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We're so done with new Year, new you. This year it's more you on Bumble. More of you shamelessly sending playlists, especially that one filled with show tunes. More of you finding Geminis because you know you always like them. More of you dating with intention because you know what you want and you know what, we love that for you, someone else will too. Be more you this year and find them on Bumblebee.

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Hello guys. Welcome back to the Treatment Room podcast. I am your host, Tessa Zolli. Thank you so much as always for tuning in. I want to experiment with a little bit of a shorter episode today and see how you guys like it because I know everyone's busy but please let me know on social media. Ysd see Tessa always linked in the show notes if you prefer a 20 minute episode 30 or if you like the more long form our content. I know sometimes I like longer episodes but don't mind shorter ones mixed in. So we'll see how this goes. But today I want to talk about a very important question that we estheticians are always getting, which is why does my acne take so, so long to clear? And I feel like estheticians are famous for constantly reminding our clients, you know, of course this is a process. It's going to take time, months to see changes in your skin and for the acne to clear. But what I don't always see talked about is why exactly it can take so long to see see results. So we are going to dive into this today and I want to share a little bit of a personal story as well, because it's one thing to say it's going to take time and it is another thing, of course, when you are the one in your skin, you're not happy with what you're seeing every single day. So I just want to acknowledge I completely understand what it feels like to not be happy in your skin. I definitely went through a period where I started breaking out out of nowhere. I'd really never had acne ever, even in my teens, which is more unusual. But it hit me like a ton of bricks in my 20s when I started experimenting with makeup more for YouTube. I was using a lot of different skin care and I just had never really had to think about my diet, my lifestyle. I just had the type of skin where I could use makeup wipes and never get a breakout or just sleep in my makeup and rock it the next day. And, you know, I just never had to deal with acne. I kind of felt like I was invincible until I was not. So I completely understand what it's like when you're not happy in your skin. And so as much as we emphasize to our clients, you know, this is going to take some time, I think it's also important to still be a real person and empathize with them. Let them know you understand. It's really frustrating. And, you know, I think all of us professionals, we wish we could clear it in an instant for our clients because we. We too can feel the burden of wanting to clear our clients, wanting to get them results specific, especially if they have big things coming up in their life, like a wedding or an event they want to be clear for. So when it's mentally impacting our clients, we SCs, of course, want to get you clear just as bad as you do. But it does take time. And the title of today's episode is it's supposed to be slow. And not only have I struggled with my skin, I have also been on a fitness journey. And I am pretty savvy with health and fitness. I've been working out since I was young. I always played sports. I've always been interested in health and fitness. And I am a certified health coach, so I know a lot about health, the body. I know, you know, things take time to see change, but just really quickly wanted to relay this story because it's where I got the title. So last year in January, you know, I'd always worked out, but I decided I wanted to hire a personal trainer and just get more serious about lifting weights and changing my body composition, adding more muscle. So I started seeing a trainer. And, you know, I was hitting every single workout. My nutrition was dialed in. I was even tracking macros. At this time, I wasn't eating, know, going off the rails, having cheat days. I was really doing everything I was supposed to be doing. And I remember one day I came in for training, and my trainer Parker, asked me, you know, how's it going? How are you feeling about everything? And I said, you know, it's going good. I just, I feel like it's a little bit slow. The progress is a little bit slow. And I will never forget, he just looked at me and goes, well, it's supposed to be slow. And I think even hearing that was really comforting because we live in this area, this era online, where we see transformations constantly. Like, do you guys get hit with all of these reels of transformations of, you know, people's fitness transformations, changing their body completely? And, you know, I, of course, post transformations all the time. And I love a good transformation. But I think because we see so much of them, we can be a little desensitized to the time it actually takes to have that transformation. We don't see the ups and downs. We don't see the struggle behind the transformation. And it's kind