EPISODE 1: ACIDS

What’s an AHA? What’s a BHA?  Which acids are actually right for your skin? Struggling with acne, oiliness, or aging concerns, and unsure what will really work? This episode breaks down the science of acids so you can choose the right ones for your skin type and goals.

Learn how acids can be more than just exfoliating.  Which acids are safe during pregnancy, and how molecule size, pH, and cell turnover affect results. We guide you step-by-step in selecting acids for acne, oil control, anti-aging, and hydration, so your routine actually delivers visible results.

If you’re a skinthusiast, professional esthetician, or just someone who wants easy, practical skincare education, this episode is designed for you! We simplify the science behind acids and make it digestible,  without making you feel like you’re back in Chem 101. 

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:10

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SPEAKER_02 0:51

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SPEAKER_01 0:56

Oh my god, we're doing this.

SPEAKER_00 0:58

We're doing it.

SPEAKER_01 0:59

Finally doing it.

SPEAKER_00 1:00

Finally doing it.

SPEAKER_01 1:01

So today we are here to bring you our first episode of Poor Decisions.

SPEAKER_00 1:07

So excited to talk about one of our favorite topics ever. What brought us together and what made us love each other so much.

SPEAKER_02 1:13

Basically, Gabby slid into my DMs because someone was like, You need to, you need to be posting stuff on Instagram and yada yada yada. So then I was like, fine, fine. And then I guess I was showing a little of my cray and Gabby picked up on it.

SPEAKER_00 1:25

Uh-huh. I saw it. I don't even know how I found it. It's just like a suggested post or something. And I was, I saw using acids and I was like, whoa. And I clicked on her page, I'm like, this person's crazy. They're doing extractions. I'm like, I must have a treatment. And I made her take me. I love that. I love going to other people. And so it was really fun to get to see someone using acids and doing exciting scientific stuff. And so here we are.

SPEAKER_02 1:47

So yes, then we thought, like, what better first episode topic than what brought us together? I mean, this girl, literally, this woman, excuse me, this fine, fine glass of wine. Has a neon sign in her lobby saying, like, trip it on all sorts of acids. So I feel like there was nothing more suitable than discussing acids, why we love them. We're gonna break down like what the different types of acids are, what their categories are, when we use them, when we don't want to use them.

SPEAKER_00 2:14

And hopefully make you feel more comfortable and excited about using them and not overdosing and stripping your skin. And then we'll talk about all the bio things too. Yeah. But let's start with the best one, our favorite one, the queen of the acid.

SPEAKER_02 2:28

Queen B is glycolic acid.

SPEAKER_00 2:29

Glycolic hands down.

SPEAKER_02 2:30

I wanted to just go into really quickly, like I have a love hate. Like I am a I am a natural person. I love being healthy. I'm like, oh not about like preservatives and yada yada yada. But I feel like one of the worst things in our industry is like the yucca app and people like checking to see ingredients and like it has nothing to do with skin health whatsoever. But then they're like, oh, this is bad for me. But the thing is, you guys, chemicals are not bad. Chemicals are not bad. Everything in this fucking world is a chemical, okay? So, like, right now I want to explain to you that all these acids that we love glycolic acid, lactic, mandelic, salicylic. So glycolic is derived from sugar cane, lactic acid is derived from mandelic acid is derived from butter almonds. Salicylic is from willow bar, right? And aspirin. And we basically like these are all natural things, but they've been used as acids to help do something.

SPEAKER_00 3:20

Certain concentrations, different strengths, and we can use them to our benefit as long as you know what you're doing.

SPEAKER_02 3:24

Exactly. So we're not trying to make you feel like you can do this at home alone. That's not our goal. Our goal is really like we started this podcast because we wanted to basically just kind of like educate you guys. Like, we're here for the person who's that skin enthusiast, that person who like is on our table who just loves to listen to us, which we love that you love us.

SPEAKER_00 3:43

Because I purely believe, and I always tell my clients that education is so important when it comes to skin. Like it is so exciting to understand what's going on with your skin and when you're using ingredients that you know what it's doing, and that if you're peeling or aperging or something's happening, that you understand why, and that this product is supposed to be doing this, and that it's an exciting thing to get you to your goal, not a scary thing that you need to stop at everything you're doing and go back to CeraVe.

SPEAKER_02 4:05

So we're not necessarily here for like the aesthetician or the licensed, you know, nurse aesthetic injector, but like we're kind of just here for the people.

