The Skindustry

Why Skincare Alone Isn't Enough - The Functional Approach To Acne with Faye Knox

• Paige Whitehead • Season 1 • Episode 17

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This week on The Skindustry, I'm joined by Functional Skin Practitioner and educator, Faye Knox, to explore why skincare alone isn't always enough when it comes to clearing acne and other chronic skin conditions.

We dive into what a functional approach to skin health actually looks like, how internal factors such as stress, hormones, gut health and lifestyle can influence the skin, and why so many clients continue to struggle despite trying every product on the market.

Faye also shares her journey into functional skin health, the inspiration behind creating The Functional Skin Academy, and why she believes education is key to raising standards within our industry.

We discuss:

• What a functional approach to acne really means
• Why skincare and facials aren't always enough on their own
• The biggest root causes Faye commonly sees in acne clients
• The role of stress, the nervous system and overall health in skin healing
• Whether every skin specialist should be offering blood testing and functional health support
• The gaps in traditional skin education
• What it takes to become a truly great skin practitioner in today's industry
• The future of functional skin health and where the industry is heading next

Whether you're a skin professional looking to deepen your knowledge or someone navigating your own skin journey, this episode is packed with valuable insights and thought-provoking conversations.

Don't forget to tag us in your stories if you're listening, and let us know your biggest takeaway from the episode 🎙️ 

Follow Faye: @fayekface & @functionalskinacademy
Follow the podcast: @theskindustry_
Follow me: @foxieskinclinic

🤍 

SPEAKER_01

Hello and welcome back to the skin industry. This week we have a really, really exciting guest. We have Faye from the Functional Skin Academy. And yeah, we're gonna get really deep into all of the things functional skin, health, and all of the questions that you've asked as well, because we've got loads of those. So I'm gonna throw it straight over to Faye. Tell us who you are and what you do. Hello, I'm Faye.

SPEAKER_00

I am the founder of Fay K Faced Steam Clinic. I'm a functional skin practitioner and also the founder of Functional Skin Epidemic.

SPEAKER_01

Nice. So what was it that first led you into skin and the functional side of skin?

SPEAKER_00

So it was my own journey with acne. So I've had acne on and off since the age of 14. And the typical story, really, of going back and forth to the GP, antibiotics, the pill, everything topical. Yeah. And I got to a point where it was so severe, I just begged to go on ractane. And when I came off racketane, and then I came off the pill, obviously it all came back. And I read this book that kind of opened up the functional health side of things to me. Um and worked with a naturopath who initially I was working with her to regain my menstrual cycle after birth control because I hadn't had a period for eight months, and then that came back, and my skin still was just not budging.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

So I was living in Australia at the time and I moved back to the UK and I was like, right, I want to train in skin. And as soon as I trained in skin, I was like, right, I want to train in nutrition and lifestyle, and then that wasn't enough. Um, so I trained in functional health as well, um, and kind of take that approach with my clients, how I healed my own skin.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. So you're like accredited in like your nutrition, your functional skin, everything like that as well.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, nutrition and lifestyle coach. I've got all the like you know, you know how it is. Like you do one course and then you're like, the next we use.

SPEAKER_01

One more, one more, one more. And was there like a moment that you sort of realized that skincare alone isn't enough to clear acne?

SPEAKER_00

I think I knew it from the very beginning. Yeah. So my vision, my plan was to kind of follow the steps of my naturopath. I just wanted to work solely online, clearing skin, and I knew naturopaths that did it, but more so from the skin industry side, it wasn't heard of. Um, so then when I trained in level two, facial and skin care and level three, I wanted to open up a clinic to get that hands-on experience, and it just flew, like I got fully built really quickly. So I kind of had a bit of uh I kind of felt like a bit of a fraud because I was given bits of internal advice, but I knew the way I healed my own skin, it wasn't just skincare and treatments, I didn't even have any treatments for my own skin. So that's why then I went down the nutrition and lifestyle route and then the functional route. Um, so I always knew from the very beginning, like my Instagram, because I completely documented everything coming off the pill, like open book. Um, I was reviewing skincare products, but it wasn't until I really honed in on the internal aspects that it cleared.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. Yeah, and that's obviously something that I think we all see as well, and we've all noticed that treatments aren't gonna clear everything. Like sometimes obviously somebody comes in with like a bit of barrier damage, and that's about it. Easy job done. Whereas if somebody's coming in and it's that persistent jawline acne that's either just constant or it's like cyclical, you know it's not all a chemical peel and you'll be right as rain kind of thing. Yeah. What made you then sort of pivot and go into the teaching and opening the functional skin academy?

SPEAKER_00

A couple of things, really. So obviously, when I did my initial training, I kind of left and I was like, is that it? Like I've just been told how to put on a cleanser and remove it and do a consultation. And because of my my own journey and my own experience, I didn't realise how little the functional side was spoken about in the industry until I launched a course called Clear Skin Foundations, and it was four clients, and I sold 21 and 18 that purchased it were skin practitioners. And I was like, okay, this is like a telling sign that there's a gap out there somewhere. And then I kept getting some messages from a couple of practitioners, and it ended up being on a weekly basis. Like, how do you get your results? Do you offer training, any teaching? And I never really thought about it, but I started slowly building something in the background, and then I went on a different podcast, um, Skin Philosophy one. Yes. And she asked me the question of where would you refer practitioners to for further training in this field? And all I could say was podcasts, books, yeah, further courses, resources. But I knew I was building it in the background, but I wasn't taking it so seriously. And that was when I was I it was a turning point, and I was like, I have to take this seriously right now. I need to, I need to get it done. Make it happen because my mission is to make as many women and men, uh, but more so women not feel like they have to take birth control or oactane to clear their skin, and being able to teach it now to skin practitioners to then help their clients. Yeah, it's incredible.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, obviously, I am on the functional skin academic at the minute, and it is unreal. Like it's changed the way I look at the functional side. I already did a what I felt like was a lot of it before joining. Yeah. But even like, I think what has it been like a month? Yeah, just over. Yeah, just over a month. And in that time, like I've launched my acne programme. I've started working c like closer with in clinic clients as well, looking at their home care stuff and their lifestyle stuff. Whereas before I I knew what I was talking about, but I always kind of felt a bit, oh, I don't know if I can say that, I don't know if I can do that, I don't know if this is right kind of thing. So I would give people advice and sort of leave it there. Whereas now I feel more confident to be like, no, no, listen to me, kind of thing. Like I know what I'm talking about. So it's I think it is definitely something that was missing. Like there are courses that cover hormones and things like that, but nothing as in-depth as the functional skin therapy. So it's definitely it it's filled a gap, I think.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, and as you know, inside the academy, I am very, very heavy on person-centered approach. Yeah, like there's no blanket statement of cut dairy out or you know, go and do breath work. It all comes down to that functional assessment of the client's lifestyle, what they've previously tried, what they're doing day to day, yeah, what they're eating, but not so much like oh, like okay, eat breakfast, do this. It's what is gonna fit in with what they're already doing. Like, how can we dress it up instead of stripping everything away and causing overwhelm to the client? So, functional skin health to me is more about it's more client focused than just here's a booklet on how to clear acne. Yeah, you know, like it's been the standard information and education of the dairy, you know, inflammatory seed oils. Yeah, it's more so actually looking at the person as a whole and being like, right, this is what the symptoms are saying, this is what the skin's presenting, this is the life they're leading, what pattern can we see that is literally the invisible thread that's linking it all together that's then showing on the skin?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, and when you do it that way, what when you find that thing, it's like, oh my god, of course. Like feels so obvious now. But until you've sort of dug deeper into it and asked the right questions and had that really deep thorough consultation with them, people come and they're like, I've done everything, I've tried everything. And we'll always think, You haven't, no, haven't you? You definitely haven't, no. Um, so for anyone listening who is new to the concept, what is functional skin health?

