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This episode is brought to you by Amazon. Sometimes the most painful part of getting sick is the getting better part. Waiting on hold for an appointment, sitting in crowded waiting rooms, standing in line at the pharmacy. That's painful. Amazon One Medical and Amazon Pharmacy remove those painful parts of getting better with things like 24. 7 virtual visits and prescriptions delivered to your door. Thanks to Amazon Pharmacy and Amazon One Medical Healthcare just got less painful. Hi guys. Welcome back to the Treatment Room podcast with your host, Tessa Zali. I'm so happy to be back and reconnecting for a little solo episode. I hope you've had an amazing summer and made so many memories and hopefully have taken care of your skin along the way and haven't neglected it too much with all the fun you've hopefully had. I am living vicariously through anyone who went to Europe this summer or just took some cool trips because I have been, I've been a homebody. It has been a working girl summer, which is totally fine. And the exciting part about that is I now have some exciting, exciting things I get to share with you guys that I've been working on and I just want to start the episode with a little, a little business check in and then we'll get into the bulk of today's episode. I have a really good message in store for you guys today, but have some announcements. So first of all, my free Skin by Tessa mini cleansers. My travel size set is now out and available for pre order. I'm just so excited about this for many reasons which I will touch on briefly. But this is my signature double cleanse just in mini forms. So my original reset, the full size which includes undo the first cleanse and low foam the second cleanse. Those are individually 8.5 fluid ounces and I wanted, I want to give people a good value for the money. I think it's also such a, it's a cult classic product. Like my customers, most of them are repeat customers. They try the cleansers, they fall in love and there's nothing comparable that you know, you can really easily replace it with once you try them and get hooked. So they're decent sizes because I know people go through them and they use them every single day. And it's great to offer good sized products. Like these are technically back bar size bottles, but I realized for a new customer that could be a little bit intimidating. If you're not sure you know how you're going to like the product, you haven't tried it. So that's one reason I'm so excited to offer the jet set, which is my mini set. They are 1 ounce each, so so designed to be super portable, travel friendly, so you can take them with you on the go or just try them out if you haven't tried the full size yet. I think this is kind of a, you know, less intimidating way to try the products and fall in love with them. But the other reason I'm so, so excited for this is because I am so passionate about cleansing as the foundation for skills skin health. And I've talked about this before, especially on Instagram, but I am a big advocate for cleansing your skin morning and night. But if you, you know, are sweating or for some reason you're really, really getting dirty or getting your skin really polluted for any reason, I am such an advocate of cleansing if you really need to. And I think for a long have thought, oh, you know, maybe I've sweat a lot or I've gone to the gym, but I'm not going to cleanse my skin because that would be overdoing it. And there's almost this fear of compromising your barrier by cleansing because let's be honest, a lot of us have had that experience with other cleansers that can strip the skin. And what is so special about both undo and low foam is that they both are designed to improve and heal your skin through use. Now, I'm not saying cleanse your skin 10 times a day, but if you need to Cleanse your skin 2, 3, 4 times a day for whatever reason, you absolutely can with these cleansers and they are not going to strip your barrier. Now, something I have touched on is, you know, sweating. When we're sweating, our skin is releasing minerals like ammonia and urea and these things combined with salts and oil, sebum and heat, all these things combining is the perfect opportunity for inflammation and this inflammatory cascade that starts when we're sweating and we're creating this heated, moist environment that really encourages bacteria. This can be host to so many skin problems, be it acne, rosacea, flare ups, prickly heat, even just skin irritation, rashes and advancing the aging process. This happens when the skin becomes inflamed and we're not taking care of it properly. Even fungal acne, of course, can occur when we are not cleansing the skin properly after sweating or workout. So I want to kind of like remove the stigma around cleansing your skin. I do not believe cleansing your skin has to be this stripping barrier disruptive event. It can be very healing and it can be very beneficial for the skin so in releasing mini size, I think this will just allow you guys to cleanse when you really need to and especially if you don't feel like throwing those big bottles in your suitcase or in your gym bag. I'm so excited to offer the travel S cleansers so you guys can take them wherever you need to to support healthy skin. Maybe you're going to sleepover your boyfriend's house, traveling, going to the gym, Pilates, hot yoga. Don't wait to cleanse until you get home. I want you guys to have these and just be reminded that you can cleanse your skin really at any sink. And yeah, I'm just so excited to have these out there and get your guys's, you