My Professional Skin Analysis

A few weeks ago, I made a decision to seek out professional advice on what to do about my skin. I began looking up a few places in my area, but after work one day I realized that one of the buildings across the street had exactly what I wanted. That night I looked up the Skin and Tonic website to see what it was all about.

Image Source: Skin and Tonic Facebook Page

Skin Analysis – 15 minutes

A professional skin evaluation, which enables the therapist to determine the clients, skin type and needs. Cost is redeemable on purchase of product. Price: $35.00

I booked my appointment and waited for the day to come. I thought I had a pretty good idea about my skin and what it needed, but turns out I was wrong.

After introductions, the lady set me up on the bed and asked me what my concerns were. I said that my pimples were the issue, and I was asked a question (which I've forgotten what it was) but my response was that my nose can be dry one minute and oily the next, and my makeup struggles to stay there. She ran her finger along my nose and then applied something to my face. I'm not too sure what it was however I assume it was a cleanser. After rubbing it in, she used a wet facial sponge to remove the product.

Next she took a closer look at my skin by using a special light. She asked what products I use (it took me about 2 minutes to remember what brand my toner was ... I always get Clinique and Clarins mixed up) but didn't say anything about them. She determined that I have an oily t-zone, which came as a surprise to me. I thought my t-zone was dry because I often have flaky skin in those areas which means I exfoliate them slightly more often than the rest of my face. I didn't say anything about that, but it was like she read my mind because she told me not to over-exfoliate or it will aggravate my skin (which I already knew, and funnily enough I only exfoliate once a week even though I thought I should be doing it more often. But I had used a Biore scrub a few hours before my appointment).

She touched my cheeks and stated that they are not oily at all. Let me quickly explain my spot situation. I very rarely get any spots on my nose, very small spots on my forehead, I get a few on my temples but the worse zones are my lower cheeks and my chin. These are also the areas where I get big, painful spots.

The next shocking discovery she made was that I have sensitive skin. Really?! That would explain why my skin seems to hate most of the products I use. She advised me to not use any moisturizers that are too heavy (oops, I'd recently been using a night cream to sort out my winter woes!) and gave me a few samples to try out. Three are by Dermalogica - a pre-cleanse, a cleanser, and a moisturizer with SPF 30.

The final sample is by ASAP and is a daily exfoliating scrub with AHA (which is a chemical exfoliant) that also contains fine beads like most scrubs. I was told to try using this twice a week to begin with and gradually build up to daily use (read my review here).

That was the end of my appointment. The lady advised me to buy the scrub that she had given me a sample of, so I agreed and pair $29.00 for 50ml. Because I had purchased something, I didn't need to pay for the consultation.

She had also recommended that I get a microdermabrasion treatment, which I will book an appointment for on Monday. However I will be away next week, so I will have to wait until the week after. One 60-minute treatment will cost $120.00.

If are you having problems with your skin I strongly suggest that you go and see a professional. It is so easy to get the wrong idea about what your skin needs and you could end up making things worse in the long run.