As a medical esthetician at a Toronto Dermatology Centre, it is my job to work in conjunction with our dermatologists to help patients overcome or diminish their skin conditions. Patients seeking help with acne concerns or rosacea or any other number of skin maladies are often at a loss as to how to improve their condition. Often they hope that the doctor will be able to give them a magic pill or cream and voila! Their skin is miraculously cured.
If only it were that easy, we would all be walking around with air brushed skin that defies high definition. But skin is a living organ, and like a plant, it needs to be nourished and kept healthy. I explain to my patients that going on a medication is to help alleviate the immediate concern, but without proper home care, the health of the skin is still being compromised. Like a flower that cannot bloom in ill conditions, so is it like that for our skin.
If what a patient is currently using at home has lead to them coming in to our clinic seeking help, then it only goes to reason that what is in their current regime is not working. Medical-grade home care helps to retain the proper pH balance of the skin therefore creating a healthy environment for skin to look its optimal at all times.
A home care regime of medical-grade cleansers, moisturizers, sunscreen and exfoliants provide the basis of a healthy skin. With the thought in mind that medication is a temporary solution that should not be continued long term, our job is to wean the patient off meds and back to the land of healthy, beautiful skin. The addition of serums, eye creams and any other recommended solutions are customized to each person’s needs.
It is important to remember that not all products are created equal, and that our job as a medical estheticians is to help the patients achieve their skin goals, not only for the immediate time being, but for continued success in alleviating skin conditions for the future.
