There is a link between health and food. Nutrition has an impact on the appearance and health of one's skin. Supplement products come in many forms: traditional capsules, tinctures, gummies, and powders. A client can benefit from the "Beauty From With In" approach; be it anti-aging or problematic skin, this approach can be customized to fit clients' individual needs. For example, collagen-based supplements are on the rise as an anti-aging treatment. These supplements are a great compliment to a series of advanced treatments in active skin care.
In order to be active, dietary compounds must be able to cross the intestinal barrier and reach blood circulation. This step could be a limiting factor to the efficacy of these compounds to benefit the skin. Therefore, before speculating about the mechanism of the skin effectiveness of Collagen Hydrolysate (CH), it is important to demonstrate whether it can be absorbed from the intestine and that the form and quantity can be determined.
From a clinical point of view, Sumida et al. [32] evaluated the effect of daily ingestion of CH (10 g) on the skin hydration of 20 healthy Japanese women and compared the experimental group to a placebo group (19 volunteers). A gradual improvement of water absorption and capacity was observed throughout the 60-day study in volunteers who ingested CH compared to the placebo group.
The following ingredients are also being used in addition to CH as active supplement skin care products in anti-aging products:
• Vitamin D
• L-Carnosine (Amino Acid)
• CoQ10
• Fish Oil or Omega 3
• Alpha Lipoic Acid
• Flax Seed
• Ginkgo Biloba
• Vitamin C
• DIM (Diindolylmethane)
Innovative spas are creating customized programs to feed the skin with these supplements, exfoliate the skin with peels or microdermabrasion, and include micro-needling for collagen induction therapy within anti-aging programs.
Estheticians are equipped with products, tools, and knowledge to create customized programs for all clients during each stage of acne (active, acne healing, and scarring) or to tackle a client's anti-aging needs. Estheticians have the ability to help from start to finish while tapping into a niche market that will create loyal clientele and improve alignment for both services and retail.
Here are 3 top ways to assist your service and retail alignment:
1. Start with surveying clients. Discover what needs your client has or what needs a family or friend of the client might have. Perhaps they may not have problematic skin, but they may have a family member that has exhausted other options, and nothing has worked yet.
2. Ask a few candidates to be part of an exclusive study the spa is launching. In this scenario, the client will achieve results for free or a discount and then could be asked to agree to write a testimonial to use before and after pictures are taken during the study for marketing.
3. Develop a customized program that utilizes a synergy of supplements, dietary education, home care routine, and in spa treatments.
32. Sumida E, Hirota A, Kuwaba K et al (2004) The effect of oral
ingestion of collagen peptide on skin hydration and biochemical
data of blood. J Nutr Food 7:45–52