Simone Rose offers botanical skin therapy and holistic skincare coaching from her tranquil salon in Birkdale, Auckland – Simone Rose Organic Face and Body. She delves deep into her clients’ diet and lifestyle to get to the root of their skin conditions, healing them from within. Bestow Beauty plays an important role in her holistic approach, giving Simone the tools to supplement topical products and lifestyle adjustments with powerful skin nutrition remedies. 

Here is an inspiring case-study of transformation that came about from Simone working closely and compassionately with a client who was struggling with acne.

Riding the Emotional Rollercoaster of Clearing Acne

When Louisa first came to see me she was very insecure about her skin and was at an emotionally low ebb.

Her skin was sensitive with extreme congestion and she wanted to heal her skin in a natural way. Louisa was very motivated to repair her skin, doing everything that I asked her to do, from topical skincare to lifestyle and diet changes.

It took six months for Louisa’s skin to clear and at the halfway mark her skin got worse before it got better. The comedones on her face had to turn into full blown pimples before they could heal, which was a learning experience for me as well as a challenging journey for Louisa. While we worked together, I had to not only rely on my knowledge as a holistic beauty therapist, but I had to be sensitive and compassionate, encouraging Louisa every step of the way to keep her moving forward.

A Holistic Skincare Strategy
Topical Approach

Louisa adopted a morning and evening routine using the Janesce botanical skincare range. Each morning she soaked her skin with warm water, sprayed the Soothing Mist, applied a cocktail of Janesce Soothing Mist and Janesce Lavender Oil, and then applied Janesce Suncare lotion to finish. She used the Janesce Rose Cleanser in the evening and then repeated the rest of her morning routine, minus the Suncare lotion.

A few months in, when her comedones turned into pimples, we added the Janesce Gentle Clearing Wash three times a week. The Gentle Clearing Was is great for treating pimples by reducing inflammation and speeding up the healing process. By now her skin was hydrated and stronger, better equipped to cope with this stronger product.

I also gave Louisa an extraction facial treatment every three weeks.

Internals – Diet Changes, Bestow Beauty and Supplements

Louisa kept a food journal which she emailed to me weekly so we could improve her diet and eliminate congesting foods. She swapped peanut and almond butter for tahini, to be used sparingly. She switched from ghee to coconut oil. We cut down her fruit intake, avoiding it completely it the mornings.

Louisa was drinking too much water, so I cut this down and recommended that she remove drinks completely at meal time. Louisa took two tablespoons of Bestow Beauty Plus Oil each day either in porridge, smoothie or salad dressing. She took one tablespoon of Bestow Be Cleansed Powder each day in either her porridge or smoothie. Louisa found the Bestow Savour recipe book a helpful guide on her journey to making nourishing, skin-friendly meals at home.

In terms of supplements, Louisa took Janesce Zinc Repair, B complex vitamin and took one teaspoon of the Janesce Aperitif before each meal.

Lifestyle Changes

Because Louisa was so stressed about her skin, I sent her to a Network Spinal Analysis (NSA) Doctor which is a very gentle but powerful method of chiropractic care that helps your body learn how to better regulate spine and life tensions, creating sustainable improvements in your spinal flexibility, body awareness and overall wellbeing.

Joyous Milestones Along the Way

The first sign we were on the right track was when I extracted a comedone and it came out clean with no extra angry, sticky fluid. The Bestow Oil and B complex were working well to create a healthier sebum. Each facial after that there were fewer and fewer comedones to extract, plus the internals were strengthening Louisa’s skin from within.

Challenges and Setbacks Are Part of the Process

Three months into the journey Louisa’s skin looked worse than at the beginning! I realised every single comedone had to form into a pimple before it went away.

Aware that this setback could be discouraging, I asked Janine Tait to write Louisa a note assuring her she was in good hands. I also spoke to Jenny Barrow about her journey to get rid of congestion and she was kind enough to forward me her before and after photos. It took Jenny eight months to clear her skin and she had to be completely free of all congesting foods to get there.

Armed with these tools I was ready for the very emotional Louisa who turned up at my door and I was able to encourage her to continue her journey.

When Things Get Worse Before They Get Better

Janine Tait knows as well as anyone that when it comes to congestion, skin often has to hit rock bottom before it can improve. By understanding why this happens, therapists can maintain a good relationship with their clients in the face of break-outs.