know, feedback and allow anybody who hasn't tried the cleansers yet to try the mini size. And there are also some fun bundles available now on the site where you can save a little bit when you're combining the products. So go check everything out on freeskinbytessa.com I will of course link it in the show notes and I cannot wait to see where you guys take the cleanser and how you use them. That is always my absolute favorite part about launching any product. Seeing your customers and community use the products, interact with them and just make your product a small moment or part of your day. That is so cool to me and I love just being a small part of your healthy lifestyle and your positive relationship with your skin. So please tag me if you try the cleansers wherever you take them. I don't care if you're in the grossest gym bathroom ever, because that's where I take mine. Please tag me. Please share. I'm just so excited to see so you guys use them in your routines. So tag at my sdtessa and at Free Skin by Tessa and the next little thing I wanted to say really leads into my message today, which I want to talk about a couple of things, especially the importance of asking for help when you need to and second skin maintenance. We're going to talk about maintenance and I have just some little pieces of advice to other estheticians when it comes to educating about skin maintenance. But so I've had so many new signups for my virtual acne care program and every signup truly makes me so excited to meet you. So just excited to be a support system for you on your skin journey because it's not lost on me like what you have gone through before. You make that commitment to signing up with me and putting your trust and faith in a Stranger. Maybe you've seen me online, but kind of am a stranger. It's not lost on me, like, how much courage that takes and seeing you guys take that leap of faith. But being there to catch you is so awesome and rewarding for me. So I've had an influx of new clients and you guys are just the cutest people in the world. And the other awesome part of it is just like becoming friends along the way. But so I've had, I've had a few new people joining and just the messages, like the gratitude, the feedback, it could literally bring me to tears. Like, just, it's not lost on me. I appreciate it so, so much. And so the other day I had a new client join my program. And, you know, in my intake form, I allow space for people to kind of share a little bit about their story, even though we talk about it in depth in our call, in our consultation. But, you know, this new client had shared, she tried so many things and unfortunately this is so many acne sufferers experience, they've tried Accutane, antibiotics, Spranolactone, all the products, you know, and the newest trend I have been seeing of a lot of clients trying before they come to see me is this Aviclear laser. And if you're a provider that recommends Aviclear, you know, please just. I'm not trying to harp on the laser. That's definitely not the point of this episode. But when I see a trend that has been really expensive for people and given them false hope and promises, it is honestly upsetting to me. And I'm not denying that this laser could help somebody. I'm sure it has helped somebody. That would be weird if it hasn't helped anybody. But I'm seeing this trend of it not helping a lot of people. So this new client told me she just done this $4,000 laser series and she's pretty discouraged and disheartened, but, like, she's willing to give the program a try. And I have had so many clients sharing this experience lately, and quite a few who have, in a sense, graduated from my program. They are now in that maintenance phase. But so many of them told me, like, I did this laser or I went in for the consultation and I didn't go through with it because something felt off. And then I found you and you cleared my skin and you changed my life. And I just wanted to say this message for any providers who might feel like their service is a high cost item. Like, and we're talking relative to this laser. Like, my acne care program is $600. It's not a cheap investment. And I don't want it to be something that somebody purchases on a whim without thinking about it. I want you to think about it, talk to your family about it if you need to. Like, I understand it's a solid investment, but I know it is worth that 10 times over because of how it changes the skin, changes people's confidence. And my goal is to not just use give you acne boot camp, that's four months. I want you to learn how to take care of your skin and instill the correct habits to support your skin for life. Like that truly is my hope. I will hold nothing back. You can have all my healthy skin secrets. I just want you to get clear and I want you to thrive. But estheticians and providers, if you are that confident in your services, you are worth the money. You are so worth the money. And this is a testament, like people will invest if it's something that can change their quality of life and actually help them. And it does make me sad that people invested that in a laser that did not deliver. But what we also have to understand, and I think this applies whether you're taking a pill, doing a laser, a lot of these quick fixes, I think it's fair to call it that a lot of these quick fixes, we just need to have logic if we're signing up for them and understand how the acne process works and what is going on in that follicle and what is the mechanism of action with the laser or with the pill. How is it helping you? In most cases, something like Accutane or Aviclear, it is reducing