SPEAKER_00

Functional skin health is when we look at the client as a whole. So we're not looking at their symptoms in isolation. As we know, acne is a symptom, it is classified as a skin condition. But when you move more into the functional health space, it is just a symptom. The body is trying to tell us that something is either not communicating effectively, it's imbalanced, or there's a deficiency somewhere. So, like when clients go to the GP and they look at symptoms in isolation, that's how I kind of imagine just a topical skin approach now. Because when we look from a functional perspective, it's all about asking those deeper questions to really get to know your client. You know, someone was asking the other day who wants to potentially join the academy, but I don't want to ask about poo and periods. And I was like, well, this isn't for you. Yeah, we really need to understand everything. And as long as you have that discussion with the client and make sure that they're comfortable with discussing these things because they are linked to skin, it's not that we want to nose it, know it because we're nosy, yeah. Um, then that's absolutely fine. But it has to be that we ask these deeper questions to really understand the client, to fully understand the root cause. Yeah. So functional skin is more so about understanding the client as a whole, not looking at the skin as a symptom or in isolation and creating a protocol that is very personalized to them.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, I think that's it, isn't it? It is the personalization of it. One person might have one thing that's triggering their acne, and then the next person is something completely different. It's I find very, very rare that you see two people that have got the exact same situation going on. The symptoms might be similar, but the actual like underlying cause, yeah, it's just completely different. Because there is so many things that can be causing it, or so many links of things. So, like one thing that might not necessarily cause acne on its own, but linked with its other thing, then put together, is then triggering all the inflammation and it's just it's crazy.

SPEAKER_00

It's it's like a jigsaw puzzle, isn't it? It's like, okay, the acne is one piece, but then when you start piecing it all together, yeah, okay, maybe acne is the picture on the puzzle, but when you start piecing it all together, it's never the same. Like I've never ever worked with clients, two clients who have had the same, whether it be blood markers, whether it be symptoms, well, similar symptoms, but the whole assessment form never been too the same. And although the acne may present similar patterns, the root cause is never that simple. It's never one thing guy.

SPEAKER_01

No.

SPEAKER_00

If it was our job, it'd be easier.

SPEAKER_01

It would be much easier, wouldn't it? But yeah, I think because it is so individual, that then translates into your treatment needs to be individual, and what you're, you know, giving them to do basically needs to be specific to that person. What are some of the biggest root causes you commonly see behind acne and other inflammatory skin conditions?

SPEAKER_00

The biggest one is definitely nervous system dysregulation, and this is the hardest one I have in trying to communicate or get across to the client effectively because on the assessment form that I do with my clients, it says what is your daily stress level out of 10, 10 being the highest, you know, zero being not at all, and they'll always go around like four or five mark. But then when you start actually talking to them, they're always running around after the kids and the husband or the partner, they're always having like uh skipping breakfast, having three coffees per day, they're massively under-eaten, they're malnourished, like they're not getting enough nutrients, and they're constipated, like they're not going every day. So when we look from an inflammatory perspective, that is stress. Yeah. Anytime the body feels under threat or it's not in homeostasis, which means balance, it's under stress. So I think the issue with treating that as a root cause is helping the client come to the realization actually, you do know that having high caffeine consumption is a stressor. You do know not putting yourself first and not having strong boundaries is also a stressor. Yeah. So it's really easy for clients to normalize their current lifestyle because that's what they've always known for how. That's their normal. Exactly. And making them aware of that is the hardest part, but it is the biggest root cause stress because when a client is under that chronic stress, during fight or flight, which is sympathetic nervous state, they're not gonna digest foods, they're gonna get constipated. Therefore, they're not absorbing all the lovely nutrients from the foods. All the supplements they're spending money on, they're not even absorbing. Yeah, just wasting money. And their their periods are gonna say, well, their ovulation is gonna say, I'm not gonna happen because you can't carry a baby. So I'm pausing or I'm gonna delay. Um, so all of these are red flags or indicators, if you like, to nervous system dysregulation.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, I've got a client at the minute, one of my online clients, and in her check-in this week, I'd given her some information about nervous system regulation, stress, and how it affects the body and the skin and everything like that. And in her check-in this week, her like her positive from last week, she wrote it something along the lines of reading about the stress and realizing that nervous system is actually a real thing. And I was like, oh my god, she's a real thing. Like that's I read it and I was just like, it's real, it gets you out in the weird, it gets you out in situations. And from her starting to implement these things without changing anything else, her skin's already changed, so it just really does go to show how big of an impact it really does have. Like I know my acne is definitely stress is a really big trigger for it. I know when I'm not looking after myself or when I'm not, you know, focusing on myself, or there's a lot going on, and just everything feels a bit overwhelming. I know I'm gonna have a flare-up.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, and the most important takeaway from that is helping the client realize that that may be their trigger. Yeah. Because you and I know I experience breakouts from times of high stress as well. And you and I know, like, we're busy, it's not gonna slow down, but at least we know that if our skin starts to break out, okay, that is a sign I really need to pull back and take to sit out. So helping clients realize that is the most important part.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. Yeah, and I always have it as the first part of my program as well, because everyone's always so ego, like, I want my blood, I want the new skincare, I want this, I want that. And I'm like, no, no. Let's just have a minute.