“With acne and congested skin, there are many open and closed comedones present. Comedones form when sebum thickens and blocks the pore. Because they are not red or inflamed, these comedones fly under the radar of the immune-system’s awareness.

Once you start to repair the skin and it becomes soft and supple with sebum that flows, the body becomes aware of blockages and deals with them through the immune system. One by one each comedone turns into a pimple as the skin purges the congested serum. It’s understandable that your client might freak out as this break-out occurs, but it actually signifies progress!

Once that pimples clears and heals that pore is now ‘free’ for the first time in a long time. You just have to help your client to understand what is going on and support them emotionally as they deal with the challenges of facing the world each day through this break-out stage.”

~ Janine Tait

Louisa Today – A Radiant Woman with Radiant Skin

Today, Louisa’s skin is strong, clear and radiant. She is very happy and turns up to her facial appointments with a big smile. She chats cheerfully right up to the moment I start the massage. Without the worries about her skin, she is strong enough to welcome new and exciting challenges into her life.

From this personal journey, Louisa developed a passion for natural health. She quit her job and has started studying naturopathy – she is so excited about the future!

My Learnings as a Skincare Therapist

This is the first time I’ve experienced congestion that has to turn into a pustule before going away, so it was a real learning experience as a beauty therapist.

This case drove home the importance of a holistic approach: I could never have healed Louisa without looking internally.

I also learnt that skin disorders affect people emotionally, they can make a person feel so insecure that it’s all consuming. Because Louisa was so anxious about her skin, I needed to show deep compassion, while sharing my knowledge and lots of patience.

A Word From Louisa

“After struggling with skin problems for two years and having no success at healing, I am so thankful that I found Simone! I wanted to find a natural way of healing myself and Simone had the answers.

After my initial consultation with Simone I felt so much anxiety lift off my shoulders. She really listened to me and was very understanding about how my skin was affecting me mentally and emotionally. I knew I was in safe and healing hands.

Simone has taught me so much about my skin and how to care for it both internally and externally. She is extremely knowledgeable and her passion for helping and healing others shines through in everything that she does. Simone was there for me every step of the way with support, encouragement and patience.

I get so excited when my next appointment is coming up. Her studio is beautiful and her treatments leave me feeling relaxed and rejuvenated. Simone has a professional, warm and friendly approach and always makes me feel comfortable.”

– Louisa Pridham

I love reading case studies from our amazing Janesce Skincare therapists. Hearing about client’s skincare journeys has reminded me of what an emotional rollercoaster it can be treating acne or congestion. Why? Because the skin often gets worse before it gets better! Eeek!

This can seriously challenge the confidence of even the most experienced skin health therapist. And, there is always the danger that it will undermine your client’s trust in you. As her skin gets worse under your care, the question inevitably rises, “does my therapist really know what she is doing?”

I’d like to support you in this process.

By providing education and advance-warning  you can reduce the volatility of the emotional rollercoaster and smooth the acne healing pathway for you and your client.

Firstly, let’s look at the skin science.

Why Does It Get Worse Before It Gets Better?

With acne and congested skin, there are many open and closed comedones present.  Comedones form when sebum thickens and blocks the pore. Because they are not red or inflamed, these comedones fly under the radar of the immune-system’s awareness. It’s as though the body doesn’t even know the comedones are there so it doesn’t expend any effort trying to purge them from the skin.

What Causes Comedones in the First Place?

Comedones will be present due to one or a combination of the following factors:

1. A genetic sensitivity to congesting foods (like chocolate, cheese, cashews etc.)
2. An EFA deficiency (EFA’s help produce a free-flowing sebum)
3. A deficiency in certain B vitamins (B-vitamins must be present for EFA’s to work)
4. Perspiration drying on the skin (The salts the perspiration contains blocks the pores).
5. A stripped, dehydrated stratum corneum (The skin lacks flexibility which inhibits the free flow of sebum to the surface of the skin)
6. The use of comedogenic products (Some make-up products physically block the pores)

Once you address all of the above factors, the skin will stop producing new comedones.

What Happens to the Comedones That Are Already Present?

Well, for some lucky people, they simply disappear!  One minute they are there and the next time you look, they’re gone.  If only that was the case for all of our clients! Unfortunately it is more likely to be one of the following two scenarios that plays out.

1. Comedones Turn Into Papules and Pustules

Once the skin becomes soft and supple (through topical hydration) and the sebum starts flowing (with the elimination of congesting foods and addition of EFA’s and B Complex), the body becomes aware of blockages and deals with them through the immune system.