inflammation and reducing oil temporarily, which can benefit somebody. And I'm not saying there's never a time or a place for it. It can benefit somebody temporarily or for a time because it's stopping those mechanisms of action in the follicle. But we need to understand that acne is chronic, it is cyclical. So what eventually happens? That follicle fills back up with retentive matter. And the root of acne, as we know primarily is a skin cell shedding problem. It's the retention hyperkeratosis. Your friend who eats pizza three nights a week doesn't have a skincare routine and never breaks out. Their poor is shedding. Normally they're shedding one layer of skin cells inside the follicle. You as an acne prone person are shedding five times that amount, which can be millions of skin cells. So you're almost on this uphill battle, that is not fair. But you have all these skin cells, likely more oil or just a stickier follicle and some inflammation, and those things are solidifying in the pore, and they're the start of action that can become a blackhead or a whitehead. The reason my program and other estheticians programs are effective is that we're not saying we're going to cure this process. We're acknowledging this process is chronic because we cannot stop your pores from releasing skin cells and oil. They are just normal, healthy functions. So we're not curing that. What we're doing is managing it. What we're trying to do is reduce that burden in the pore. And then once we've gotten the pore clear, we're trying to maintain that. Now, that sounds pretty simple. And I can understand why a lot of people might feel like, oh, I should be able to figure this out on my own, like, I don't need help. I will just tell you, Most people have 5, 10, 15 acne triggers going on that can make that clearing process really, really difficult. And there's never just one thing that is perpetuating the acne. Sometimes there is one factor that's really, really big. But I think most people, when I'm talking to them, are putting too much emphasis on finding that one needle in the haystack that is the problem. When in reality, you need an expert who has treated a lot of people and who knows what is important in getting you clear. You likely need somebody who can help you by taking a bird's eye perspective, looking at your lifestyle, and advising on modifications while creating a topical program that can accelerate over time to help reduce that burden in the poor. And you want professional guidance. If you're going to use professional products or actives and you require that more intensive exfoliation to get clear, oftentimes people try on their own and they do damage their barrier, they run into irritation or dermatitis. So having a professional who can guide you and walk you through the process, I think is immensely helpful. And today I wanted to talk about the importance of seeking out professional help when you need help. None of us are an expert in everything. We are likely an expert in a couple of things, one or two things. But I think it is such a sign of strength and intelligence to be humble enough to hire out for your weaknesses. I think it's saves you money, it saves you time, it saves you heartache in the long run. Guys, I learned a very, very hard lesson last week, and I Swear every time I go through something or just even in my daily life, I am always finding the metaphor for my coaching practice and the people I work with or acne. That's just always the lens I'm looking at things through. But I know it is not always easy to trust somebody and to take that leap of faith. And sometimes in our mind, we've almost created this prison of suffering where we're so comfortable suffering that it's harder to break away from that way of thinking and think about a positive world in which you get the help you need and you're happy. Sometimes it's just more comfortable to stay where you are in that current suffering. But I like to think we really have just two options in life and both of them are hard for different reasons. You can stay where you are, you can stay in that pain and suffering where it's familiar and you can suffer endlessly. Or you can take a risk. And sometimes we get burned when we take a risk, when we try something new. But say you take a risk and you know, you try an acne clearing program or you try working with me, I'm not saying you're not going to struggle at all. There's a period of time, I call it skin conditioning or acclimation. And this, this occurs when the skin is getting used to new actives, new exfoliation. And there's a way to do it so it's gentle and should be tolerable. And this is something you need to tweak according to the individual. But sometimes starting the program is difficult because of where the skin has been and what it's been through before you started working with a professional. So say you're 25 years old and you're starting with me. Your skin has likely been through a lot, like a lot of sun damage, a lot of dehydration, a lot of poor products, possibly just not chirally correct products. And sometimes we just put it through the wringer trying to get our skin clear ourselves. I know I did like I used Nair on my face back in the day. I use rubbing alcohol, I used, what was it like? Different essential oils, tea tree oil, burn my skin, lemon baking soda, all these things. And then, you know, you're starting with a professional and we kind of just expect, oh, things are immediately going to get better. But that's just not how the skin works as an organ, even with the best possible pharmaceutical grade products. So it can take a little while for the skin to start to