SPEAKER_00 4:14

We're here to talk science with all of you.

SPEAKER_02 4:15

Yeah, because I feel like we're trying to make it easily digestible so you can kind of like have fun with it. Have fun with it. And honestly, we hope that you leave listening to this podcast, hopefully, in its entirety, and reap the benefits. Yeah, and like you kind of understood a little bit more about acids today. Um, so let's jump into it, ready?

SPEAKER_00 4:30

Glycolic is the smallest molecule acid. It's tiny and a little hungry little demon that runs around and is the fastest, speediest molecule that's going to break down that desmosomes, which is the glue that holds the dead skin cells together.

SPEAKER_02 4:44

So, and glycolic is part of a subcategory that there's it gets broken down into ahas and bahas.

SPEAKER_00 4:50

You hear about AHAs and BHAs all the time.

SPEAKER_02 4:52

Alpha hydroxy acids versus beta hydroxy acids. So alpha hydroxy acids are water-based. Um, they really kind of sit on the surface of the skin. Um, and that's what we're gonna break down now. So she already spoke about the glycolics and how they're amazing at the the decreasing the like desmosome, that stickiness between the cells. Um glycolic is my she's my main bitch. Like I fucking love her. Like I will use her. Everybody basically gets put on a monthly routine of coming in and doing an unbuffered glycolic acid because to me, it is the fountain of youth. So every 28 days, basically, by doing a glycolic, you're training the body to make new skin cells. Because when we're babies, we already make new skin cells so rapidly, like 14 days. But the thing is that babies have that ability to slough off, to exfoliate on their own without any need from any external forces. That's why they have that soft, baby, soft skin. So then we get into our 20s, we make new skin cells every 28 days, like a menstrual cycle. And then as we get older, that process kind of just slows down, which sucks. Then we get into our 30s, where not only are we losing 1% of collagen a year, but our cellular turnover is slowing down as well. And then this is a really jacked up part. This is the fucked up part, is that our body then will excrete the cellular glue, those desmosomes like Abby was talking about, but that basically does not allow those skin cells to slough off on their own anymore. And that's when we need a little bit of help, an external help and TLC. And so basically the glycolic is the only acid that can actually unglue those cells together so that way new skin cells can come to the surface. So new skin cells are translucent, they're fatty, they reflect light, and that's where that like natural glow comes from.

SPEAKER_00 6:22

I always tell people like when you see someone 80, 90 years old and they have that built-up layer on their skin, they look gray in the face, that they need to break that down. It's because they're not exfoliating, it's not because they're old, it's because they're not exfoliating that layer off and they're just kind of letting it build up and it's taking away the color. You can't see their blood flow under there. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 6:39

Oh my god, I love that. You can't see the blood flow.

SPEAKER_00 6:41

Yeah, you want to see the blood flow, you want to see the reflective new cells and giving you that reflective glow.

SPEAKER_02 6:45

And yeah, and so basically, like that's what the glycolics do is that they take off, they dissolve, micro-dissolve that top layer of dead skin, that grayness that she was talking about, and then it allows the new skin cells to come to the surface.

SPEAKER_00 6:56

But then not only does it do that, like there's so many other reasons why we love it. Oh my god, in chemical formulation, they actually categorize glycolic as a moisturizer, which is so exciting. I love telling people that because it gets such a bad rap because everyone says, Oh, glycolic's aggressive, it's too rough. It's not. It's actually very balancing into the skin and helps to support what we want our skin to do, which is to hold water and to be moisturized and naturally softening.

SPEAKER_02 7:19

Exactly. It also helps to train the body to make collagen and elastin. So we need this too. So exciting. Type one collagen synthesis. We love that part. Helps with decreasing the fine lines and wrinkles, helps with the pigmentation, helps with exfoliation. And like we talked about, that cellular turnover, which a lot of people talk about retinoic acid, which we'll talk about in a second. That helps with cellular turnover. Glycolics do this too. So that is why glycolics are our favorite because they can also not be as aggressive, basically.

SPEAKER_00 7:44

Yeah, it's in a different way. Like I feel like with retinoic acid, you're speeding up the cell turnover in the follicle, and then on with the acids, you're treating the the exterior, the surface of the skin.

SPEAKER_02 7:54

Because vitamin A, retinoic acid, that everyone talks about retinoin, that works on a cellular level to the receptors, basically. Uh, where glycolic kind of works a little bit differently, it works more on the cellular.

