Ep 336 – Biohacking and the Backbar

Summary

Podcast Summary: ASCP Esty Talk – Ep 336: Biohacking and the Backbar

Episode Information:

• Title: Ep 336 – Biohacking and the Backbar
• Host/Authors: Ella Cressman & Maggie Stasik, Associated Skin Care Professionals
• Release Date: July 23, 2025
• Description: In this episode, Ella Cressman and Maggie Stasik delve into the world of biohacking, exploring how estheticians can integrate strategic lifestyle and technological changes to optimize skin health and overall wellbeing. From topical ingredients to advanced therapies, the discussion offers actionable insights for skincare professionals aiming to enhance their practice and client outcomes.

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Introduction to Biohacking

[01:57] Ella Cressman:
Ella opens the conversation by posing intriguing questions about lifestyle practices aimed at optimizing body performance, such as skipping breakfast for energy, intentional exposure to cold water, and tracking sleep with high-tech wearables.

[02:18] Maggie Stasik:
Maggie identifies these practices under the umbrella of "biohacking," a term that encompasses making small, strategic changes to one's lifestyle, biology, or environment to enhance physical and mental performance, health, and wellbeing.

Key Quote:

"Biohacking is defined as a practice of making small strategic changes to your lifestyle, biology or environment to optimize your physical and mental performance, health and wellbeing."
— Ella Cressman [02:29]

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Categories of Biohacking

The hosts break down biohacking into four approachable categories:

1. Topical Biohacking
2. Internal Biohacking
3. Device-Based Biohacking
4. Advanced Biohacks

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Topical Biohacking: Enhancing Skin Function

Adaptogens in Skincare:

[05:16] Ella Cressman:
Ella discusses adaptogenic ingredients like ashwagandha, rhodiola, and reishi mushrooms, highlighting their role in supporting the skin’s barrier resilience and managing environmental stressors.

[06:10] Maggie Stasik:
Maggie emphasizes the long-standing use of seaweeds in skincare, noting their adaptogenic properties that help block UV rays, prevent pigmentation, and enhance skin resilience.

Key Quote:

"Adaptogenic skincare will help ride out the weight of these other things happening, but keep it level. And so that level part is called homeostasis."
— Ella Cressman [07:07]

Peptide Therapy:

[07:22] Ella Cressman:
Ella introduces peptide therapy, likening peptides to the skin's personal trainers. Peptides signal specific cellular actions, such as collagen stimulation and melanin regulation, thereby optimizing skin function beyond mere appearance.

[09:12] Maggie Stasik:
Maggie points out that while peptides and adaptogens have been integral to skincare for decades, the contemporary trend of "biohacking" rebrands these established ingredients with fresh terminology.

Key Quote:

"Peptides are like the skin's personal trainers. They can signal specific things to happen in the skin, like stimulation of collagen, elastin, and stopping melanin synthesis."
— Ella Cressman [07:02]

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Device-Based Biohacking: Technological Enhancements

Red Light Therapy:

[12:09] Ella Cressman:
Ella discusses red light therapy as a device-based biohack that stimulates mitochondrial activity, boosts ATP production, and encourages wound healing. She notes its strong scientific backing and availability to the public.

[13:21] Maggie Stasik:
Maggie expresses skepticism about the efficacy of red light therapy devices, despite acknowledging that some devices may be effective. She highlights the variability in device quality and the potential for misuse, such as accelerating product burns when used improperly.

Key Quote:

"Red light therapy can be used in a way that is not necessarily intended or can have undesirable outcomes."
— Ella Cressman [14:08]

Blue Light Therapy:

[15:51] Maggie Stasik:
Maggie explains the regulatory challenges surrounding blue light therapy, especially in states like Colorado where treating acne with blue light requires a prescription, limiting its use scope for estheticians.

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Advanced Biohacks: Cutting-Edge Therapies

Cryotherapy and Cold Plunges:

[16:08] Ella Cressman:
Ella introduces cryotherapy practices such as cold plunges and ice rolling, discussing their benefits in stimulating microcirculation, reducing inflammation, and improving skin tone.

[17:42] Ella Cressman:
She elaborates on how these cold therapies function as biohacks by enhancing facial muscle re-education and cellular communication.

Exosome Therapy and PRP:

[18:20] Ella Cressman:
Ella touches on advanced biohacks like mammalian exosome therapy and Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) treatments (vampire facials), emphasizing their role in cell communication and skin repair processes. She underscores the necessity of professional supervision for these procedures.