be hydrated again, for the barrier to be protective Again, for your skin to get used to proper cleansing, which maybe you weren't doing before, for the skin to even rebound from all the sun damage so many people put it through. Even if you put sunscreen on once a day, I find a lot of people just have underlying inflammation and dehydration because they have not used sunscreen as much as they need to before starting the program. So that's where the skin conditioning comes in. It's kind of like you're starting, you know, this intense workout program. When you've never really worked out or cared for your body before. It's going to take a little time to adjust. So there can be a little bit of suffering in that, a little, little tiny bit. And it's my job to make that as comfortable and tolerable as, as possible and literally hold your hand through the whole process. But that period of suffering is temporary. And there is a time period where we celebrate together because you get out of that darkness, you start to see your light, see the light, you see your skin improving, and you start to see it get clear for maybe the first time in a long, long time. So you took a leap, you paid a price. You might have suffered a little bit, but the reward you reap is so much greater. And one of the best parts is you don't have to go it alone anymore. You can take that burden of suffering and isolation off your shoulders and you can have somebody to guide you who has seen it all before, who knows what they're doing and who knows how to walk you through this process with confidence. So the story I wanted to tell you guys today is about something difficult I went through over 10 years ago that still impacts me to this day. So I think some of you know this. About a decade ago, I had a different career. I worked in media. I worked for an entertainment company. I had, you know, a corporate desk job working a 9 to 5. So I was working this job. I'm in my mid-20s and it's the end of the day, close my computer, you know, get in my car. I'm ready to do my little 30 minute commute from the Valley to West Hollywood. So I'm sitting in my car, I'm at this red light and it's a long street, there's a lot of cars in front of me. And we're all sitting at this red light and I see this moving van coming, coming behind me. And I can just tell looking in the rear view. I'll never forget this. I remember seeing this moving van and thinking, this Looks precarious. This looks unsafe. This moving van has all of this furniture piled on top and kind of just tied, tied to the top. Just way more stuff than really any car should have. And it just did not look safe anyway. So seeing it coming towards me, it's looking like it's going a little too fast because we're at a red light and it should be slowing down and it does not slow down. This moving van, sure enough, plows into me from the back. And this sound is just ingrained in my head. Not only the, the sound of the van hitting my bumper, but the sound of all the furniture on top. Just. I can laugh now, laugh through the trauma. All of this furniture just crashing down onto my car. Thankfully I had a mid size suv. I've always kind of liked bigger cars and having that protection. But all this stuff, all this wood furniture comes just crashing down on my car. And the impact of this pushes my car into the car in front of me and that car into the car in front of that, and that car into the car in front of that car. So this is like a five car pile up. Literally the last thing you want to deal with at the end of your workday. And it was a whole thing, you know, police have to come, you have to wait for aaa. It took hours for them to come get me. My sweet friend from work came and sat with me by the side of the road and waited for AAA to take me home. And I just remember being so cold and shivering and miserable and just scared and sad that that happened to me. So the next day comes, I'm definitely in some pain from the accident. I have whiplash, I'm not feeling right, you know, I have to try to work from home. This is before anybody was really working from home. And I realized, like, I need to go to the doctor, I need to get some help. So I go to the doctor, they gave me their analysis, they tell me to do physical therapy. I also realize I need to see a chiropractor because things are just not right. And so I'm in all this pain. So I don't really have any other option, right? I just, I start doing those things. I go to physical therapy, I go see this chiropractor who was so incredible. I am such a fan of good chiropractors. They have saved my life, changed my life, helped me heal so swiftly. I'm just, I am a big chiropractor girl. Anyway, I see this chiropractor a couple times. I kind of get fixed up. I'm feeling good, and then I kind of just stop going. And the interesting thing I've learned about the spine and your discs being aligned and nerve pain is that it can take years for the trauma and the pain to catch up with you until you get to the point where you're so in pain that you know you can't do normal life. And a lot of times, just stress, bad posture, not strengthening the muscles. These things can contribute to the pain that you eventually experience. And then even things like allergies, quality of sleep, immune system health, hormone health. All these things can also be influenced by your spine health. And oftentimes we start to experience those symptoms before we get to the point where our body is just broken down and you're screaming in pain. So a couple years go by, I switch my career. As you guys know, I get into aesthetics. And I remember I had started working my second