperpigmentation on their skin? Determine the cause (sun damage or trauma) and then adjust treatments accordingly. By asking these questions, you can choose your finishing product accordingly and help create the ideal at home skincare routine.