Genetic and Epigenetic Skin Testing:

[19:37] Maggie Stasik:
Maggie highlights genetic and epigenetic skin testing as the pinnacle of biohacking in skincare, allowing for highly personalized treatment plans based on DNA and gene expression profiles.

Key Quote:

"Epigenetic skin testing for skin care is the ultimate biohack."
— Maggie Stasik [19:44]

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Implications for Estheticians

[19:35] Ella Cressman:
Ella summarizes the discussion by stating that estheticians are entering a new era of skincare focused on optimization rather than transient trends. She encourages professionals to educate themselves, adopt evidence-based practices, and empower clients to actively participate in their skin health journeys.

Key Quote:

"The key is education. Start small, stay evidence based and empower your clients to become active participants in their skin health journey."
— Ella Cressman [19:35]

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Audience Engagement and Conclusion

Ella invites listeners to share their biohacking practices via social media or email, fostering community engagement and knowledge sharing.

Key Takeaway: Biohacking in skincare is not a new concept but a rebranding of existing practices aimed at optimizing skin function and overall wellbeing. Estheticians are encouraged to integrate these strategies thoughtfully and professionally to enhance client outcomes.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

• "Biohacking is defined as a practice of making small strategic changes to your lifestyle, biology or environment to optimize your physical and mental performance, health and wellbeing."
  — Ella Cressman [02:29]

• "Adaptogenic skincare will help ride out the weight of these other things happening, but keep it level. And so that level part is called homeostasis."
  — Ella Cressman [07:07]

• "Peptides are like the skin's personal trainers. They can signal specific things to happen in the skin, like stimulation of collagen, elastin, and stopping melanin synthesis."
  — Ella Cressman [07:02]

• "Red light therapy can be used in a way that is not necessarily intended or can have undesirable outcomes."
  — Ella Cressman [14:08]

• "Epigenetic skin testing for skin care is the ultimate biohack."
  — Maggie Stasik [19:44]

• "The key is education. Start small, stay evidence based and empower your clients to become active participants in their skin health journey."
  — Ella Cressman [19:35]

---

Final Thoughts: Episode 336 of ASCP Esty Talk provides a comprehensive exploration of biohacking within the skincare industry. Ella and Maggie successfully demystify the concept, presenting it as an evolution of established practices aimed at optimizing skin health through both traditional and innovative methods. The conversation underscores the importance of evidence-based approaches and professional guidance, positioning estheticians to effectively incorporate biohacking strategies into their services.

Transcript

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[Ella Cressman]

Hello and welcome to ASCPSDtalk. I'm Ella Cressman, licensed esthetician, science geek and content contributor for Associated Skincare Professionals.

[Maggie Stasik]

I am Maggie Stasik, licensed esthetician and ASCP's program director.

[Ella Cressman]

We have a shout out today, Amalia Lacayo, who is an esthetician, nutritionist and homeopath based out of Miami, Florida. So thank you so much for listening. Amalia.

[Maggie Stasik]

Hey Amalia.

[Ella Cressman]

Hey Maggie. I've got a question for you. What do all of these things have in common? Okay. Skipping breakfast to boost energy, jumping into freezing cold water on purpose, tracking sleep with high tech wearables. All in the name of optimizing how our bodies perform.

[Maggie Stasik]

I'm going to go on a limb here and I'm going to say biohacking.

[Ella Cressman]

Ooh, you knew. Yeah, biohacking. Doesn't it sound so sci fi?

[Maggie Stasik]

It does, yeah.

[Ella Cressman]

It sounds out there. So biohacking is defined as a practice of making small strategic changes to your lifestyle, biology or environment to optimize your physical and mental performance, health and wellbeing. It's kind of a big broad. It's not as refined as I thought.

[Maggie Stasik]

Yeah, I feel like it. That could mean so many things.

[Ella Cressman]

It really could. In fact, it blends biology, self experimentation and often technology to hack the body's systems for better function. Doesn't that sound like familiar where we're coming into change functional performance?

[Maggie Stasik]

Yeah.

[Ella Cressman]

Interesting.

[Maggie Stasik]

Yeah. We do that in the treatment room, right?

[Ella Cressman]

Yeah, I know. There's different types of biohacking, including nutritional, biohacking technological biohacking, diy, biology and lifestyle optimization. Do you think that you might have any biohacking habits or practices?

[Maggie Stasik]

I do.