job in aesthetics. It was at a medical spa. And as many of you know, this is a job where you are often using one dominant side. You're leaning over often to one side to reach for product, to press on pumps, to reach for equipment or tools. So in this job, not only was I using my right hand as my dominant hand for a lot of my movements, I'm just constantly reaching over with this one side for product. I'm often carrying a heavy bag, walking to work many miles with this bag on my same shoulder. And just one day after giving facials, I remember all of a sudden, I am just in excruciating pain. This pain starts at my neck and extends and is kind of radiating to my elbow. I'm like, oh, I'm in pain. I'm not going to be able to work and do my job if I'm in pain. So what do I do? I find a chiropractor, they fix me up. I go to a couple sessions, they give me some exercises to do at home. I do it, it goes away. I'm all good and happy and dandy. So if you guys haven't noticed the trend, which I didn't really put the pieces together, I kind of would. When I was in pain and suffering and not able to do my daily life, I would remember the accident and I would realize, shit, I need to go to the chiropractor. I need to take care of myself. So the other week I wake up and I just know something is not right. I am experiencing pain starting at the base of my neck at that one place it always starts. But this time, I'm also feeling some pain under my arch. And a couple moments go by, I realize the pain is starting in my neck, but it's shooting down to my elbow. And my arm feels numb and it's tingling. And I have this radiating pain, but not just that. The pain is now also starting on the other side of my neck, and it is radiating down my other arm and to my hip and to my hamstring, surrounding my knee and going down my hamstring to the bottom of my foot. And I'm thinking, this is weird. This will go away. Just gotta shake it off. Couple days go by. I am in immense pain. And if you know me, you know, health, fitness, movement, working out is so important to me. It's the foundation of my life. It's. It's my lifeblood. Like, it gives me the energy when I take care of myself and go to the gym to take care of other people. Makes me, me feel good. It is truly the foundation for a healthy routine which encourages me to eat well and be a better person and feel confident, all these things. So I really depend on movement and fitness. It is just so ingrained in me and I love it. It makes me happy. If I go a day or two without working out, I don't feel as good as I know I can. So it's been about a week. Had to cancel my workouts with my trainer. I'm not working out because I don't know what's going on. And I'm not somebody at this stage in my life who cries often. Like, it kind of takes a lot for, for me to cry and I can just push emotion down or, you know, I have so much to do. I, A lot of times don't think I have time to be sad or feel things, which is a whole another podcast. But when you take away those foundational things, the working out, taking care of myself, I'm not sleeping good because I'm in so much pain. I'm not filming content because I'm so miserable. And if you've ever been in pain like this, I hope you haven't. But if you've ever hurt yourself or for whatever reason, you're not able to do your normal things. And the first thing you think of when you wake up is, oh, my gosh, I'm in so much pain. And it just consumes your every moment of the day. It's truly hell. It's just miserable suffering. And you become obsessed with yourself and thinking about the pain because you just can't think about anything else. And, you know, then it's like a vicious Cycle. I'm a little bummed because I'm not working out. I'm bummed because I'm in pain and hurting. I'm not filming content or showing up in my business the way I would like to. So I kind of start to spiral and think nobody likes me. I'm lazy. I have nothing to show for myself. I. You know, I'm just like a loser. And you're seeing everybody else on social media being so good about posting their content, you're starting to think, oh, my God, I'm missing out on all this business. My business is going to fail. And so I'm feeling sad for myself. And I'm talking to my best friend Steph, who's been on the podcast before, Shout Out Steph. And she is just like the most calm, positive, loving, caring person ever. But I'm telling Steph, I'm so sad, you know, I can't do my normal things. I'm just miserable. I'm in pain, and I'm. I'm just down bad, and I just completely break down, you know, and all the tears start coming, and I'm just. I feel so out of control and lost and sad. And I think the scariest part is not knowing how long it's going to last. And I think so many of you who struggle with acne, or it could honestly be any. Anything else, the hard part is, like, just feeling like you're trapped and you want to be better, but you truly just feel so sad, stuck and hopeless, and you don't know where to turn, and you kind of lose the logic of, like, wait, there is help. I'm not the only one who's been through this. Like, you just feel so isolated in that pain. You don't realize that's actually a universal experience. Like, we all feel that sometimes. And Steph is like, we gotta get you to a doctor. Like, we've got to figure this out. And I just don't know what's going on. I kind of just think my body has betrayed me. And I honestly forgot about the accident because I just bury that away sometimes and didn't even think that, you know, there was this pattern, and I played a part in it by not maintaining things the way I needed to. But anyway, I make an appointment. I