SPEAKER_00 8:04

Yeah, the acids are breaking down and doing the hard work, like the heavy lifting, and then the retinol is working for the regulation of the cell. So it's different and both needed for different purposes. Right. But yeah, so that's why we like glycolic.

SPEAKER_02 8:19

And the thing is that we typically use like an unbuffered acid, so that means that it has a lower pH. So the lower the pH, the more aggressive I would say the acid is. And it needs to be neutralized. It's not self-neutralizing. That's really important to kind of understand from a provider. I know, as like a passerby or you're like, I don't know what that means, but that just means that like the acid, if it's left on unattended, it can cause serious damage. And that is why it's so important to only get appeal done by someone who knows and understands how to read the skin and honestly how long to leave the appeal on, how to stop it.

SPEAKER_00 8:50

And that's also why we prep the skin and have the clients prep it with home care properly before we accelerate their glycolic uses.

SPEAKER_02 8:56

You're not coming in and getting appealed for a minute. Yeah, I'm sorry. Like people, you should be very wary. Honestly, I had a client that, like, she's getting married, wanted to do appeal, like we did a big appeal like on one of our friends, and then basically she was like, I want to get a big appeal. Honestly, I you haven't come in, you haven't been consistent. I don't know what home care you've been on. I I I honestly I don't think it's the best thing for you. But so basically she was like, Okay, well, like maybe I can find somebody else that will I'm like, I to be honest with you, that would kind of scare me if you would just go somewhere else that just if they're willing to take your money to just do appeal on you, I don't think that's gonna benefit.

SPEAKER_00 9:27

Because remember, anytime you're gonna put aggressive acids on or anything like that on your skin, it's going to wake up things that are underlying. There's a lot of dormant damage under the skin that you haven't even seen yet. Most of the pigment on our skin is from before we were 10 years old. And it's it's pigment that's laying dormant, and as we get older and cells mutate, it raises to the surface and shows its face. So if you're gonna do so, a lot of that dormant pigment is sitting there, and then you're gonna do something aggressive and inflammatory to skin that is not prepared for that aggression, it's going to all wake up and show its little face. So don't do that.

SPEAKER_02 10:01

So it's it's serious, you guys. This is not this is not all funny games.

SPEAKER_00 10:04

It is for us, but like Yeah, because we know what we're doing. Yeah, and we'll help you learn what you're doing, but talk to someone that knows what they're doing. Exactly. So let's go on to the next one, which is a really much more talked-about acid. I think it's a lot more uh gentle and more available over the counter. A lot of people use it in a lot of different formulas and a lot of different products out there. Lactic acid.

SPEAKER_02 10:27

And so, funny little historical side note, Cleopatra, the Queen Bee, before Beyoncé was Beyonce. She basically used to bathe in lactic acid. So, or lactic acid in milk. So, so basically, what it's doing, it's lactic acid is a very large molecule. Okay, so it's not super stripping and in it can't, it doesn't have the ability to be super irritating to the skin. So it's like gently taking off that dead skin and it loves water, yeah, loves the water in the skin. It loves hydrating. And so she would literally bathe daily in this milk bath and she would leave just so soft and supple. And that's because she was taking a lactic acid back. She was like on the story.

SPEAKER_00 11:13

Yeah, she knew her shit before there was like much more. Well, scientifically, yeah, exactly. So it's been around forever. We've just learned how to utilize it better and pull its concentration out and put it into products and use it in the best way we can. So it's a great one, it's very gentle and it's not going to strip you or be too aggressive.

SPEAKER_02 11:33

Which honestly, that's really important. That's I think the like the biggest key about a lactic acid is that it's a hydrating acid more so than like an exfoliating stripping acid.

SPEAKER_00 11:42

And a lot of times acne, a lot of times, it needs that hydration. You don't want to be stripping. So if you're new to acids, that's a great where place to start that you're gonna be happy no matter what, and you'll get a little dip your toes in a little bit into what acids can do.

SPEAKER_02 11:54

You know, Gabby, you gave me this like analogy that you kind of broke down, like what the glycolics were versus the lactic.