One by one each comedone turns into a pimple as the skin purges the congested sebum. It’s common for your client to freak out as this break-out occurs, but it actually signifies progress! Once that pimples clears and heals that pore is now ‘free’ for the first time in a long time. You just have to help your client to understand what is going on and support them emotionally as they deal with the challenges of facing the world each day through this break-out stage.

2. Comedones Remain as Historical Congestion

Some client’s skins are genetically predisposed to more stubbornly hold onto blockages and the existing comedones continue to sit there as ‘historical congestion’. This can take many months to clear.  In Jenny Barrow’s case, her skin which had been deeply congested for 15 years took eight months to clear – and she did everything we told her perfectly!  In these cases continued commitment, encouragement and patience is required.

Jenny Barrow: 8 month transformation

Extraction Facials Speed The Process

In both of these situations I cannot over-emphasize the power of extraction facials to speed up the skin-clearing process. This is a far quicker and less distressing way to manage the skin-clearing process than letting nature run its course and produce break-outs.

How to Perform A Skin Healing Extraction Facial

Once your client’s skin is supple with hydration and the sebum has started to soften with dietary intervention, your client will be ready for an extraction facial treatment. This will take a minimum of two weeks of skincare/dietary care and possibly longer.

• Begin with Janesce Rose Cleanser
• Soak the skin really well with a warm lavender compress.
• Massage Janesce Gentle Enzyme Peel into face for five minutes and remove with warm cloth.
• Apply Janesce Gentle Clearing Wash, gently press it in to the skin with damp hands for leave 5 minutes and remove with warm cloth.
• If you have a vapozone or steamer, use this to soften the skin further.
• Prevent the skin from dehydrating with the application of the Rose Petal Mist.
• Extract comedones using a comedone extractor or two cotton buds. If a comedone proves to be difficult to remove, don’t force it out, as this will damage the skin. Leave it for next time – it’s just not ready yet.
• Finish your session with a lymphatic-type massage using a cocktail of Soothing Mist and Calendula Concentrate. These two products will leave a fine, healing, protective film on the skin and you won’t need to apply an oil or moisturizer.

Warn Your Client In Advance

It is a really good idea is to warn your client about the possibility that their skin may get worse before it gets better when they first begin their programme with you. With understanding comes acceptances and patience.

Knowing what to expect will help your client to mentally prepare for whatever happens and will make her more emotionally resilient in the face of the inevitable ups and downs that will occur.  If the worst happens, rather than thinking, “does my therapist know what she is doing?,” she will instead think, “ah, my therapist said this might happen, and she was right.”

This will continue to build the confidence and trust that is at the heart of every successful change partnership.

I look forward to hearing about your success stories!

Wither(def): to fade away, decline or become weakened

Most Friday mornings I can be found at a local café in the company of a group of fellow business owners. We discuss our challenges, share solutions and celebrate the triumphs in our businesses.  I have learnt so much from them over the years, even from people with very different businesses to mine.

Last Friday, an owner of a chain of veterinary clinics, introduced us to a business communication issue he described as “offering withering advice”. We all looked a little perplexed (as I imagine you might be now!) until he explained further.  What he meant by that was he had realised it was vital that the advice his vets offered pet owners in a consultation was followed through with a concrete ‘call to action’.

For example, every vet knows that a regular vaccination plan is essential to the health of the animal. This is communicated to the pet owner verbally when they bring their pet in for an appointment. However, if this recommendation isn’t followed up by an offer to book the vaccinations at the reception desk, or with follow-up emails or postal reminders when vaccinations are due, this once vital piece of advice withers – it shrivels and fades away because the pet owner was not given a concrete opportunity to act on it.

This business owner in my Friday morning group felt that if the vets really did believe that a vaccination plan is vitally important for the pet’s health, then they needed to follow it through with a strong reminder plan, giving the pet owner every opportunity to put the advice into action.

I was stuck by how similar this problem is in our industry. I think many of us offer withering advice if we take a good honest look at ourselves.

How often do we mention a product that would really benefit a client during a facial and then fail to ask the client if she would like to buy it once you get to the counter?  For that matter, how often do you not even mention the product or treatment that you know would best serve your client because you are worried it is too expensive for them?

It’s important to remember that what you can afford to pay for products and treatments is not a good gauge of what your client is willing to pay. Make the recommendations that would best serve them, and then let them take care of their budget decisions.