go see a podiatrist. He's like, yeah, we need to refer you to a nerve doctor and a specialist. So actually have that appointment next week. But I'm like, I can't wait a month. So I'm looking on Yelp, and you Know when you get that fire under you, I think sometimes some of you who sign up for my program, you've reached that point of desperation where you're like, I cannot live like this. So that's what I'm feeling. And I look up chiropractors. I'm like, they've helped me before. That's. That's maybe what I should do. I just didn't even think, you know, I didn't even think of it. So I'm looking, I find this place. Shout out Dr. Drake at South OC Chiropractic. You have truly saved me and changed my life. And I told him that. But I find his Yelp. So many positive reviews, you know, And I make the appointment. I go in to see him, we do an hour consultation. He does some X rays. He's like, these three discs are all off, and we need to get you into alignment. So he does an adjustment that day. And I wake up the next day feeling, like 75% better. And even feeling 75% better, I can't tell you. Like, I just. My faith was restored. And I had been crying to my family, my friends all that week thinking, like, something's so wrong. And I really didn't think I was going to get to the other side, let alone feel better, you know, so soon. And he's like, we need to, you know, schedule some follow up. So I go in for my second appointment. He adjusts me, and he's like, you know, I think that car accident you were in 10 years ago, like, I really think that played a big part in this. And it was probably like the root of the trauma. And something clicked for me. I was like, you know what? I think you're right. And I've had this pattern of I wait for things to get so bad, and then I make the appointment and I don't do any maintenance. Like, I'll do a couple appointments, and then I kind of fall off the maintenance plan. And he goes, yeah, I want to see you for 12 appointments. So I buy the package. I'm doing the stretches and the PT. Every day I wake up, I do 20 minutes of my PT, and I could not do that. Like, there are so many other things I have on my plate. But I remember what it's like to be in pain and feel like you lost your whole quality of life. And I know I never want to be back there. And I have to learn my lesson from all the suffering I have been through. I never want to be back in that place. But I am now feeling A lot better. I've definitely realized, like, this is something systemic where I have to maintain it. I've gone about five or six times, and I plan to keep going. And after the package is over, like seeing him on a consistent basis, because I understand how important maintenance is, our body can revert to its old ways. And it is just so important that we take care of things and we take care of them before, you know, we're at the end of our rope and we just have completely lost all faith. Like, try to catch it before then because it's just so much easier to treat when you don't let it get to a point of desperation. But even if you do, it's never too late to get help. And I just really wanted to highlight today the importance of taking that step to see a professional and honoring those of you who have done that. I know it takes humility. I know it takes blind faith. It takes an investment. It takes time out of your day. Like, you need to budget for working with an esthetician or a skin professional or acne specialist, and then you need to incorporate it into your daily life. You need to, you know, dedicate the time and energy to that plan and staying consistent with it so it's not lost on me. Like, that's a little bit of a sacrifice. And I, I love that process. And, and I think you guys do too. Once you start to learn that it can be a positive act of self care and taking care of yourself and self preservation versus a hospital and that, you know, just going through the motions of doing your routine and you're sitting there hating it because you feel like it's doing nothing for you. I want to flip the script and make it a positive act of self love. And I want to highlight the importance of, of the maintenance phase. It is so important because when you're at the start of your acne process like that suffering is so fresh in your mind. Like me right now. I'm like, I never want to feel like I did waking up that day. I never want to lose all the activities and things that make me feel good ever again because I don't feel like myself without them. And I can't show up for the people I need to if I'm not taking care of myself. But oftentimes, once we've gotten clear, we kind of start to lose sight. Like, we forget how bad it was and how much we were suffering. And sometimes we forget that all those little steps and actions and commitments that we put into our skin, we forget that that is the foundation. That is what is managing the acne. You're not cured because it's chronic. We can't cure it. But that maintenance phase is what we've been reaching for. So once you get there, you want to try to continue doing all the things that keep you clear, or in my case, keep my body healed and minimize the pain and inflammation and discomfort. So that maintenance phase, sometimes we can kind of lose sight of where we started, but that's when you want to just stay committed so that you can just keep everything you've worked so hard for. And some of you know, I am a health coach in addition to an esthetician. And so the program I went through is very big on fitness, sports, nutrition, all those things I love. But there is a model called the transtheoretical model of behavioral change, and this is