of just condensed into this quick, seemingly instantaneous, dramatic change. There's always some cool music involved, and it just kind of seems like no big deal. But for anyone who's undergone a big transformation like that, usually there's a lot of self discipline. There's a lot of times you had to say no to something you didn't want to say no to. You had to be dialed in not just for, you know, a couple weeks, but a long period of time. And the change happens so slowly. It's very subtle. It's not like you just wake up one day and you're jacked. It's, you know, weeks and months of going to the gym and really not seeing anything different in the mirror. And this is why I have my clients take pictures of their skin. We take pictures every two weeks. I like that cadence because I find it can be a little too obsessive. If clients are taking pictures every day or every week, we want to allow the skin time to change. But it is crazy because, you know, after a prolonged period of time, you look at your day one pictures and you are completely different. You just don't notice the change day by day. And my trainer, Parker, in saying it's supposed to be slow, kind of the meaning behind that is that nothing good comes quickly, especially when you're talking about changing the body when it comes to muscle and fitness and, you know, body recomp, Adding muscle and losing fat. This takes time because, of course, you could go on a crash diet and, you know, lose ten pounds in a couple of weeks. But it matters what you did to lose that amount of weight. It matters because when you undergo such a quick weight loss, you are not losing fat. You're generally losing muscle. Muscle is really difficult to preserve. It's expensive real estate. Our body would prefer to lose the muscle because it's hard to maintain, takes a lot of protein. It takes constant muscle stimulation. It takes recovery. So it's expensive. And in saying it's supposed to be slow, what he really imparted to me was that you're doing things the right way by not seeing such a drastic, instantaneous result. But it's not super gratifying when you're in the middle of it all. So it just takes time to change the skin and the body. And I think overall we just want to recognize, yeah, it might take more time, but it's so worth it when you instill the right habits and you do things in a way where you're not sacrificing for short term gain. So that message really stuck with me and I actually repeat it to myself on the days I don't feel like lifting weights or hitting my protein goal, I don't want to get to the gym. I have to remind myself it's supposed to be slow. If your motivation is just, you know, seeing crazy muscles and abs and you're just going for that aesthetic, if you don't learn to love the process, if you don't learn to appreciate what is happening slowly, slowly over time, it's really easy to lose steam and motivation. So we want to focus on the long term gain and the long term result versus the short term gratification. So back to skin. Let's talk about why does it take acne so long to go away? And I will say there is something about starting, you know, maybe my acne care program or starting going in to get facials, starting this process of clearing your skin. There is a lot of excitement for the client in the beginning. And when it is January 1st, when you have, you know, booked the new skin program, you went grocery shopping for the first time, you got all your healthy staples, you get your new skincare routine in the mail, you unbox everything, everything is fresh, new and exciting. And so because everything is kind of shiny and new, you can be very hopeful. But I think nobody talks about month two or three when the products are not brand new, they've been on your counter for a while, and you've been eating healthy for weeks or months on end, maybe you've even cut out some, some triggers that were not supporting your skin. And yet you're looking in the mirror every day assessing your skin and you might not see progress. You actually might even see more breakouts because it can take acne even 90 days to surface. So I think this is the hardest time for clients and this is when I really try to stay in touch with them. I want to meet them before they start to lose, meet them again for a follow up appointment. I'll clarify before they start to lose steam and start thinking this isn't working, this was a waste of money, maybe they're thinking this was a complete scam. And because I prep my clients so well in the first meeting, because I let them know you're going to be most excited when you get your new Skincare, when this is all new and time is going to go by, you're not going to see the results right away. So I want you to hang in there and know that everyone goes through this. There's this waiting period and I want to talk about, like, what is actually going on and why it takes time for the acne to clear. Why are estheticians always reminding us it's just going to take time, but hang in there and you will see the result. So acne isn't just about what's happening on the surface of the skin. There is a whole process happening in the follicle, and I want to break that down. So, first of