The following article is something I wrote based on past interviews I’ve had as well as coming up with different questions that a client might like the answers to. To come up with some of the questions I thought about what a new client might want to know about my skin care business as well as who I am as an aesthetician. And, as I mention in About Me—Skin Expert, I also took questions I had seen in another article and fit it to me and my own approach to skin care. No one knows you or your business like you do, so write about yourself and create similar written pieces. It really doesn’t matter who is asking the questions; the important thing is to give people truthful information about you so they can make up their own minds about coming in to see you.
This is a page from the About Carolyn section of my [older version] website (carolynash.com).
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| The About Carolyn page on my website: Interview |
An Interview with Carolyn Ash
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| Me, age 50, at my Boulder office |
What is the Carolyn Ash Skin Care approach to healthy skin?
Getting regular facials and using high-quality products at home are vital to achieving and maintaining clear, vibrant skin. But I believe you must also care for your skin from the inside out to bring about the best results. Understanding the correlation between internal, balanced health and external beauty is what my work is all about. I’m interested in long-term, obtainable results that help my clients achieve healthy skin—for a lifetime.
Getting regular facials and using high-quality products at home are vital to achieving and maintaining clear, vibrant skin. But I believe you must also care for your skin from the inside out to bring about the best results. Understanding the correlation between internal, balanced health and external beauty is what my work is all about. I’m interested in long-term, obtainable results that help my clients achieve healthy skin—for a lifetime.
Do you offer a complimentary skin care consultation?
A thorough analysis of the skin is one of the first steps in my facial. Samples are provided at the end of the treatment for new clients to take home and learn about how these products can benefit their skin—without any high-pressure sales pitch. By getting the facial as well as a consultation, you can see how the products and the information you receive in the facial will help you achieve the results you are looking for.
Do you see both women and men for skin care?
Absolutely! There has been this long-standing mythology that says facials are for women only. I actually think TV shows like Queer Eye for the Straight Guy helped to clear up that misconception. However, you don’t have to be a “metrosexual” to enjoy the benefits of a facial. Skin is skin, no matter which gender is wearing it. I always appreciate a man coming into my salon. It says he understands the importance of skin care maintenance and he doesn’t buy into the myth I mentioned earlier. More power to him!
When should someone begin thinking about a specific skin care routine? Is it best to wait until you see a need for it?
I like to say it’s never too late or too early to start taking care of your skin. Obviously, until you are in your teens (going through puberty), there really isn't a need to be concerned about your skin. But a teen with problem skin up to an adult with or without problems who wants to get into a routine, yes—it’s a good idea to start a program, which ideally includes regular facials. On the other hand, if you are 30, 40, 50 or even older and have never really taken care of your skin and want to start, it’s not too late! It comes down to priorities. We do in life what is highest on our priority list. Once skin care gets on someones list, that’s when I start seeing that client.
Do you think there is anything lacking in the world of skin care today or something that you would like to see happen?
Well, you’ve just touched on one of my soapboxes! I am and always have been a firm believer that we spend too much time on the outside and not enough time on the inside. Let me explain. I may have a client who comes in troubled about some aspect of her skin. It’s not young-looking enough, she may truly be battling severe problems like acne or something else. But many times this person’s lifestyle does not support that which she is seeking. She is trying to fix the outside, the skin, rather than assisting that process by going within. This entails looking at the diet with a lot of scrutiny. It also means fessing up to excesses like sun, sugar, alcohol, and stress. You can change the outside, but without enhancing that change by strengthening the inside—your internal health—I think it is a waste of time (and money!). I advocate doing what you can to feel better about yourself. But please don’t neglect your physical health. Without that, the outside doesn’t matter. I don’t think the skin care industry talks about that. It seems to be more interested in proliferating the idea of quick fixes and miracles as a way to healthy skin. I guess I just have a different opinion on how to get there.
What types of results are your clients seeing with your facials?
Healthier skin. Clearer skin. Less of a need or a total elimination of foundation (for women). A sense of well being about their faces. The other day a new client came back to get some products. She said that several people in her life had been complimenting her skin—how good it looks. She was ecstatic! She told me that had never happened before and it really made her feel good. This was just a woman who began getting facials and using good products. She didn’t get surgery and didn’t need to change anything dramatically to get the results she wanted: good skin that shows! That is a consistent result from my facials.
Another benefit, not really a result, is education. This above everything else is what I do best. If you want to know about skin care and how to get your skin looking great, my salons are the places to go. I have been honing my skills since being licensed in skin care in 1985—almost 30 years! I don’t have big salons nor do I do anything other than facials, but this is what works—for me. And my client is the person who is looking to simplify his or her skin care routine and still come out with great skin.
Carolyn Ash Skin Care is located in Boulder, Colorado. Carolyn is the author of Timeless Skin: Healthy Skin for a Lifetime as well as her second book, Skin Care A to Z.
This and the last two posts (Website ideas: About Me—Skin Expert, About me—Ballet to Beauty) constitute the About Me section of my website. I recommend looking at several websites, skin care or otherwise, and read through their perspective About pages to get ideas on what you might want to add to your own website. Having information available is important for your clients to learn a little more about you before they come in for a facial or to simply decide if they want to come into your salon.