SPEAKER_00

Well, that's calm down. That's why it's one of the first pillars I teach in functional skin academy. Because if you're in this state of stress, if you're in fight or flight, what is a good supplement stack going to do? What's a blood test gonna do? It's gonna come back and say your cuts will either through the roof or it's down on the floor because you're burnt out. So we know that your inflammatory markers will be high. So we have to work on the nervous system first to get you in that parasympathetic state. So then the body further down does what it needs to do.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, and even just recognize it that that's where you're at as well, and it's not, oh well, this is just how life is, this is I'm just stressed.

SPEAKER_00

I don't know.

SPEAKER_01

We need to fix that.

SPEAKER_00

Get rid of that label, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Stop it. What's one thing about skin health that most people get completely wrong?

SPEAKER_00

Oh, skin health or like functional skin health?

SPEAKER_01

We'll go functional.

SPEAKER_00

Okay. I think jumping to the term hormonal acne, it just really rubs me up the wrong way. And I know it's with good intentions, but it doesn't give the client an answer. Um, so for example, like the example we've just used with nervous system dysregulation, if a client's periods are delayed and they're showing that typical pattern of hormonal acne where it's on the lower part of the jawline, yes, they they can both indicate it's hormonal. Yeah. But the question is, what's delaying that period and what's causing that acne? So that delayed period is probably causing the acne. But if the client is in living in, you know, fight or flight and they're in chronic stress, that potentially is the root cause. Yeah, not the hormones itself. Yeah. So skin practitioners who haven't gone down the functional route, I completely get it because I I mean, if you go back on my Instagram, I did loads of reels saying hormonal acne is this, hormonal acne is that. But it can get quite um not dangerous, but misdiagnosing when we shouldn't diagnose anyway. Yeah, but instantly assuming that pattern of acne is hormonal. Yeah. And then what I do see online is people jumping straight to it's high androgens because you're getting it here. Yeah. It does that's not necessarily the case. Like someone could have breakouts here, it could be hormonally driven or influenced, but it could be high androgens, it could be high prolactin, it could be oestrogen dominance, it could be low progesterone, which is making the androgens stay elevated. It could be lymphatic stagnation, like there's so many things that it could be that labelling it as hormonal acne doesn't really give the client any answers, but also it could direct them the down the wrong route. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Well, that kind that I was just saying about um all of her acne is like lower half of the face, and when we did her bloods, her hormones were fine. Yeah, it was all stress-based and all inflammation based, so she was taking dim of her own accord. So I said to her, It's like, you don't you don't need to be taking that? Yeah, because it's not a hormonal thing. I know that obviously you've seen it, it's on my drawing line, it must be hormonal, that's what a hormonal acne is. Yeah, not always the case.

SPEAKER_00

It's like me taking my car to the mechanic and saying it's come up with an engine vault, and he's like, Yeah, it's an engine vault. And I'm like, Yeah, but what is what part do I need to take out and replace that to get to the root of the issue? Yeah, I know that this pattern indicates it's influenced by hormone somewhere, but the root cause could be anything from nervous system dysregulation to the food you're eating to even vitamins and mineral deficiencies. Like if we blindly guess this is or label this is hormonal acne because of the pattern, and then we say, I know a great supplement for that, take um dim, for example, or even something like Vitex to reduce androgens, it's very unsafe because I've been there, I was working with a client, she had that typical pattern of acne. She went on um saw pometo, which decreases DHT. And then actually, when I trained in bloods and we did bloods, came back that her testosterone was absolutely fine. She didn't need to be taking this, it was her estrogen that was elevated. So, yeah, hormonal acne, it's like it means absolutely nothing. Yeah, you can just get in the bin basically.

SPEAKER_01

And what mistakes are you seeing skin professionals make when trying to move into the functional space?

SPEAKER_00

Um, probably trying to do too much at once because it's it's like opening a can of worms. When you start learning about one subject, you move on to the next. So, like for me at the moment with Functional Skin Academy, there's new research coming out all the time now about like peptides and all the things that are just coming out. Such a fast evolving industry that we often feel like we have to know everything to try and keep up. And it's not the case to be a good practitioner. I feel you just have to choose your Niche, not even choose a niche, but okay, I want to be a rose age specialist, but I also like doing scheme longevity. These are my clients, these are the treatments, these are the um routes I want to go down with the functional side. This is got gonna be my main focus, and I'll layer in the other stuff in time, yeah. Because at the moment there's a lot of noise around blood work, and I've had a lot of conversations with practitioners over the last few weeks who are like, I want to do blood work, and I'm like, okay, you do you want to help? And they're like, Well, I just want to do it because I've seen such and such doing it, and everyone's doing it, and it's coming from a place of fear of being left behind.

SPEAKER_01

I covered this exact thing on last week's episode and just said like you don't need to do that.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, and it's actually quite upsetting because a lot of skin practitioners feel like they're no longer good because the next things come out and they're not trained in it. Yeah. And I'm like, have you cleared someone's skin? Yeah. Well, then you're a good skin practitioner and you know what you're doing. You can't decide to do or you can't have a want to do things from a place of fear of missing out because then it won't be sustainable. It takes a lot of work. Like, I spent a lot of money on my course, and I was on four calls a week with the um what do you call them like a program institute. Um, and I still have a mentor to this day for complex cases.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

So I feel you have to want to do it for good reasons for your clients, yeah, best interest, so it's ethical, so you'll sustain it, and so you know what um what service you're wanting to provide for the client as well.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, it's like with anything though, isn't it? Like, I feel people see what's happening on socials. If say skin pen is trending, everyone's like, right, well, I need skin pen, or I'm not, I'm I'm shit practitioner. Like, you're not. Everybody does what they do to suit their business. If skin pen doesn't suit your business, if you don't have the clients that are gonna pay £180 for microneedling, skin pen isn't gonna fit in with your business. There's no point in you spending all of that money when what you're doing currently is working. Yeah. And it's the same with bloods. If you're not focusing on treating people that you know would need to look into that should it come to that point, like acne, rosacea, any like inflammatory skin condition, why are you doing it?