[Ella Cressman]

Do you wanna share them? Is it personal? Yeah.

[Maggie Stasik]

Well, I mean just simply taking vitamins is a biohack.

[Ella Cressman]

Yes, it is and I'm about it right now.

[Maggie Stasik]

Yeah.

[Ella Cressman]

Do you take anything fun?

[Maggie Stasik]

Do I take anything fun?

[Ella Cressman]

Let me rewind that question too. Asking that 20 years ago from me would have had a different intention. But now I'm talking about glutathione. Nmh, let's see, what else do I take that's really fun. Vitamin C, gluttony, Glucosamine. Yeah, fun. How about you?

[Maggie Stasik]

You know what? I have scaled back. Right now I'm very basic. Just a daily vitamin.

[Ella Cressman]

Just a daily vitamin. My swear by is magnesium glycinate.

[Maggie Stasik]

Oh, tell me what that does for you every night.

[Ella Cressman]

It helps me stay asleep. It helps me sleep well and 5 HTP. So 5 HTP helps me sleep longer. Stay asleep. So those two things I can't live without. But I also, I've talked about the beef organs before. Those really help. I'm on this fun thing to really experiment, the self experimentation with these things to have better function. So even though the term biohacking has been trending, you already mentioned spoiler alert that it's been making its way into our treatment for a while, our treatment rooms for a while. So chances are like Maggie and myself, you're doing it at home or, or many of our listeners could be doing it in their treatment rooms. Let's break it down into four approachable categories. Topical, internal, device based and advanced biohacks. Let's talk first about topical biohacking ingredients and products that are designed to work smarter, not just harder. Does this sound familiar?

[Maggie Stasik]

It does, yeah.

[Ella Cressman]

So there's two really cool ideas that I'm really interested at the moment. But this smart design is not a new subject. You know that the CBD movement was really cool for me it was an opportunity to take something, an ingredient and have it communicate with a system in the body, the endocannabinoid system, and make really targeted adjustments. At the time I, I said before. Now granted, this is before the pandemic, the next big thing is going to be adaptogens because cbd, a cannabinoid, was adaptogenic and then was kind of the infiltration of the mushrooms. And not to say that I'm prophetic, but it just took a little bit longer than I thought. So adaptogenic skincare. Do you know what these are?

[Maggie Stasik]

Yeah, We've talked about this before, but share with everyone.

[Ella Cressman]

Okay. Act surprised, listeners. These are formulas that feature herbal stress adapters. You'll hear them like ashwagandha, rhodiola, reishi mushrooms. They're big right now because they're going into our food, like the importance of it. There's like supplements you can take internally or you can take it in your coffee, which is a nice way. Just like adaptogens help our nervous system handle stress on the skin, they support barrier resilience, especially useful for clients who are dealing with environmental stressors or inflammation. And a lot of people are at the moment you saw the rise of it and then it just kind of stayed. Right?

[Maggie Stasik]

Yeah.

[Ella Cressman]

Have you noticed that too?

[Maggie Stasik]

I have, yeah. There was a big wave, like the mushrooms, for instance. There was a huge wave. It followed CBD and it has trailed off. Or maybe it has plateaued.

[Ella Cressman]

What's your favorite mushroom in skincare?

[Maggie Stasik]

Oh, gosh, I don't think I could answer that.

[Ella Cressman]

Mine is silver ear mushroom extract.

[Maggie Stasik]

Okay.

[Ella Cressman]

And the reason that I love that one, especially when we're talking about adapting the adaptogenic philosophy, if you can imagine, is like being on a seesaw. And the. On one side of the seesaw you have a human, and on the other side of the seesaw you have life things. Maybe you're traveling, maybe you're undergoing stress, maybe you're not sleeping, maybe your diet is off. And so it makes the seesaw go up and down, up and down, up and down. When really, optimally, we want the seesaw to be level. Right. So adaptogenic skincare will help ride out the, the weight of these other things happening, but keep it level. And so that level part is called homeostasis. Really even. And those are key because things change. Right. So another really cool topic or ingredient category that I am so excited about right now is peptide therapy. And I know the association of peptides previously was really about anti aging or collagen stimulus or neuromodulation as far as like stopping muscle movement. But they are this huge category of so many different things. Have you ever heard that peptides are like the skin's personal trainers?

[Maggie Stasik]

I have not heard that, no.

