An advanced treatment is about more than what happens in the treatment room. Clients arrive wanting results, but many of them come in with skin that isn't properly prepared — their complexion is over-exfoliated, sensitized and possibly reactive. The way you prep the skin, the products you choose during the service and how you support recovery all play a role in whether a treatment actually delivers. So how do you achieve results without compromising the skin? We asked an expert esthetician to weigh in.
Natalie Pergar is our Lead Skin Care Trainer at Eminence Organic Skin Care and a licensed esthetician with over two decades of experience.
Q: What's the biggest challenge estheticians face when working with advanced treatments?
I would say a big challenge is ensuring the skin is ready to receive treatment. I'm increasingly noticing clients who want fast and dramatic results, yet their skin is often compromised due to over-exfoliation, strong or aggressive actives, or not having a consistent home care routine. Today's esthetician now needs to navigate multiple modalities — such as microneedling, chemical peels, microcurrent and dermaplaning — while ensuring the skin is correctly prepared to handle them. It's no longer just about performing the treatment; it's about assessing whether the skin is resilient enough to benefit from it.
Q: Why has post-treatment recovery become just as important as treatment intensity in professional skin care?
If we think about advanced treatments creating controlled stress in the skin, the results depend heavily on how well the skin repairs itself afterward. A fantastic treatment can be undone by not following recommended aftercare. As an esthetician, supporting the healing phase is what transforms a single treatment into long-term skin improvement.
Q: What signs tell you a client’s skin barrier needs more support before increasing intensity?
Before increasing treatment intensity, always check how the skin is behaving. If you see lingering redness, dullness from dehydration, flakiness, or that tight, stinging feeling when even basic products are applied, that tells you the barrier needs more support first. Increased sensitivity or breakouts that pop up after exfoliation are also big indicators. When any of these show up, pause on stronger treatments and focus on rebuilding the skin so it can handle more advanced work later.
Q: During treatments like dermaplaning or facial massage, how do you ensure both precision and client comfort?
Precision comes from technique, and client comfort comes from presence. During dermaplaning, I recommend controlled, feather-light strokes and keeping the skin taut to avoid drag. A fantastic way to improve glide and results is to apply a face oil prior to an oil-planning treatment. — I've been loving the Squalane Pro Multi-Oil from our Advanced Care Collection for exactly this. It's a pro-only formula and the slip is exceptional.
With facial massage, you want to work with intention, adjusting pressure based on the client's micro-reactions. I'm always on the lookout for that small smile or those little nods of happiness! Good practice is to also observe their breathing, muscle tension and skin response.
Product Picks
Q: When working with devices like microcurrent or galvanic, what should estheticians look for in a conductive or treatment gel?
Today, conductive gels have had an upgrade, and one of my favorite features is that they also contain beneficial actives so they can stay on the skin post-treatment extending the overall results! Things to look for in a high‑quality conductive gel include a consistent slip without drying out and a water-based and oil-free formula that has supportive ingredients like tetrapeptides, aloe and hyaluronic acid. Also something that's free of heavy fragrances.
The Tetrapeptide Lifting Gel is a good example of a conductive gel that checks all of these boxes — water-based, formulated with tetrapeptides and hyaluronic acid and designed to stay on the skin after treatment to help support the look of skin firmness and hydration.
Q: What ingredients should you use to support a client's skin during and after advanced treatments?
During treatment, focus on ingredients that hydrate, soothe and reinforce the barrier with ingredients like hyaluronic acid. And after advanced treatments, the focus should shift to calming the inflammation, rebuilding the skin barrier and supporting that final remodeling phase of healing. I look for ingredients that really nurture the skin. Copper peptides encourage repair, ceramides with cholesterol and fatty acids help to strengthen the barrier, while peptides support firmness. Niacinamide is great for calming and providing resilience, while squalane gives lightweight nourishment without overwhelming freshly treated skin.
Q: After treatments like microneedling, peels or dermaplaning, what does the skin need most in the first 24 to 72 hours?
Within the first three days, the focus should be on calming, hydrating and protecting to ensure optimal recovery. Look for ingredients that provide gentle hydration and barrier repair — ceramides and copper tripeptides are ideal — and of course, sun protection. I suggest SPF 30 to 50+. The is something I recommend a lot during this window; it's designed to help the skin feel smooth and supported. I would also advise stopping the use of exfoliants or actives and minimizing product layering. Keep it simple.
Because inflammation is part of the healing cascade, we want it controlled rather than prolonged. Within the first three days, the focus should be on hydrating, protecting and soothing dryness to ensure optimal recovery. Look for ingredients that provide gentle hydration and barrier repair — ceramides and copper tripeptides are ideal — and of course, sun protection. I suggest SPF 30 to 50+. The Ceramide Repair Balm is something I recommend a lot during this window; it's designed to help the skin feel smooth and supported. I would also advise stopping the use of exfoliants or actives and minimizing product layering. Keep it simple.
Q: How do you help clients maintain results between visits at home?
Consistency is really the key to maintaining results. Focus on helping clients build a simple routine they can stick to, then guide them toward the right actives for their skin so they're not overdoing it. Daily SPF is a must, and I'd also make sure they understand how to avoid over-exfoliating. That's a big one. Help them plan their treatments so each visit builds on the last. Professional treatments create the change, but good home care is what keeps it going.
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