A client told me her skin felt 'like a stranger' after a year of aggressive treatments

She came in for a hydrating facial yesterday and said she'd been following a strict routine from her last esthetician, using a 10% glycolic acid serum every single night. Her barrier was wrecked, red and tight. She looked at me and said, 'I don't even recognize my own face anymore.' It made me question how often we push actives without checking in on skin happiness, not just skin goals. How do you guys balance results with maintaining skin comfort?

2 comments

2 Comments

beth_sanchez1d ago

Remember my friend who got talked into using retinol every night? Her face got so raw and flaky she had to stop wearing makeup for a month. She said it felt like a sunburn that wouldn't heal, and she was just blindly following the instructions hoping for the glow. It took a simple cleanser and thick moisturizer for weeks to get her skin back to normal.

rivershah1d ago

Damn @beth_sanchez, that sounds brutal and way too common.