LOTION USE
IS KEY TO HEALTHIER SKIN
by Rick Mattoon
It is important that responsible salon owners or operators realize the importance of helping clients maintain proper skincare. This responsibility is magnified when considering the literal area of our responsibility. Remember, the skin is the largest organ of the body. Although the skin is less complicated than most other organs, it is still an architectural wonder.
Skin covers the entire body and accounts for about 7 percent of a persons total weight. It has three main functions:
1) to protect the tissues beneath from injury, from
invasion by bacteria and from drying out;
2) to inform the body of changes in environment through a network of specialized
nerve sense organs; and
3) to keep the temperature of the body constant. This temperature regulation
becomes a real issue during extreme summer and winter months.
Sebum is a substance the body secretes onto the skin surface to prevent moisture or water loss from the underlying tissues. Frequent washing with soaps or detergents or exposure to dry, warm air similar to that from a tanning unit without the proper use of tanning or skincare productscan dry out the skin and leave it rough and flaky.
Maintain Skin Health
Dry skin is one of the most common skin problems and it also is one of the most easily resolved.
Surprisingly, the problem usually is only skin deep. When a person has a loss of sebum and experiences dry skin, only the skins paper-thin outer layer, the stratum corneum, is dry and lacking in water. Underneath this thin layer of dead skin are deeper, living layers of tissue that always are in need of moisture.
The solution for dry skin often is simple: Get and keep more water in the stratum corneum, because water and only water will transform it into a smooth and flexible surface. Here are some tips to suggest to tanning clients:
- Use a moisturizer before, during and after a tanning session, and whenever skin feels dry. Also, apply moisturizers to damp skin immediately after bathing to help seal moisture in the stratum corneum.
- If clients are sensitive to perfumes, they may want to avoid moisturizers that contain perfumes.
- They shouldnt bathe for more than 15 minutes after tanning. Ironically, soaking for long periods of time dehydrates skin because it has a tendency to wash away moisturesealing sebum. Quick showers are best.
- They should use a gentle, moisturizing cleanser or body wash as part of their skincare regime.
- Their face may require a different skincare program than the rest of their body. This is because it is possible to have an oily facial complexion while also having itchy, flaky, bone-dry skin on the legs.
Lengthen That Tan
During normal skin conditions, a person loses millions of dead skin cells every day. These are the same cells that hold the oxidized melanin bronzed during the tanning process. This normal process literally gives us an entirely new outer layer of skin about every 30 days.
When the skin is lacking proper moisture, the flaking or rubbing-off of skin cells is accelerated. It is through proper moisturization that we are able to enhance and keep our beautiful, golden tan longer. Salon owners should work closely with their distributor or manufacturer to develop a line of products that will help clients fulfill their skincare needs. Many products in the indoor tanning industry offer the assistance clients need to build and maintain a beautiful tan while sustaining moisturization.
Having a better understanding of skin and its important role as the bodys largest and possibly most vital organ is an essential part of being an indoor tanning professional.
Clients rely on operators and their staff to help them prevent possible skin problems.
Dry skin can be preventedor at least minimizedthrough simple skincare regimes like those mentioned in this article. If a dry skin problem doesnt clear up in a week or two, salon employees should be sure to have their client contact his or her healthcare provider for more in-depth consultation.
For more information, call NTTI at (800) 529-1101 or log on to www.tanningtraining.com.