SPEAKER_00

Because of social media, yeah. I think this industry is incredible because everyone is so supportive. Yeah. We were talking about this last week. Like you'll put a post and its skin practitioners commented, yeah, and it's amazing. I've never, there might be industries out there, but I've never known an industry of people doing the same thing being so supportive of beauty. But then on the contrary to that, you log on to social media and you're following all these amazing practitioners, and you are just getting new treatments, new offers, new services, constantly pushed in your face to a point where you think I wasn't considering laser hair removal, and now but now I am. I am, and that was me a few years ago. I paid and did the course, and I sat there doing my exam, like, what the hell am I doing? If I don't want to remove hair, I put acne. But I was made to feel like that, and it just takes a bit of a break from social media and just really, you know, stepping into your treatment room or talking to your clients and really just set seeing what they need. Because at the end of the day, we're here to provide a service for the client. It's not about doing things to impress other practitioners, it's about us providing a service, and if that fits in with your offer of what you want to give to the client, then perfect, go for it. But never ever feel you have to do something from a place of being left behind.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

I know skin practitioners still who are only doing skin treatments and they are smashing it, yeah like they're getting incredible results, and they've got no interest in this side of things. I think kudos, like amazing. I think that's the thing, isn't it? It is just do you.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, just do whatever it is that you want to do. If you want to just do glass skin facials all day, every day, and that was your thing, not yourself out. Yeah, exactly. So, what do you think some of the hidden factors people often overlook when trying to clear their skin or trying to clear a client's skin?

SPEAKER_00

I think just assessing the person as an individual is the biggest thing for me. Um, we know all the typical advice of like blood sugar regulation, getting off sleep, getting hydrated. The clients can now find this online quite easily. Yeah. They can go on Chat GPT and find this. I work with clients who pay me for my programme and I give them a protocol and they still put it through Chat GPT. But what Chat GPT can't pick up on is that personalisation. Yeah, nuance. Yeah. Um, of okay, I've looked at your symptoms, I know you inside out, I've looked at your skin, and this is the protocol I've created for you. So I think the most overlooked thing is definitely that that personalized approach with the protocols. It's the same as skincare, like we personalise it to the skin. Same as treatments. When we give internal advice, it has to be the same.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, like we're not just giving out the same skin plan for every single client because it wouldn't work. Yeah, so it's the same for the functional side of it as well. And one thing that I personally think is really underrated is the digestion. I think people really miss out as being such a a key part. And I think like sometimes when I ask clients about their like violent movements and what does your poo look like, they're a bit like why are you asking me that? Like, because it's important, yeah. We need to know these things, like that is such a key part of what's going on inside, yeah, and I think that is something that's not looked at enough.

SPEAKER_00

That's a really good point. I kind of forget the things like that because it's just my second nature, yeah, but that's why we take a top-down approach because everyone does skip the stomach, they skip um the liver as well, isn't spoken about enough. Yeah. It is just a case of oh, cut alcohol out, it stresses the liver. But the liver has over 500 different jobs to do, and you can give it an easier job by focusing on what we do more higher up. So making sure that all of our lovely digestive enzymes are secreting so we break down the foods effectively. So then, you know, vial is produced to help absorb fat. So people that are that are taking like vitamin A, D, E, K, they're actually absorbing it, and it all does start up here. So gut health is a huge topic, and everyone believes it starts in the small cone lot and small intestines, starts in the mouth with digestion and how we actually eat our food.

SPEAKER_01

So that's and the whole oral microbiome situation. Oh, that has like just blown my head off recently that you spoke about it in a call a couple of weeks ago, and since then I was like, Well, now I need to look into this and do all the research in the world, and yeah, that was something I've never really heard anything about. And I've done fair few courses at this point.

SPEAKER_00

So everything that seems to be doing a return, if you like, like functional health is kind of like a new term, but actually the principles have been around for years. Like everything that we're hearing about now, my naturopath, who has been trained for 20 years, has been saying for 20 years. And she's like, I can't believe this is now taken off. I've been saying this from the rooftops. So one of the first things she said to me was, You've got acne, your oral microbiome needs some support. Get a tongue scraper, brush your teeth as soon as you wake up, make sure it's fluoride and SLS-free. So then all that bad bacteria that's accumulated in your mouth overnight isn't being swallowed straight to the gut.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Because the first thing I was doing was chugging water, and I thought that was great. Um, and since then I've helped clients with literally just changing oral hygiene habits, yeah, clear their skin, particularly around the perioral area.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. Yeah, that is one thing that I'd never really heard of, considered. I didn't I didn't even know it was like particularly a thing, if I'm honest. Like I knew about the the toothpaste and tongue scraping, but I never really understood what tongue scraping was for. And now I do scrape. Do you think restricted diets have gone too far in that new world?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. A lot of clients who come and work with me, they've tried everything. And I would say 60% of them have eating disorders, like or ways of eating, disordered eating. They're like, I've cut dairy out, I've cut urge processed foods out, I've cut gluten out, and I'm like, well, can you tell me what you're eating? And they're even fearful of having too much protein because it they're now like, well, I've heard too much protein does this, blah blah blah. And it's there's a lot of noise online. And again, I'm gonna sound so boring, but it's really person-dependent. So I've only said to a handful of clients, remove dairy, and that's if they've got polycystic over syndrome or they've got high androgens. Yeah, and that is only temporary, yeah. That's until we've kind of done our um gut healing protocol because a lot of food intolerances are from just having leaky gut or an imbalanced gut microbiome, but I always say it's not forever. You can reintroduce this at a later date. The one food group that is the one that I recommend removing the most is gluten, and that is because it's highly inflammatory, it's super damaging to the intestinal lining of the gut. And anyone that comes back with elevated thyroid antibody markers, it has to go because gluten is that one thing that keeps damaging the lining of the gut over time, and the more it does, the more toxins and you know, everything that needs to go out that way starts to leach into the bloodstream, and that's what is autoimmunity, yeah, which is serious. So, gluten is the one thing that I will say, right, what you're presenting, this needs to go, and it's not to say you won't have to restrict it forever, it's a case of for your healing protocol, yeah, absolutely. Yeah, um, I was talking to a client literally yesterday, and she's gone gluten-free and she's seen amazing benefits that she goes on holiday in two weeks, and she was like, I just really am scared about things in breadcrumbs. And I was like, Okay, if you want a chicken gous on in a breadcrumb on holiday, you have that. Yeah, not yourself out because the way you're talking about food and stressing about it, that's not good. Like you are gonna break out more from triggering this cycle of stress, and that the last thing I want you to do is be on holiday and feel so restricted that you can't enjoy yourself. Yeah, so I think it's very person-dependent, but also we have to take into consideration if we restrict things too much, then it can have adverse reactions on the skin.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. Yeah, I um have got a client at the minute, she's like a young girl, and she lost quite a lot of weight, and since then has been quite obsessive with her eating and her exercise. Her periods have stopped, unusual stuff, obviously got acne. And when she sent me her food diary, I was looking through it and I was like, this isn't bad. And then when I actually looked at it, I was like, where are the calories? Where's the there was protein in there, but there was no like red meats or anything like that. So I was like, it was all eggs and avocado and salads and this and that and I was like, right, we need to really up the nutrition in your diet because you're not f for the amount of exercise that you want doing, you're not fueling your body enough at all. And I think that for her, she was like, Oh god, oh god, okay. And I was like, it's not you don't have to start eating, you know, 3,000 calories a day, that's not what we're doing. But nothing's gonna change if we don't change something within your diet and the amount of exercise that you're doing as well, is just yeah, insane. Like you do not need to be doing that much, especially like the high intensity stuff as well. I said you can even just swap that for going for a walk two days a week.

