Issue link: https://www.ascpskindeepdigital.com/i/1495571
62 ASCP Skin Deep Spring 2023 MOST NEW YEAR'S EVE CELEBRATIONS involve a glass of prosecco or sparkling apple juice accompanied by a 10-second countdown to the year ahead. Not for Stephanie Andresen-Stevens. There she was, at 4:45 a.m. on January 1, 2023, using everything she could to dry the floors after a pipe burst in her newly opened studio space in La Crosse, Wisconsin. The business owner had recently expanded her spa, Brilliant Bodywork, from its humble 350-square-foot beginnings to larger spaces over the years, including the beautiful new 6,500-square-foot location with space for her to see all kinds of clients. But Stephanie wasn't soaking up a foot of water with wet/dry vacuums by herself. According to Stephanie, "It takes a whole community to make a business successful." That early morning, Stephanie had plenty of help from the community: her staff, her husband/business partner, her friends. "They could've put their hands up, like 'oh man, that sucks for you,' and walked away," she says. "But our staff came to the rescue." They didn't think twice when lending a hand. They were there because of the love and compassion Stephanie gives back to the community as an esthetician/business owner who cares endlessly about the lives of her clients. Stephanie's start in the esthetics industry came after a rough childhood experience with a form of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a disorder that affects the connective tissue in the body and causes joint hypermobility, skin hyperextensibility, and tissue fragility. She learned the value of generosity after receiving care from Shriners Hospital for Children. Everything was free of cost: her appointments, her braces, her X-rays, her physical therapy sessions, even her surgeries. She vowed to give back the same way they gave to her, and so her love for esthetics was born. Now, Stephanie owns and operates Brilliant Bodywork, which is dry and fully operational again thanks to her loved ones; her nonprofit Restorative Ink, which provides free tattoo removal for survivors of human trafficking or domestic abuse; and her nonprofit Wings of Hope, which provides free services for clients undergoing cancer treatment. Stephanie also spends time traveling the country educating her peers and inspiring others who may want to adopt similar nonprofit services. Stephanie has overcome the hurdles and obstacles from her experiences as a child and used them as inspiration to be philanthropic in her community. "We can all make the world a better place with just one simple act of charity and kindness," she says. We spoke with Stephanie to learn more about her journey, what keeps her going, and what's to come. Skin Deep: You were inspired to go into esthetics during one of your first surgeries for Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. How did that evolve? Stephanie Andresen-Stevens: Looking back, I'm a little ashamed of my initial viewpoint. I was upset and concerned with how the scars would impact me in the future on an esthetic level. I remember looking around the waiting room [before my surgery], looking at these kids who had limb deficiencies or cleft lip and palates—conditions that are much more severe than I consider mine to be. We all had our cards dealt to us. I thought: You can curl up in a ball; you can be angry about it; you can be upset; you can worry about what people are going to think. Or you can power on and empower yourself to learn about the condition or learn how you can make things a little bit better. At the age of maybe 12 or 13, I actually took that path of trying to learn more. What could I do to prevent these scars from being lifelong? How could I prevent them from being big and purple and puffy? That led me to research skin and how to properly take care of it. Life isn't necessarily what happens to us; it's how we respond to it and how we can make other people's journeys less traumatic and a little bit easier to heal from. SD: That's quite a mature viewpoint to have at such a young age. SAS: I went through a lot of medical trauma as a child, not just with Ehlers-Danlos. I think the maturity comes from having medical trauma and deciding it doesn't have to be all in somebody else's hands. I thought maybe I could make adjustments at home too. This was all out of love of learning how to better care for myself. SD: Now that you've been removed from the hospital setting for a while, how do you find your condition affects you? SAS: First, it impacts me in that I know my limits. Several years ago, I stopped doing facials all day long. I started limiting those because they are labor intensive on the arms, shoulders, hands, fingers, thumbs, wrists, and everything in between. So I added more variety into my day by doing more laser services and more things that were less strenuous on my body and less repetitive. Getting good variety in my day helps dramatically.