[Ella Cressman]

Yeah, that's an analogy. And the reason is because they can signal specific things to happen in the skin, like GHKCU or copper peptide and Matrixyl. These do that. Stimulation of collagen, elastin. But then they have these other peptides that stop melanin synthesis or overproduction. We have peptides that help encourage resilience and Strength, lots of different categories, but they all work beneath the surface, basically telling the skin cells to behave like younger versions of themselves. And that right there is biohacking. So obviously we've had peptides for quite a while in skincare, so we've been doing this trendy biohacking thing for a while.

[Maggie Stasik]

This is what I have to say about biohacking. Adaptogenics, Skin's personal trainers, all of these things have been around for decades, but these descriptors are new. So it feels like the ingredient that we are putting into our skincare must then be new.

[Ella Cressman]

You know what you just said? A biohack. You ll Cool J us. Don't call it a comeback. I've been here for years.

[Maggie Stasik]

Yeah, yeah. You know, I mean, like, when we're talking about adaptogens, for instance, you know, what immediately comes to mind for me is seaweeds, which have been in the industry for forever, for decades. And their purpose, their use, all the different types of seaweeds have a different purpose. But since aesthetics came about, we've had all of these spa lines incorporating them because they do things like block UV rays, prevent pigmentation. They are adaptogenic. They are a biohack.

[Ella Cressman]

So it's trying, it's like almost trying to get in the cool kids club and the, the, the cool kids table at lunch. Is these the, the marketing words? Yeah, I think so too. You can sit with us. Let's see if these people can sit with us too. Did you know they have topical nad?

[Maggie Stasik]

I did not know they had that.

[Ella Cressman]

I didn't either. And I was talking to another professional of like, if it's really received by the skin or not. They. This person I was talking to said it had a different. That it didn't work. Another bioenergetic heavy hitter is resveratrol, to your point. An oldie, but a goodie, making its way back into this new, I guess, newly defined category of biohacking. And then stem cell, like plant stem cells, those have been around for a long time. And I feel like the use of plant exosomes now is bringing that conversation back to the forefront of what can really happen in the skin. And it's probably because these ingredients target the mitochondrial function. So their job is to reduce oxidative stress and help improve things like cell turnover. And this is function, not just how the skin looks. Right.

[Maggie Stasik]

I would. I mean, all of these ingredients that we're talking about is targeting function, not just appearance, which is a biohack.

[Ella Cressman]

Right, Absolutely. Which goes back to our word on the street pod where we're talking about these marketing words. Interesting.

[Maggie Stasik]

So let me throw something out there. When we're talking about cosmetic, its job is to target how the skin looks. When we're talking about drug, its job is to target skin function. So when we're discussing all of these ingredients here which are actually affecting skin function, how are they not classified as drug?

[Ella Cressman]

That's a great question and a good one for the fda. I think that's it. I think that is the answer or the discernment is what does the FDA say? You bring up a great point because I think those were not considerations. It was like, oh, that's cute, you are the cosmetic industry. And then things that were treating acne or making a claim against spf, those are then drugs. And so that's why we have to include them on labels and such. But really this catapult of these other ingredients that do have a functional influence on how the skin performs, not just how it looks, but how it behaves, the health of the skin, they probably just haven't caught on yet, I guess. I don't know. Very interesting point. Good one. Let's talk about other biohacking on that note, device based biohacking like red light therapy. So red light therapy is a non invasive treatment that also is supposed to stimulate mitochondrial activity, boost ATP production and encourage wound healing. This is one of the most science backed tools that we have and it's readily available red light to the public.

[Maggie Stasik]

So I take pause with red light therapy. I know there's all these white papers out there, studies that support all of the companies out there selling these devices that show the before and afters and their studies and the science and da da da. I have such a hard time getting behind any kind of light therapy that proves this is a biohack and look at the changes in the skin. And I know I'm gonna get a lot of hate for saying that, but I just, I don't see it.

[Ella Cressman]

Don't hate Maggie, she's entitled to her opinion. Do you think it's a trust. Do you think no device does? Or do you think. Do you think it's that there's some devices that don't.

[Maggie Stasik]

There are some devices that are better than others and I'm sure they're quite effective. It's just ever since I went through aesthetic school, I, you know what? I don't know. I just couldn't adopt it.