SPEAKER_00

A lot of the time I find I'm dressing up meals or dressing up like their meal plans instead of stripping away. Yeah. So I was talking to a skim practitioner in FSA last week, and she was on about her client who's a care worker, and she really looks forward to having her sandwich in the car on a rake. And she was like, But I think she needs to remove gluten. And I was like, There's so many other pillars we can look at first, like her stress, like her sleep, like putting herself first, um, because she was a mum, than removing gluten straight away. Because if this person goes to her car, you know, halfway through a stressful day and really looks forward to that sandwich, and then we go, no, no gluten. Imagine what that's gonna do to the stress response. So actually, we dress it up. We're like, okay, you have cheese sandwiches most days. How about having tuna tomorrow and choosing sourdough? How about chicken and getting rid of those crisps or swapping them for olive oil crisps and kind of dressing it up to make it less scary to the client as well?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, yeah, and I think that's what it is, isn't it? It can be quite overwhelming for people if you go, right? We're gonna completely change everything that you do and forget everything that you've done, and this is your new diet.

SPEAKER_00

I wouldn't do it. When we're not in a place to say that, no, we are here to advise and say this is the research. We're not like doctors or dietitians, and even you know, it's it's very person dependent, and we've got to work with the client instead of being like, right, complete overhauled.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, and I think even like for me, if I went to a doctor and they're like, right, we need to completely change your diet, I'd still be like, No, I want to, like, I like the things I eat, like the specific things that I look forward to. I'm not gonna never have that again. I've been put down on it, or you know, swip it, like swap it out for different things sometimes, but no, I'm not listening to you. Yeah, even though you're a doctor, but yeah, and I I think we do need to just be mindful of, like you say, staying within scope is really important as well for a million different reasons. So we've kind of covered why you decided to create the functional skin academy, but what qualities make a great skin specialist, in your opinion?

SPEAKER_00

Having the client's best interest in your heart, like as long as they are your main focus, you can't go wrong. Like we've just said, if you are happy doing glass skin facials and that's what your clients love, and you do a great job, that makes you a good skin specialist. Yeah. I'm not gonna sit here and say, because I'm a functional skin practitioner, a good skin specialist means that you are looking at nutrition lifestyle because if you don't want to look at those areas because your clients don't need it, because you're doing lymphatic drainage facials or blast facials, then that doesn't even need to come into the conversation. Yeah. A good skin specialist is someone who literally chooses the training, chooses the treatments based off of oh my god, my client would really love this and get great results from it. So I think as long as you've always got your client at the centre of every decision you make, and obviously itself based on business choices, that makes you a good sting practitioner.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. Yeah, I would agree. I think like we've said, there's too many people and things and new training and new products and new this and new that to be focusing on everything all the time. I think as long as you're doing everything safely, making sure that you're you know up to speed on the new regulations or training or whatever that you need to have to be practicing safely. I think whatever else is to you, yeah. I think there's a lot of opinions that fly around on socials, and a lot of it is just hooks and you know, clickbait and trying to get trying to get that engagement. And I think we do have to be mindful of that as well, that not to just believe everything that you see, yeah. And believe that that is actually somebody's genuine opinion, or maybe it's just the hook, and then if you actually watch the real, that's not what they're saying at all.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, it's hard, isn't it, with socials at the moment, because you have to obviously get the attention of someone, and it is negative hooks work best. Yeah. So, how do you find a balance of keeping your socials alive and getting that engagement, but then not rocking the boat with people? Yeah, or just wagging people off all the time. Exactly. But I just think as long as you do things because you have a genuine interest and it serves your client, that's all you can do. Like there's no need to look left and right, just focus on your finish line. Yeah. But it is hard with social media, it's really hard.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, I think a lot of people do really struggle with it, but unfortunately, it is just the way the way it is now, isn't it? And you have to be an influencer as well as a steam specialist. Or we go back to leaflets, yeah. I mean, I know what I'd rather. Functional health can sometimes be criticized as being a bit woo or lacking in evidence. What would you say to that?

SPEAKER_00

I think the woo side is quite funny because as I mentioned, like the naturopaths I've worked with, and even Chinese herbal doctors, they've been talking about this stuff for years. Yeah, it's like Chinese medicine goes back centuries. Like the only new thing is the new technology that's coming out or the new research on things like peptides. So, for example, like nervous system regulation, we can advise on getting outside in nature, but when it came from her a naturopath or a holistic specialist, it was woo.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

But now it's quite it's quite trendy.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, and going putting your feet in grass and all of that. Like five years ago, people have been like, oh my god, that's so hippie. Like, oh, no one's gonna do that.

SPEAKER_00

Now everyone's going touching grass. Like I saw someone on TikTok say that they invented hot girl walks, yeah, and someone was stitching it saying it's just walking. Yeah, like everyone's walks, we walk.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

And it's funny because these things do come back around, they do come full circle, but it's just packaged up differently.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

So functional health isn't so much, it's not deemed as we are, I think it's the holistic side, then it's isn't it? Um, but people that say there's no research to back it up, it's really hard because for some new research to actually get published in the medical books that GPs and nurses use, it takes seven years. So even what we're seeing with gut health in the past three to four, that still won't be landed in their hands. Um, so the best thing to do is look at the research and go off there. And if you then use that and you get results, you know it works. That's your own personal evidence. Yeah, exactly. So the practitioners who are fearful of talking about functional health because of the evidence, just always talk from experience. Yeah. Like always say, This is what I use, this helped me, because then you you know you can't get a lawsuit, you won't get someone going, that's not true, because it's your personal story.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. Do you think the skin industry is moving in the right direction when it comes to treating skin holistically? Yes. 100%.

SPEAKER_00

I just can't imagine not doing it with my clients now. Yeah. I'd feel like my hands were just tied behind my back, which is funny because I still do the treatment side. But I, for the past four years, I've not done a treatment without giving the holistic view. Even mic needling. Yeah. I'm like, okay, you're taking these supplements. Like, are we gonna put back on sugar? Have you got this at home? Blah blah blah. So yeah, it's definitely going the right way with.

