Had a client last week who made me rethink how I push retinol

I was with a 45 year old woman who said her previous esthetician told her to use 1% retinol every night. She had raw, peeling skin and was convinced it meant the product was working. I spent 20 minutes explaining that more is not better and that her barrier was destroyed. It hit different because she trusted that advice for 6 months. Any other estheticians deal with clients who got pushed into way too strong of a formula too fast?

2 comments

2 Comments

shane_nguyen1mo ago

Used to think strong retinol was the way to go until I saw damage like that.

finleylopez1mo ago

Same thing happened with a client of mine last month. Her old esthetician had her on 0.5% retinol every single night with zero buffer, and her skin was literally flaking off in sheets. Took me forever to convince her that redness and pain aren't signs of a working product.