[Ella Cressman]

That's fair. I guess I would think of it like tanning lamps or tanning lights, a uv. So I know that it does. I know that there is an influence or the H E V that comes through. My problem with red light therapy is the devices themselves because there is a range of prices and accessibility and efficacy. And I've seen it happen. Then you have these machines, these devices that have all of the lights, not just red light. And I have seen some of those lights put on or over a client who has a product on and then it burnt, it accelerated the product that was there. So I think there is efficacy in them. I think it does something. But I think it's, it can be used in a way that is not necessarily intended or can have undesirable outcomes. And I say this because some device companies have used this over product versus like red light. You can use this over any product and others that say no, you can't have any product on the face when you use this red light. So it's what's the deal here? And then also what do you think about that with blue light? Like I know here in Colorado, I think everywhere you'll, you'll be able to answer that question. But that blue light was intended for acne because of the bacteria. But we can't use it because it's touted as such. To your point earlier is to treat acne and therefore it has to be prescribed.

[Maggie Stasik]

The blue light's tricky because blue light has been proven to target the acne causing bacteria and you are then treating a disease. It's considered in Colorado at least to be out of scope for estheticians.

[Ella Cressman]

Isn't that crazy?

[Maggie Stasik]

Yeah.

[Ella Cressman]

So we can have a device with blue light and red light, but we can't turn the blue light on unless we have a medical director. Interesting. Okay, turning just a little bit. Have you ever put your face in a bowl of ice water in the morning?

[Maggie Stasik]

I've never done that.

[Ella Cressman]

Okay, you have homework. So it's a thing right now it's the cryotherapy or ice rolling. Some people do a cold plunge, but here's the thing, here's where we gotta watch and understand the biohacking a little bit. There's a thought process that these cold plunges actually create more cortisol because it's stressful. Different from the WIM HOF method. I don't know if you've ever heard of him, but he. It's basically a breathing exercise that you do through climate change. And his version is a cold plunge. But there is some science that says it just doing your face is actually still beneficial for your skin, but also for your Fight or flight response. So the way that these work is to stimulate microcirculation, reduce inflammation and improve skin tone. Also they have, I guess you can think of it as like lymphatic drainage with like a biohacker twist.

[Maggie Stasik]

I have heard of setting up your facials so that you are either starting or ending with cold hands or cold towels or ice. And it's not anything to do necessarily with inflammation in your client's skin. It is literally like cold therapy in the facial.

[Ella Cressman]

Mine all start out with cold hands. Lately we're like, I'm really sorry. Yeah, interesting. But these, this is in is particularly important for those who do the cold globes and things like that. It's actually considered biohacking. So different from microcurrents and neuro cosmetics, these types of devices or topical skincare formulations, they help to re educate the facial muscles and enhance cellular communication. So have you ever seen a face literally lift during treatment? Yeah, yeah. This is biohacking. Biohacking in real time. And then here's a couple of other things just to be aware of. Advanced or fringe biohacking, these are things that should be proceeded with professional guidance. So fringe biohacking is where this borders on like medical aesthetics. Though these are not DIY friendly and should always be supervised by trained professionals. Exosome therapy, we're talking about mammalian exosomes. These are stem cell derived messengers and they communicate with the cells. Important because they have peptides and all different things you can buy now online. This is something you want to definitely have supervision over. And then prp, the vampire facial. This is microneedling with your own growth factors. It works by activating the skin's repair process, essentially biohacking this wound healing intelligence. And then we have genetic or epigenetic skin testing. So these are assessments that use DNA or gene expression profiles to personalize your skin care down to the molecule. We're not quite there on a mass scale yet, but it's coming and I can't wait to see. But that is something that definitely needs to be supervised more than just a website. Skin quiz.

[Maggie Stasik]

Yeah, yeah. I would say epigenetic skin testing for skin care is the ultimate biohack.

[Ella Cressman]

Amen. So what does all this mean for you, the esthetician? It means we're entering into this new era of skincare, one that we've been practicing for a while and then one that goes beyond trends and towards optimization. Something we have seen happening for a while. Whether you're helping a client build a routine with adaptogens and peptides guiding them through supplements or incorporating red light into your facials, you're already biohacking, even if you didn't call it that. The key is education. Start small, stay evidence based and empower your clients to become active participants in their skin health journey. Now, listeners, we really want to hear from you. How are you biohacking? Are you biohacking? Reach out via Instagram, Facebook or send us an [e-mail] we want to know all the details. In the meantime, thank you for listening to ASCPSDtalk. For more information on this episode or for ways to connect with Maggie or myself, or to learn more about astp, check out the show notes and stay tuned for the next episode of ascpsi. Talk Foreign.

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