essentially the behavioral model that people go through before they commit to a fitness program. But I think it's so interesting and completely relates to starting any program or acne clearing journey. So I kind of wanted to share it with you guys. I think this might be helpful to other estheticians so they can understand where their clients are at through the process of an acne clearing program. So the first stage of this behavioral model is called the pre contemplation stage. This is when the individual does not exercise, or in our case, the client does not see an esthetician. Maybe they don't even have a skincare routine, and they don't plan on seeing an esthetician in the next six months, AKA clearing their skin is literally not on their mind. They're living their best life. I imagine this is a lot of people this summer who were traveling, spending time with family and friends, not thinking much about their skin. Next is the contemplation stage. So this is when the individual does not currently exercise, but is planning to start within the next six months. For us estheticians, this might be after a client gets back from summer vacation and they look in the mirror and they start to notice that pigment was not there before. Those fine lines were not there before those blackheads. That acne, it's starting to show. And like, I'm kind of, kind of thinking about maybe signing up to work with an esthetician and seek some professional help. They're contemplating. Next is the preparation stage. This is when the individual is planning to begin exercising soon and has taken steps toward it and. And they might even sporadically work out. So in our case, estheticians, this might be somebody who's scoped your website they looked at your program, you know, or they've walked by your studio before and they're realizing like, there might be something to this skin thing. Maybe they followed you on Instagram and they realized, like, I need to be washing my face in the morning and nighttime I need to be wearing sunscreen. So maybe they buy a couple products and they're starting to get the picture that there's something to taking care of your skin. Next is the action stage. So in fitness, this is when the individual has been exercising for less than six months. But you know, they've taken action, they've started a workout plan or working with a trainer. And in our case, this is when the client has booked with you, they've come in for appointments, or in my case, they've started my acne clearing program. They're using their treatment product products at home and the whole program is fresh on their mind. They're doing the routine AM and PM and they are invested in the program. Last is the maintenance stage, which I wanted to emphasize today. This is when the individual has been exercising consistently for six months or more. And this relates perfectly to my acne clearing program, which is typically four to six months. And typically at the six month mark, most clients have gotten clear and they're feeling great. They're really appreciating how clear their skin is. And so, Estes, this is where we really want to emphasize to our clients how far they've come. Remind them of the work they have put in for their skin to get like this. Because sometimes people kind of just sounds funny, but they don't put two and two together. Like they kind of just think, you know, magic happened overnight and the acne is gone. They might not even realize it's because of your program, the products, all the modifications they've made, all the things you've taught them to do that they're doing on a daily basis. Like for some reason there can be this weird logic that I'm just cured, like I thought from my accident and my injury. And they kind of just can start going about their daily life. Maybe their products run out and they just think, I don't need to re up, I'm cured of this acne stuff. This is where we need to educate because people don't know and that's okay. That's why they're coming to you. This is where we need to remind them of maintenance and what they need to do to maintain their results. And it's so important to remind your clients that although they're clear, they still need to check in with us throughout the year. We still need to schedule checkpoints and visits to see each other to keep the breakouts at bay. Don't be like me and go see the chiro one or two times and think you're cured because the pain is gone. That pain can be chronic and cyclical, and it's the same thing with skin. So the whole point of this episode is to emphasize the importance of seeking professional help and just knowing there's so much power in that and there is a light at the end of the tunnel. You are not meant to suffer alone, to struggle alone, to be in isolation and suffering. We are meant to seek help and be in community and get help for the things we are not experts in. And after you've done that amazing step and patted yourself on the back, be prepared to maintain everything you have worked so hard for. This is a lifelong commitment, investing in your skin and continuing to take care of it twice a day, each and every day. There is no point where we just stop doing that and think, you know, things will take care of themselves. We have to be our own best advocates and take care of ourselves. So that is my episode for today. I hope you liked it. Thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy day. Out of all the shows out there to tune into mine, it's not lost on me. I'm so grateful for you. I love you so much. And if you made it this far, thank you again for listening. And I will talk to you in two weeks. In the next episode.