SPEAKER_00 12:01

I do like to tell my clients this because I think it's important for them to visualize what I'm talking about when I talk about these acids. So glycolic is like the tiny little speedy Adderall-infused acid, like cracked out, running around, just like eating all the glue and feeding around everywhere. And then the lactic is more like this big, bulbous, large molecule that's just like rolling around all slow and just snacking away, pulling onto water, holding onto water, and just like munching away in no like time doesn't matter. And that's kind of how I look at it like these different size molecules do different things. So the glycolic's gonna be a more speedy, aggressive approach where a lactic is gonna be a slower, more gentle approach. So it's not gonna give you results as fast, but it's going to slowly give you a little bit here and there.

SPEAKER_02 12:44

And it and it does really, it is a brightener. Lactic also works.

SPEAKER_00 12:47

It's great for lifting that because remember, a lot of pigment is just dead skin. It's dehydrated, dead cells that are not sloughed yet. Totally. And that's that sloughing has slowed down. So that's why hydrating it helps it to sloth naturally. So that's why it kind of works great for those types of things. I always hate when people come in and they're like, oh, I'm scarred. I'm like, it's not a scar, it's pigment. Like it's totally, totally different. If you don't have texture, I'm not worried. Like if there's some pigmentation, some color that's going on from leftover like a cut or acne or whatever, peel that shit right off. That's my the least of my worries. So lactic is great for things like that. As well as the next one.

SPEAKER_02 13:23

Oh my god. Yeah. So the funny little anecdote, but not even. I didn't know Mandelic that well, to be honest with you. I've been an esthetician for 13 years, and like starting out, my the woman who trained me, we never use Mandelic ever. And kind of Gabby really introduced me more to it. So I'm gonna let her kind of like take the I feel like Mandelic has been it's getting more well known.

SPEAKER_00 13:43

Well, first, what is it derived from? It is from bitter almonds. Nice and natural ingredients. Yeah, and it's great for darker skin tones. It is one of the only ingredients that will help to treat fungal acne. Love it. Salicylic doesn't, it doesn't respond to that, benzyl doesn't respond, but mandelic and sulfur do respond to fungal. So that it's really helpful in a different way. Yeah. But it also is great because it lifts pigment. It really does help to brighten that PIH or help to even out skin tone while being really gentle. It can be a little on the dry side when your skin is not properly exfoliated, uh-huh. But that has to do with so many factors. But at the end of the day, it is great on oily skin types, and I think it is a super gentle acid that's easy to utilize and will give great results.

SPEAKER_02 14:25

Yeah, like how I look at it is glycolic is like the top dog kind of the results-driven one. Yeah, and then lactic is like you're like cedar song, you're like gentle, and then Mendelic is like even more gentle. It's more gentle, but it's better with melanated skin and acne. Yeah. Um, but I think that like one of the things I love about it now, I'm kind of obsessed where I want everyone to be on it. But like the antifungal, antimicrobial, anti-acne, anti-hyperpigmentation, like anti-carotenocytes, like like it literally does so many jobs without really being that stripping. Um, as long, again, as the barrier is not compromised. I really do love it. And I love it for my gym goers. Like, how I imagine it being this little like Superman fighting giving bitch, you're not gonna get clogged here today.

SPEAKER_00 15:10

I love that. It really is, though. It is kind of like that protector, but it's also safe. Like you don't have to worry about it irritating you or overdoing it or killing too much, like hypochloris or like being too aggressive. I feel like it is that like safety point.

SPEAKER_02 15:22

It's amazing. And like I've noticed, honestly, on like my like Asian-y Filipino skin too. It it I don't know, it just like it really helps for the not allowing those comodones, those small little bumps that you guys feel, which will eventually turn into a pimple, not allowing them to really form or even controlling them so that way by the time you're coming in for a treatment, we're able to extract it before it becomes inflamed.

SPEAKER_00 15:43

As long as you're not allergic to almonds, I think that that is a great one to start in as well. If you're new to acids, lactic and mandelic are very safe and easy to integrate on a daily basis, as long as they're at a lower percentage and to get a lot of benefit from.

SPEAKER_02 15:58

And so the last thing that we have is the BHAs, the Baja.

SPEAKER_00 16:03

Yeah, the beta-hydroxy acids. And the main one that you always hear about is salicylic. And we're gonna talk a little shade. We're not gonna say the product name. We'll say it comes in a gray bottle, everyone's got it in their cabinet. It's a toner, and it's a BHA toner that everyone needs to burn.

SPEAKER_02 16:19

I'm not kidding you. Like clockwork, every single person that has ever walked into my clinic problematic skin who thinks that this thing is the thing that's helping their skin, and they're using it morning and night as a toner. So much worse. Their skin is so dehydrated, so irritated. Like, no, you guys, I I think salicylic has its place. I think as a peel, I think it can be really beneficial.

