A MEMBER EVENTS & SEMINARS COLLEGES & TRAINING APAA AWARDS ACCREDITED SALONS HEALTH & BEAUTY FACTS IMPORTANT LINKS
Most plastic surgeons and dermatologists remember when, not long ago, skin was thought of as an impermeable barrier that could only be changed by internal medicines such as antibiotics or external tools such as scalpels. Because of this, the main purpose of skincare products was to sit on top of the skin's surface and make it feel good. Today, we've moved 180 degrees away from that thought.
Once it was discovered that skin can absorb topical ingredients, transdermal drugs whose ingredients penetrate the skin and enter the bloodstream flooded the market. It's now become normal for doctors to prepare patients before a procedure with skincare products not available over the counter. One example of this is the 70 per cent strength peel, designed to remove the stratum corneum in order to get better results from laser resurfacing.
The trend towards products that "do" something for the skin became more popular with the creation of prescription-only Retin-A, which contains a high percentage of vitamin A and is classified as a drug. Thanks to its widespread use, Retin-A served as a bridge between drugs and a new class of products called cosmeceuticals. Cosmeceuticals are still considered cosmetics but contain active ingredients that are absorbed into the epidermis, resulting in long-lasting positive effects to the skin. (The TGA does not allow companies to use the word "penetrate" on products unless they're classified as drugs.)
Although you can now buy cosmeceuticals at some chemists and department stores, professional market strengths are much more effective for a number of reasons.
These include:
They are often developed by physicians
They use active ingredients in higher percentages than those allowed in department stores and even chemists
They are of a higher quality (more expensive ingredients can be used since no national advertising is required)
Legitimate regimes can be set up because patients are educated in the correct use
Lines include products formulated for professional treatment use with complementing strengths for home care
Cosmeceuticals will continue to be one of the fastest-growing areas of the beauty business, and feel-good-only products will become more obsolete, as consumers experience the actual skin-fixing results.
MAKEUP WITH BENEFITS
Makeup has received a results-oriented makeover. The same thing happening with skincare is also occurring with makeup. Make-up that doesn't have some benefit for the skin is now considered a dinosaur, but it wasn't always this way. Just seven years ago, the concept of "skin care makeup" was an oxymoron. No-one cared about the formula, all that mattered was the colour, until mineral makeup was created - the first makeup to claim skin care benefits and actually perform, it changed the way colour cosmetics are perceived. It offered broad spectrum sun protection that was practically non-allergenic. The major sensitisers, perfume, chemical dyes and chemical preservatives had been eliminated, so it was gentle enough for people with sensitive conditions like acne and rosacea.
The first to embrace the potential of mineral bases were plastic surgeons and dermatologists, who saw a perfect fit with some of their new procedures. Laser resurfacing, for example, leaves the skin red for months; mineral makeup provides excellent coverage easily and cheaply and helps patients get back to normal life as quickly as possible. Soon doctors who initially were only interested in mineral bases as camouflage for redness and bruising began to expand into mineral blush, eyeshadows, lipsticks and mascara for a variety for reasons:
(A) Patients, happy with the results of mineral bases, wanted to see what else was available.
(B) Doctors saw how mineral makeup lifted patients' spirits and boosted their early opinions of their doctors' work.
(C) The concept of makeup that was also good for the skin appealed to educated patients.
(D) Since mineral makeup was not available in pharmacies or department stores, revenue from product sales added to physicians’ bottom lines.
Today mineral makeup is no longer relegated to a niche market. The credibility it received from medical use has propelled it into salons and spas, where it is now used both as enhancement makeup as well as to hide redness from services such as facials, peels, waxing, microdermabrasion and cosmetic tattooing. Aestheticians have come to rely on it as a means of allowing clients to return to work after a lunchtime facial.
It is a well-known fact that after the use of electrical equipment such as iontophoresis, substances placed on the skin will continue to absorb and for this reason standard makeup was not recommended to be applied to the face for several hours after a treatment. With mineral makeup this is no longer the case.
THE MEDICAL/AESTHETIC ALLIANCE
There is growing cooperation between physicians and aestheticians. This is one of the most important catalysts for change in the cosmetic world - it's the engine behind the trend towards products exclusively developed for professionals. In the not too distant past, there seemed to be an unbridgeable chasm between medical practitioners and aestheticians. However, doctors have come to realise that skincare specialists can play an important part in the successful treatment of patients. For example, preparation of the skin before surgery renders optimum results and faster recovery can be achieved with services like lymphatic drainage and aromatherapy treatments.
Combining dermatological care with facial treatments supported by the appropriate home care products can help clear up continuing problems such as acne, and this better than any one component alone. This collaboration has taken various forms, from plastic surgeons as well as dermatologists actually employing skincare specialists, to doctors referring patients to aestheticians they trust, to aestheticians recommending their clients to doctors whose work they admire. It's working so well that some doctors have even enlarged or moved their premises to include aesthetic centres within their premises. Salons and spas, in turn, are beginning to employ a dermatologist or plastic surgeon (sometimes both) who spends a day or more each week on the premises advising clients and offering procedures such as collagen implants and Botox. The doctor's presence brings credibility to the salon or spa and promotes the product lines offered by the establishment. Some doctors still resist this trend, but they are being left behind by their more open-minded colleagues, who are recognising the improvement in their services and to their bottom lines through customer retention and product sales.
The more consumers become aware of the importance of skin health and the damage caused by environmental hazards such as the sun and pollutants, the louder they voice demands for skincare products that push the boundaries in terms of ingredients and formulas. Even middle-aged women and men who never bothered with skin care or makeup in their 20s and 30s are intrigued by products that genuinely effect change and prevent further signs of ageing. Because of this, traditional methods of marketing cosmetics through department store salespeople trained in the art of selling rather than skin health have become less effective. Although marketing will always have a place in selling cosmetics, people are now asking: What does the product do?" "Why does it work?" "What's in it?" "How do I use it properly?" The answers to these questions are best answered by educated sales representatives and beauty professionals who not only know the product but also the function of the skin.
Jane Iredale Mineral Makeup distributed nationwide by Margi Fox Distributors, 1300 850 008, or visit www.margifoxdistributors.com
© APAA 2004