all, one of the reasons it takes time to get clear is because of skin cell turnover. Your skin naturally renews itself about every 28 days, depending on your age. That means even if you're using the perfect skincare routine, your esthetician has mapped out the perfect plan for you. Your skin still needs time to push out the old damage accumulated cells and replace them with fresh, healthy ones. So because of this process of cell turnover, we can kind of think of progress happening in cycles. But it's going to take time for skin cells to turn over and to see the results. And then there's inflammation. If you have ever had those really deep, painful pimples, might be hot to the touch, it seems to last forever. You can't even put your face on your pillowcase because it hurts. This is your body trying to heal your breakouts and push this infection out of the follicle. Your immune system sees acne as an injury, and like any injury, it needs time to repair. I also often warn my clients who come to me, you know, wanting to clear their skin. I get a lot of clients who struggle with closed comedones, the toughest, most stubborn type of acne to clear. They will often come in a little bit bothered by these comedones. You know, people don't really see them, but they notice it in certain lighting or when they wear makeup, and it's bothersome, it's annoying. So as we start to initiate skin cell turnover, as we start to engage inflammation in the pore, which actually wasn't previously there, because when you have close cominones, they are stuck in maturation arrest and oxygen has not yet entered the follicle. So that's why I this Peter Pan acne, it's actually not really even acne yet, because it has not yet become inflamed and inflammation is inherent to acne. So what will happen is as we actually start to treat the breakout, we push that infection closer to the surface of the skin. This is where it starts to become red and inflamed. And I feel like this is also something I try to talk about in my content a lot. You may see that closed comedone become inflamed as it gets closer to the surface of the skin, as the immune system tries to push it out of the follicle. And this is not a bad thing. I feel like this is slowly being more understood that your esthetician is not steering you wrong. If you see your acne become inflamed, it doesn't always happen, but oftentimes the comedone becomes inflamed, and it is part of the natural process. We can't control whether the, you know, comedone becomes inflamed or not. So when this happens, you just want to recognize that it's part of the process and don't get discouraged. Now, let's talk about bacteria. So cutie bacterium acnes, the bacteria responsible for breakouts, thrives in clogged pores. Even if you start using acne treatments today, it's going to take time to reduce the bacteria in the follicle and get your skin a little bit more balance to actually get that retentive matter that oil the dead skin cells, the bacteria that's all clumped together to address that and get oxygen into the follicle. Once we do that, the acne cannot survive. But typically it takes some time to actually get down in the pore and see the benefits of using those treatments that address bacteria, such as benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid. And next we have hormones. Hormones are a big player with acne, as we know. Fluctuations, whether it's from puberty, your menstrual cycle, certain medications, or even birth control, can all lead to increased oil production and unfortunately, more breakouts. So hormones are a big factor for acne, and they're one that we just can't completely control as a fixed variable. Certain things like your routine, your hygiene after workouts, your diet, changing your pillowcase, changing your cosmetics, your hair care, your makeup, these are variables that we can control. And this is why I really try to maximize what is within our control in my acne care program. But hormones, they are always in flux. And although there's absolutely things we can do to help support hormones, to balance them, my main point here is just that hormones fluctuate. So that is one thing that, you know is a little bit out of Our control and can be a reason that, you know, acne is not cured, it is managed. Another reason acne takes time to clear is treatment adjustments. So I love to talk about the acclimation phase of getting adjusted to your products. So not every product is going to be a product that somebody can start using every single day right away. Generally, when I see new clients, they have been through the wringer with their skin. They have tried a lot of treatments, and let's be honest, we all have. I've used some crazy things on my skin, from straight up alcohol to tea tree to really harsh clay masks with apple, cider vinegar, lemon, you name it, I tried it. So, needless to say, our barriers have often been through a lot. By the time the client finally seeks acne treatment, kind of surrenders and says, I need a professional involved here. So we want to bear in mind the barrier generally isn't in perfect condition. And you will need to spend a little bit time, a little bit of time rehabbing the