“So what do you do?”
“Oh, I’m an esthetician!”
“A what?”
Esthetician. Honestly, most people don’t even know what it means. For those that do, it can vary from facial specialist to lash technician. For me, it’s my life, career, and passion. Among many other things, it’s part of what defines me.
I didn’t always love skin. Not even mine. At 14, I began my struggle with cystic acne. it wasn’t easy to be confident in the skin I was in. No amount of “fake it till you make it” confidence would get me past the way I looked. I tried just about everything. DIYs, the “best” drugstore products, dermatologist-prescribed products. You name it, I tried it. I was considering Accutane, which meant birth control (for those who aren’t familiar with Accutane, it can cause serious birth defects). After doing a little research, the consensus was that birth control wasn’t for me. I had enough issues with my hormones and cycle as it was (totally unrelated to my skin…) Seeing an esthetician was my next alternative.
Enter actual education and holistic treatment.
As I started seeing an esthetician, my skin started to dramatically improve. And with that improvement, came knowledge. I started to see results. Maybe not as quickly as I would have liked, but I wasn’t in constant pain and the embarrassment started to subside. I would see her once a month, and ask as many questions as I could. This is where the passion flourished. She recommended different homecare products. Polar opposite of what my dermatologist recommended. I thought you treated acne with harsh products, right? Yea, not always.
As my education grew, so did my curiosity. Who knew that diet played a huge role in the way my skin worked? No one told me that. So food can be inflammatory. Well, going gluten free couldn’t hurt. Dairy? Done with it. Anything “inflammatory” was out of my diet. Now, keep in mind I’m around 15 at this point. Every birthday, school celebration, or dinner with friends felt hindered by my need to have clear skin. But, it all felt worth it. With a switch to gentle products and diet changes, my skin took six months to clear up. And guess what? It never came back.
But I was left with this constant hunger and unhealthy relationship with food. From age 15 to 18, my weight would fluctuate, sometimes as much as 50 pounds. I guess you can’t have everything. But what if I told you, you could?
Over the years, I have found what has worked for ME. And no, it’s not as simple as going gluten free and switching a couple of products. It’s always a battle. But that right there is the key. Everyone is different. There is no “one size fits all” approach to skincare and overall wellness. And my goal is to help as many people find what works for them while also learning to love themselves exactly the way they are. With that being said, welcome to the esthetician journal.