Issue link: https://www.ascpskindeepdigital.com/i/1523489
104 ASCP Skin Deep Summer 2024 BEHIND THE TREND Sunscreen Contouring Investigating the good and bad of this viral fad MANY CLIENTS COME TO YOU seeking a summer glow. As you know, there's a big diff erence between a healthy glow that results from well-cared-for skin and a "glow" that results from sun damage. Unfortunately, the latter is trending on social media in the form of sunscreen contouring. The trend involves applying sunscreen to the high points of the face—the nose, the center of the forehead, above the cheekbones, and on the chin—and leaving the rest of the face unprotected, resulting in a tan (and thus skin damage) on the contours of the face. We asked Brian Goodwin, esthetician and international trainer at Éminence Organic Skin Care, about the dangers of this tanning trend. THE GOOD Any type of suntan is damage to the skin, so it's hard to fi nd the good here. The only upside to consider is that clients who ask for your advice about the trend are, to some degree, interested in using sunscreen. This can open the dialogue for you to discuss eff ective sunscreen application. "Educate rather than lecture," Goodwin says. "Always make sure the benefi ts you're stating are in relation to what the client told you their main concerns are." For example, if the client is concerned about signs of aging, Goodwin suggests educating them with this fact: Up to 90 percent of skin aging is caused by the sun. THE BAD With this trend, any of the areas not covered by sunscreen are left vulnerable to sun damage. When skin is exposed to the sun without protection, it allows for ultraviolet (UV) rays to penetrate the skin, damaging the cells. "This would lead to increased risk of skin cancer in the areas that are uncovered, as well as accelerated aging, including loss of collagen, decreased elastin, and increased hyperpigmentation," Goodwin says. There's also a risk of permanent change to the skin's color in the areas left unprotected. THE CONCLUSION It's possible for your clients to still achieve a tan look without the sun. "There are sunless tanning waters and serums for the face that can give a sun-kissed glow," Goodwin says. "Tinted moisturizers or tinted SPFs can also add warmer hues to the skin." If your client is looking for a long-lasting glow, you could introduce them to another popular trend: self-tanner contouring. If they go this route, Goodwin says clients should be mindful of the self-tanner's ingredients, make sure it's formulated for the face specifi cally, and choose a shade that's closest to their natural skin tone to start. Then, they can follow these easy steps: 1. They should map out the areas of the face that they want to contour using dots or dashes with an eyebrow pencil or another makeup item that's easy to remove. 2. If they aren't familiar with contouring, they can practice tracing these marks with a cream contour or bronzer until they feel comfortable doing it with the self-tanner.