barrier, focusing on hydrating ingredients. And most clients, I find, are really not putting a ton of emphasis on barrier repair because the acne is at the forefront of their mind and that is what is like rocking their mental health. So of course they are not thinking as much about how do I put back beneficial ingredients into my skin, especially because I'm chipping away at the barrier every single day trying to treat the acne itself. So this is a big reason it takes time to get clear A the client usually is not ready to start using their acne treatments every single day. It's going to take time to introduce that active to the skin and for it to start to accept it and recognize it. And of course, we're also working on repairing the barrier, getting our client in the habit of proper cleansing, using sunscreen, applying hydrating treatments, moisturizers, even a hydrating mask to support hydration in the skin. So acclimation is a big reason it takes some time to clear. We are getting the skin healthier. We're also introducing the acne treatments and we are slowly trying to get the client on a more regular cadence using the acne treatment products. And then the third layer to that is that most acne treatments, whether it's retinoids, benzoyl, peroxide, you name it, whatever active the esthetician has recommended will take time, usually about six to 12 weeks to start benefiting you. Sometimes you could get lucky and see some improvement right away. That definitely does happen. But I try to prepare my clients that, you know, we should kind of like, expect a little bit of a purge. Expect acclimation where you could experience mild redness, dryness, a little bit of sensitivity. If you are experiencing stinging or burning, that is a sign that you may be abusing your barrier a little bit. You need to hold off on using the acne treatment so regularly and get the barrier a little bit healthier. But yeah, it's also going to take the ingredients themselves some time to work and pay off for you. So sometimes your skin might get a little bit worse before it gets better. Annoying? Yes. Normal also, yes. So I would say just expect some ups and downs when you are starting a clearing journey. And to my professionals, the more you stress this, and maybe stress is the wrong word, the more you just, you know, educate and clarify this to your clients, the better off you will be. Because I find I don't have a lot of clients that, you know, get upset even when they are going through highs and lows of their program because they've been prepared for it. They know what to expect. They're not walking into this with rose colored glasses thinking, this is going to be great. I want to get this acne gone next week so the disappointment will happen when you are not clear with people and when you do not set a realistic expectation. I think for newer estheticians we can be shy about doing this because, you know, we don't want to, we don't want to introduce any news that could be, you know, upsetting when somebody's already upset. But just trust me on this one, it is better to prepare people so that when a purge happens, when they notice a little dryness or sensitivity, again, they're not surprised and they have accepted it as part of the short term consequences for long term gain. So what is the key takeaway here? Acne clearing is not about overnight fixes and I feel like this used to be more popular. A couple years back, I used to see a ton of videos saying, I cleared my acne in two weeks with this one product or I cured my acne. People can get so bold with the claims because it does work, it does get clicks. But I bet if you were to check back with those people in a couple of months, their acne was not actually cured. And I feel like a huge green flag when you're looking for an acne expert is somebody who is real honest with you, sets realistic expectations. I would rather trust somebody who is clear and upfront with me about the true honest length of time it could take to start seeing results versus the person that tells me this is going to be amazing. It's going to be gone in a couple of days. That is a red flag. And I would not trust somebody like that to clear their acne because as we know it can take even three months for old congestion to surface. So we want to be in this for the long haul. It is about consistency, patience and trusting the process. The more you stick to your routine, the better your skin will get over time. You're going to have ups and downs along the way, but don't recognize those downs as permanent setbacks. Progress isn't always linear. You might have setbacks, but it doesn't mean your routine or all the hard work you are putting into your new lifestyle is isn't working. Stick with it and your skin will thank you. That is it for today's episode of the Treatment Room. If you found this helpful, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast. It really supports me and this show. Share this with a friend who needs to hear it, and if you have any acne questions, feel free to comment them on my latest post. I would love to cover more about acne in a future episode episode. Thank you for listening. And until next time, keep glowing.