SPEAKER_01

That um that's why I've I've created the functional skinner catch me, and who knows where it'll go, yeah, and I think even not just relating to skin, but I think even just health-wise, a lot more people are going more towards functional rather than medical because of not wanting side effects and taking medication, not wanting to just be on medication for the rest of their lives, etc. etc. etc. There's so much that can be helped by looking at the functional aspect of things.

SPEAKER_00

I think some people are pushed to go down that route, like I was when I came off the pill and I was diagnosed with PCOS, now PMOS. Yeah. Um, again, changing all the time. I was just told to go back on the pill, and luckily I had done my research, I was working with my naturopath, and I knew that wasn't an option for me because of how I felt on the pill, and that it would have regulated my period, it would just give me a withdrawal bleed and it would mask my acne. So I was kind of forced down that route to become my own health advocate. And we see it with clients that come and see us now, like especially in the perimenopausal stage, where they're not getting any answers and they're just pushed on antidepressants, and they're like, Yeah, but I don't feel depressed, I just have a low mood and I've got these symptoms, and they're like, No, you know, take the take this, come back, take the other thing. If that don't work, come back or give you some higher dosage or a different pill. So people are pushed more, uh sorry, pushed more down that functional route because they've got no choice.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. Yeah, and I think a lot of the time a lot of clients that I have seen in the past didn't even realise they had that option. I think our generation and all have always been pushed to just trust doctors because they know best. They know everything, they're gonna help. Whereas now I think obviously given the way that the NHS is and the way that there just isn't the funding for so many things, and social media is the way it is now, and there's so much information out there, people have that education behind them almost to go, no, I'm not taking that. I'm gonna sort it out myself.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Or I'll go and find an athropath or somebody that can help me look at it from a functional perspective. Whereas I think ten years ago, people didn't know that was an option.

SPEAKER_00

No. And it's this is the amazing thing about it, is it is becoming more accessible because of social media. Yeah. So people are asking more questions around their health, and rightly so. Yeah. Like I think about when I was prescribed all those awful topical steroid creams that didn't help me. I was prescribed antibiotics, the pill ractane.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

None of that is good for me internally. And it's kind of like a route that is expected to follow until it gets so severe, then you're made to explore other options. Yeah, when none of that works, right now what? And your gut's more damaged and your liver's more overloaded. Then your acne's worse. And your acne's worse. So, yeah, it's it is the way the NHS is, sadly. Um, people are being pushed more to more so to find the Roman answers and find people like us to help them.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, which is great. Is there any trends that you're seeing online currently that you find concerning? I don't follow trends. What are you seeing at the moment? In terms of like functional stuff, I think it is more just like that blanket same or just if you've got anything, just cut dairy out. Which might work, it might not. You don't know. And then if it does, what are you gonna do? There's never eat cheese again. Yeah, couldn't be me.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I think the blood testing side of things, yeah, because people are feeling really like panicked to do it, panicked to do it, um, and pushed to make that decision, otherwise they'll miss the boat, which isn't the case at all. And it's very unethical to play, like do the blood side of things if you've not done the trainings, if you don't understand the markets, yeah. So I think that's one of the things, but yeah, I mean, trends are coming so quickly and leaving so quickly, aren't they? Now, like the lymphatic vibration plates. I had clients asking me, do I need to buy one of these? And I'm like, dude, you're not even eating three meals a day. Like the last thing we'll do. Can we just start with you having some eggs in the morning? Yeah, and then maybe you could consider that.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, I think there's that overconsumption, isn't there, on socials like you see the morning sheds, and people are taking off 50 million different bits of plastic and throwing them all away. And I think it's just right, what can I buy to fix this? Instead of actually doing the work and finding the problem. I think it is people just want that easy solution. I want a supplement I can take that's gonna fix it. I want to buy a vibration plate and that's gonna fix all of my problems.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

I'm gonna wear some mouth tape and it's gonna give me a new face. Like, yes, all of these things have benefits, but if you've not got the actual foundations right, those things are pointless, they're a waste of money.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. I've actually just thought of a trend with you saying that is just like because everyone is evolving into the functional health space, not just skin, there's new drinks coming out, there's new powders coming out, and I had a brand actually email me saying, Can I send you some of these function? They're called functional drinks. And I was like, Oh great. So I was thinking they'd be like trip or you know, the dash ones. The first ingredient was sugar, and I'm just like, Who are you? You must just be some like white businessman in a suit that's seen that the word functional is trending and thought, let's pee back on this. So, yeah, the drinks, the powders, like the powders that are really low dose, multivitamin, like you don't necessarily need everything that's in there. Yeah. So it's just over consumption, like you say, and consumerism has just gone crazy. Yeah. When actually, half the time for skin, it's about peeling it all back and going back to the basics.

SPEAKER_01

In terms of it's kind of on the same topic with the trends, but peptides, what are your thoughts?

SPEAKER_00

I'm so excited for peptides. So I've not personally taken any because I'm scared shitless of injecting myself. And I'm not bothered about waiting for them to be FDA approved because I don't think they will be. Because I was actually doing some research on this, and you can't something can't be FDA approved that's already inside the body, that's already within the body or the curbing. So peptides are boosting that. Um, so I don't think a lot of them will be FDA approved for that reason, but also because of how many things they can treat, yeah, and then how little people will be relying on the pharmaceutical industry because they can't buy it. Um, so things like there's the BK17, I know some people on that, and it's literally reduced their autoimmune diseases, ulceratocolitis, cleared their skin, like the GHK, CHU look copper one. I think I really want to try that. Apparently, it stings, yeah. So that instantly I'm like, no, I'll wait a few years. But you have to take them safely. Like if you're having a high dose of copper, take a zinc supplement with it. Yeah. So it's again that education around them that's really important. That I do think the future of skin of functional skin health will be layering in peptides and protocols.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, for sure. And I think obviously with the rise of like the GLP1s and stuff that we've seen over the last couple of years, and then seeing the links between inflammation and GLP1s and stuff, I think they're gonna become more prevalent and more people are gonna be taking them, not just for weight loss. Like I take rata, and I've noticed such a difference in my like inflammation. It's really, really helped with my skin for sure. I've noticed a difference with bloating and stuff as well.

