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86 ASCP Skin Deep Winter 2023 Addressing basic skin needs is essential in achieving results REGARDLESS OF AGE, GENDER, or circumstance, we have fundamental requirements to live. Even Maslow's hierarchy of needs begins with a foundation of basic necessities: air, water, food, shelter, and sleep. Additional needs are met with the goal of self-actualization. A successful skin care professional weaves additional needs of care, compassion, and creativity into every treatment experience. With the practical knowledge of skin correction, skin care professionals direct clients to the goal of living their best skin life. Each treatment is infused with the energy of human touch. As technology integrates into nearly every aspect of our lives, maintaining an equivalent priority on fundamental human needs becomes more important. Skin needs are the road map: Assessing skin health provides the safest and most efficient pathway for real, unfiltered, bright, beautiful skin. Working with natural pathways energizes a stronger organization of cells maintaining skin structure for all skin conditions. Maintaining the skin's structure is only one of the primary skin functions. Hydration, defense, exfoliation, and protection must be evaluated. Each of these fundamental functions works together and is considered when recommending any skin care treatment. SKIN NEED: ANTIAGING A skin condition everyone experiences is skin aging. External factors of aging can be prevented; however, internal factors will continue to affect the skin's appearance. The keratinocyte's journey to becoming a corneocyte on the skin's surface is managed throughout each layer of skin. As we know, as we age, this trip increases from 28 days to over 35. Stimulating proper cellular turnover and performing consistent exfoliation aid in healthy skin renewal management. Skin age is only a number that can be corrected through proper product application and guided modalities for healthier skin function and vitality. Regardless of the primary skin condition you have been tasked to manage, there are always co-occurring issues to consider. For example, aging skin does not only present fine lines and wrinkles, but also unwanted pigmentation, dehydration, and sometimes adult-onset acne. Clinical treatments need to address these issues while also targeting the primary skin condition. SKIN NEED: BRIGHTENING Regardless of the skin condition, dull skin is always a factor to tackle. Skin brightening can be presented in many ways for multiple skin conditions. Aging skin can exhibit photodamage, acne can cause uneven pigmentation from inflammatory lesions, and rosacea's continued state of erythema can challenge the skin's immune response time. Just as exfoliation is managed throughout each step of the keratinocyte's journey, managing melanin must be addressed along the entire melanogenesis process, not just with enzyme activity. This gives all skin types the opportunity for correction and maintenance. ADDRESSING SKIN NEEDS A comprehensive skin care system continually conditions skin, preventing future damage. Just like a three-sided triangle, a skin care system should have three components: daily home care, weekly home treatments, and monthly in-clinic treatments. Daily home care provides skin with brightening agents that tackle ongoing environmental assaults. Professionally guided home treatments stimulate the skin to maintain the corrected, healthier path initiated by in-clinic treatments. This establishes a connection between you and your client—and it provides skin with the desired result of bright, beautiful skin. The Real Needs of Skin by Lira Clinical ESTY PROTOCOLS