The Colorado lifestyle can take a toll on our skin. Here are some treatments offered by NOCO’s top estheticians to reduce everything from wrinkles and fine lines to sunspots, acne and dryness.
Mariah Vasquez, Studio glow. Photo By Brooke Austin Photography.
The holistic approach
Holistic estheticians consider their clients’ lifestyles and how they might contribute to their skin concerns. Among those factors are diet and stress, says Alyssa Owens, an esthetician at Soak Spa Integrative Massage + Holistic Skincare in Fort Collins and winner of the holistic esthetician category in this year’s Best of NOCO contest.
“Our skin is our largest organ; it’s a reflection of what’s going on internally,” she says. “It’s like 20 percent service (such as facials) and 80 percent home care, diet, lifestyle and what you’re doing when you’re not in the spa.”
Holistic estheticians are licensed by the state to provide facials, waxing and other basic services. After their 600-hour schooling, they can get additional certifications to perform more complex treatments such as microneedling, microdermabrasion, dermaplaning and chemical peels.
Alyssa Owens,
Soak Spa Integrative Massage + Holistic Skincare
Though they might sound intense, holistic skincare treatments aren’t invasive and result in little downtime. For example, Owens uses nano infusion and microchanneling to stimulate collagen production without damaging the skin barrier and Lira chemical peels to address fine lines, wrinkles and hyperpigmentation. Her hydrafacial treatments cleanse, exfoliate and infuse the skin with peptides and antioxidants.
Mariah Vasquez also targets the cells beneath the skin to improve their appearance on the surface with gentle treatments. Vasquez, a co-owner of Studio Glow in Loveland and Best of NOCO winner in the esthetician category, specializes in DMK enzyme therapy, a mask treatment that forces the body to send fresh blood and lymph to the area.
“Everything that’s showing up on our skin is because our cells aren’t communicating properly,” she says. “They need proper lymph and circulation to return to their healthiest, natural state.”
Vasquez offers other skincare services too, including microneedling, hydrafacials and sculpting facials with buccal massage. She and other holistic estheticians encourage clients to relax during treatments by providing soft robes or eye masks, essential oils and calming music.
“It’s a full-body experience,” Vasquez says. “So many times I’ve had people break into tears on the table because they need that soul care too.”
Bobbie Marriott, Allura Skin, Laser & Wellness Clinic
Medical-grade skincare
Whereas holistic estheticians take a gentler, more gradual approach, medical estheticians use tools to penetrate deeper into the skin for more immediate results. Lasers are a main example, says Bobbie Marriott, senior medical esthetician at Allura Skin, Laser & Wellness Clinic.
“I do Fraxel treatments, which use a laser rather than something manual,” she says. “I get a better result with anti-aging, so not as many wrinkles and cleaning off all that precancerous keratosis.”
Depending on their certifications, medical estheticians can perform other services, like laser hair removal and body contouring. While some med spas allow medical estheticians to do injectables, Allura leaves those services to their nurses, doctors and physician assistants.
Medical estheticians generally use more aggressive chemicals and acids for their facials, and they can do more intense microneedling by aerating the blood, Marriott says. Overall, the med spa experience is much more “procedural” than what you’d get at a day spa, she says, though she believes there is a place for both.
“If you’ve tried facials, microderms and chemical peels, well, maybe you need to do a laser,” she says. “But some people are like, ‘Don’t take my freckles and hyperpigmentation; I’ve earned these age spots.’”