SPEAKER_00

Maybe that's because I don't eat as much, but it's also that that whole food noise situation for me whoa, like it's I've never felt like I'm not just constantly thinking about food, which is just insane, which is a big thing for me because all I do is think about food. Yeah, and I've got PCOS, like my symptoms are in remission, but I will always have those blood sugar spikes. And at the moment, like my skin is not great because of stress, but then when I am stressed, I reach for those foods, yeah. So, like you say, I think people will be on some kind of GLP one, not everyone, but some people will be exploring it more so for those side of things than just weight loss alone.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, I think it is gonna be one of those things that really does change a lot of people's lives. I think GLP ones already have for a lot of people as well. Like I know people that have been on them and it has been like completely life-changing for them, but then obviously there's lots of opinions and whatnot that float around, and I just think who do you?

SPEAKER_00

It's better than cocaine and smoking cigarettes. Well, that's it.

SPEAKER_01

That's one that I saw a reel that some girl had posted. It was something along the lines of you won't take a peptide because you don't know what's in it, but that bag that you buy every weekend is absolutely fine. I was like, that's so violent.

SPEAKER_00

I think this circles back to your question of what would you say to people? Do you think functional health isn't researched enough? And you kind of get two camps where it's like, I will only listen to the GP for every single symptom I have. I'll only take things that are FDA approved. And I saw somewhere that whey protein's not even FDA approved, and we don't even have FDA approval in this country, it's more American.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Um, so as long as you're getting it from a reliable website and it's legit, it's not off the black market, yeah, and you introduce it slowly, and you are very aware of you know the symptoms you might get that aren't great, and the positive symptoms you know what to look out for, then it's like anything, isn't it? You you reap the benefits, or you don't, then you can come off of it or step on it.

SPEAKER_01

That's it. It's not like once you started it, that's it forever. You have to be on it, you can literally just swap.

SPEAKER_00

And people have filler Botox, so Botox is a legit toxin. Yeah. So choose your battles. I have Botox, but I don't, you know, I hardly drink tap water. Yeah. And my father's like, what is wrong with you? I'm like, I haven't doing me, hon.

SPEAKER_01

I know where my Botox comes from. Don't know where my tap water does.

SPEAKER_00

Did you know that Botox gets flown in on a jet plane from Ireland with jets?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, I found this out recently. I haven't heard it on a podcast. Because it's that toxic. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

I need booking in next week.

SPEAKER_01

I know, I'm going with mine tonight.

SPEAKER_00

We're so funny.

SPEAKER_01

Actually, so we'll do the couple of QA questions that we've got. So, first one is I'd love to know the best approach to help rosacea with products slash treatments and any gut testing.

SPEAKER_00

Rosacea is gut driven. So I would go straight for a GI map. Um, you could definitely do things from like a foundational pillows perspective of you know, increasing the gut microbiome, working on digestion first and foremost, and nervous system, that top-down approach. But from a topical perspective, LED, just smashing that.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Um circadia have a really good product called ChronoCalm, which is really, really good for rosacea. So, how I've healed, I've only done a few rosacea clines, but it was ChronoCalm, uh post-peel balm from circadia, and then loads of LED and some form of oxygen as well, just to help like deliver the nutrients to the skin.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. Do you rate azoleic acid? I love azalaic acid. Yeah, rhosacea. I forgot about that one. Yeah, it's incredible. That tends to be my go-to for any sort of inflammation really. If a client comes to me and is really, really inflamed, I'm just like azaleic acid. Just take it. Um, because I use it for mine as well. And I have rhization. No, more for my acne, because it when it's bad, it does get very inflamed and that game changer. Yeah. And for periodum tyres, that's what fixed mine.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, really. See, I first heard about azoleic acid from Dr. Sam Hunting on her YouTube years ago. And I was like, I've never heard of this. I'm ignoring this. Like, this won't be a thing. And now and also pregnant pregnant women can use it. And it's not a case of, you know, like tret where it's like introduce it slowly, depending on the percentage. But all the ones I've used, like the wish one, you can get them on it straight away, yeah, seven days a week.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, and the annual one, I really like that one. Um, it does have niacin and wide in it as well, which some people can be a bit funny with part of this getting, but I really like that one. Um, how to deal with clients who keep getting acne breakouts in the same place all the time?

SPEAKER_00

It depends what they've tried before. So if it's just skincare and treatments, then we need to look more internal. Yeah. Um, that's the answer, really. It really comes down to what's happening internally, what they're doing, what skincare they're using. Yeah. If it's consistent, it could be lifestyle related. So looking at what they're doing on a daily or weekly basis, if it's more so like food, or if it's more gut-driven from the food they're eating, if it's more um less consistent, then you would be looking at their cycle. But in bits like it won't budge, they're on great skincare, great treatment plan, then look at what they're doing day to day. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

How can a girl busy working get her 30 gram protein breakfast in to help with acne?

SPEAKER_00

So if we go off the basis that one egg has six grams, then you can build up from that. I have, this is my breakfast. I have three chicken sausages and two eggs, and then I add some egg white in. Yeah. What I do before the gym, so that's after the gym. Before the gym, I have an amino acid blend powder.

SPEAKER_01

I think you put it on your store, yes.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, so this is new. But basically, like a lot of people get that sicky feeling, eating first thing, which I don't want to eat first thing in the morning. I'll eat within 45 minutes, but not as soon as I wake. So this amino acid blend is incredible for giving your body the amino acids, okay, what creates protein, but not breaking the fast. So it's one calorie. Um, so technically you are stabilizing your blood sugars and getting protein in. And I have 10 grams of that of protein, you can up it with how many scoops. So then for breakfast, if I don't feel that hungry, I know I can take a couple of eggs out or a couple of chicken sausages away, and I've still maintained it.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

For a busy person, that powder would be great, but I would always go for whole foods, but she's busy. So using things like um the powder, dairy-free collagen powder, uh, collagen powder, dairy-free protein powder, but also pre-cooking everything. I was gonna say, like prepping meals. So my chicken sausages are air fried on a Sunday, and then I do another batch on Wednesday. My egg muffins pre-cooked on a Sunday, another batch on Wednesday. Yeah. Um, and my breakfast literally takes me not even two minutes to put together.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, I think it is. I think anything with any sort of meal, isn't it, when people are like, oh shit, I'm just too busy, I'm just too busy prepping is the best thing you can do because then you just not have to think about it all week. You can just grasp whatever you've got. You know what you have it and you know what's going in and it just makes life so much easier.

SPEAKER_00

And you're less likely to impulsively get takeaway or look out for food as well.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. What skincare advice you hear all the time isn't actually true? Don't use a moisturiser. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

I've never believed that, and I'm so glad I stuck to my guns.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, see, I used to be one of those people to because I've always had oily skin. I mean, um we're talking like when I was like 15, 16, and I'll be like, well, I don't need a moisturiser because I'm oily, it's gonna make me more oily.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, so I believed it as a teenager when I was suffering. I mean, I was doing everything to dry my skin out. I was on clinique stuff literally once, and it's like pure alcohol. Yeah. But as a trained skin practitioner, I've always recommended a moisturiser, don't care what skin type you've got. And I am a firm believer in that if we hydrate the surface level of the skin, it calms the oil glands down. So moisturiser is key.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. No, I'm very, very heavy on a moisturiser. If I get a client in that says I'm not using a moisturiser, I just think, oh, I'm gonna change your life. How can someone tell if that acne is being driven by internal factors or external factors?

SPEAKER_00

So a clear indicator of external or topical influences is the size of the breakouts. So if it's more cystic, your papual is definitely from within. If it's more like your tiny white heads, more like closed textual texture, um, then I would say it's more something that's come into contact with the skin. Like, you know, for example, like periol dermatitis, if it's potentially fluoride or SLS toothpaste, if it's a damaged skin barrier, then we can see flakiness, we can see that it's tended to or red to touch and it's more sensitized. So, first of all, the pattern, but also again that analysis of the client.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Like understanding what they're doing in a life day-to-day, what they're eating. Yeah. Because if someone has got that, um if someone is experiencing acne and you've done everything you can topically, and then you eventually look at, okay, you know, having McDonald's every day, that's a clear indicator it's gonna be more internally driven.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

I would say nine times out of ten, it is more internally driven.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, I have found that too. Not really many acne clients I've worked with that they've had a new skin plan and it's solved everything. Um but that was sort of how I used to work my in-clinic acne programme. They'd get the new products, they we'd work on that first. And then if that didn't work, I'd be like, right, now what? kind of thing. Whereas now I do I tend to start more functional than products and treatment-wise, and then we can add that in as we go, kind of thing. I'll give them a new routine that's just really, really basic, just barrier function.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, yeah, I agree. I because I've always taken this approach, I can't say like if I've ever cleared someone's skin without that advice. There is one client I think of actually who she the only thing we changed was um her cups of tea throughout the day. That's the one thing we changed internally. She was quite stubborn with everything else. But getting her on a retinol and regular treatments, it did clear her skin.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

But she's so reliant on coming to see me still because she's so frightened of not having a treatment in case it comes back.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Um, so then that tells me actually, if she was to have a break from having treatments, would it come back? Would it come back? I've actually done my job there.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. But then I guess it's one of those, isn't it? You we can only do as much as we can do. It's 80% in the client's house. No, we're not magicians. No. Right. Those are the all the quick QA questions. So we'll end on some quick questions. So one skincare makes people have to ban forever.

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

One supplement you think is massively overhyped by collagen.

SPEAKER_00

Ooh. As a supplement, because it's really expensive. And you can get the same benefits from collagen powder. Okay. And putting it in food and drinks. Yeah. And having the amino sorry, this is not quick fire. And the amino acids are the building blocks to protein and collagen. Yeah. Collagen.

SPEAKER_01

Glad you just to clarify. Clarified that one. And I was like, oh. Um, one habit that has the biggest impact on skin health.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, so many. Definitely food, like what you eat 100%.

SPEAKER_01

A book that changed the way you practice.

SPEAKER_00

Period repair manual by Lara Biden.

SPEAKER_01

Your favourite thing about being a skin practitioner?

SPEAKER_00

The confidence it gives clients.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. And where do you see the future of functional skin health going over the next five years?

SPEAKER_00

Layered protocols with things like peptides, definitely microbiome testing, more so than bloods. Um, and I don't know, I think that'll be in the next year, never mind five. Who knows? Like, look how much it's changed in the last sick, doesn't it?

SPEAKER_01

That it's like it could literally just be anything. Yeah. I think seeing a lot of these like full-body scans at the minute, you know, they won't like have a look at everything.

SPEAKER_00

I think people are gonna start falling a lot more into that as well, to be seeing what's going on everywhere rather than just focusing on the thing, which is so needed. Like our cars get MOTs, yeah. We need that as well. And genetic testing, that is gonna be huge.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, I've seen a little bit of that. Um a girl, I feel like she does that, like I'm so interested.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, so I think we'll get to a point where we're doing all the right things, but actually it comes down to how our body responds to it. Yeah, and that will come down to the genetic testing, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Well, that was really good. It was really nice to speak to you and get all of the insights from your brain or everything.

SPEAKER_00

Could talk for hours, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Could literally just go over and over. Not a quick buy a girl. No. I feel like with functional health as well, though, like it's just not that straightforward. There isn't just an answer. There's always, well, this, but it needs to be because of this. It's not just do this. Yeah. I think that's why having a good education with the functional health stuff is so important because you need that context behind it to really truly understand it.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I agree. I agree. And it can sometimes the answers seem repetitive and boring, but that is literally it. What you've just said. Like it is that what is the person telling us? What are their symptoms telling us? So it's not a case of this is the best thing to do or follow ABC. It is we need to look at that person as a whole.

SPEAKER_01

So yeah, and I think as well, like I found with my clients, especially my online ones, we have a weekly check-in. I think they expected that every single week I'm gonna give them something new to do, and I'm like, no, I'm checking in with you just to check that you are keeping on top of the basics, and then as we go on, I can add new things in. But until we've got you giving me 100% on everything from the initial bit, we're not adding anything, that's it. Yeah, and then that's what makes them really start to actually go for it. Like, sorry, I'm boring. Yeah, sorry, unless you do it, I'm not doing it either. Um, but yeah, it was lovely to have you on. Thank you for having me. Have you got anything that you would like to say? Anything that's coming off? Anything have you closed the doors for FA now?

SPEAKER_00

Um they're closing end of June. Okay. Um, so when will this go on? Monday. Monday. Okay, so they're closing. Yeah, they're closing after then. Um, I'm just excited to see where the functional skin health space goes because it's just happening so quick. So yeah, I'm really looking forward to seeing where it goes and just helping more skin practitioners and more clients as well.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, and as somebody who is in FSA would highly, highly, highly recommend if it's something you've been thinking about, you can book in for a free call with Faye if you are interested, and then you can go from there. Yeah, as always, if you have enjoyed this episode, tag us on your story. Both the skin industry and Faye, we want to see you all listening to it, want to hear your thoughts. If you've got anything that you want me to cover over the next couple of weeks, give me a message and I'll make sure to get it in. And yeah, have a lovely week.