SPEAKER_00 16:41

Salicylic is a great base of any chemical peel. Pretty much almost every chemical peel has salicylic, I would say. And so it is wonderful for pigment. It is wonderful for inflammation. But the thing is that people don't understand we need our oil. We do not need to be slowing our oil down. We need to be understanding why our oil is overactive and embracing it and balancing it.

SPEAKER_02 17:03

So these Bajas, these beta hydroxy acids, are lipid soluble. They're oil-based. Okay. And so the thing that really irks me to my core is these visuals that you see where, like, oh, salicilic is gonna go in and like take that, like that blackhead shit out of your nose, and you're not gonna have blackheads again.

SPEAKER_00 17:20

Like, let's let's set the psychiatric shop. Treating what you think is the problem. The oil is not the problem. We love oil. The problem is acne and clogging. This is a follicular issue. It is not because of the oil. No, you need to balance everything. We need to look at siding the oil.

SPEAKER_02 17:34

We need to look at like what are you doing that's causing the blackheads rather than like what let's get rid of these black and whites? Your skin overproducing oil. Yeah. Or like, are you double triple cleansing at night? Are you touching your face too much during the day? Like that, those are the real questions.

SPEAKER_00 17:50

Are you throwing your barrier off and now things are getting introduced into your follicles and causing other issues?

SPEAKER_02 17:54

Exactly. So salicylic, I think we've kind of like a lot of things.

SPEAKER_00 17:57

It's great as spot, like there. I've seen some spot treatments that I don't think are rather have a little salicylic. I'm not a big spot treatment person. Yeah. Um sulfur spot. But I I love sulfur spot I do, but people can also overdo that very easily. But I've seen a couple, like I I could see like, okay, maybe on the spot, like it'll help, especially if it's inflamed. But I just I am not a big at-home salicylic person. I really rarely have clients on salicylic acid at home. I feel like there's a lot of better options out there. I feel like it's more of a, again, back bar, which means in office use product.

SPEAKER_02 18:28

So salicylic, though, coming from uh willow bark and then aspirin. So there's also which we're gonna talk about it in another podcast, but like there's a huge misconception that you're not allowed to use this while pregnant. Okay. That's not true at all, you guys. Yes, you're not supposed to be taking excessive amounts of aspirin, especially while pregnant, and salicylic acid is derived from aspirin, but over the counter, it cannot be more than 2%. 2% is not crossing over the blood brain barrier to get to your baby. That's not happening. Especially once a day. Like it's just it's just not happening. I will say though, like what she said too, what Gabby was saying, that like if you put it on a spot, it is an anti-inflammatory because it does contain the aspirin. But again, there's so many other better products.

SPEAKER_00 19:13

Because again, yeah, if you're gonna be doing that, you can start causing burning in that area.

SPEAKER_02 19:17

Yeah, exactly. And so, again, that's the whole point of like, we need to make sure the skin is balanced, we need to make sure your barrier is not compromised. There's that, like you guys, let's let's get this other record straight. There's no such thing as oily and dry. You cannot be both, okay?

SPEAKER_00 19:30

That does not exist. And it's so funny because most clients come in and saying they're acneic, oily, and dry. And I said, if you're oily dry, you're dry. I'm kind of oily, I'm kind of dry. But then you're dry. You're always dehydrated and kind of imbalancing that lipid layer of the skin, and you need to balance it out and all of that. Exactly. And like my thing that I say is that like you have sebaceous glands.

SPEAKER_02 19:50

So sebaceous glands are pumping the oil. And honestly, when I was younger and I was really acne prone and had crazy acne, I went on accutane three times. They were like, don't worry though. There's actually this is great for you because it means you're not going to age because you have a natural lubricant to your skin. But like no acne person wants to hear that.

SPEAKER_00 20:05

They're so afraid of oil. I feel like they're jaded. Oh my God, I would never put you so much. So jaded. They didn't like moisturizer, they don't like SPFs that are thick, like they're very jaded. Oh my God.

SPEAKER_02 20:13

I'm from the I'm from the proactive era. So it's like, let's dry out your skin. Yeah. So, like, basically, it's like what's happening and you're feeling dry and oily is because you're drying out your skin, making it worse. It's not happy, it's imbalanced, you're breaking out even more because there's that your skin wants balance. It craves balance and homeostasis. And so basically, now your body is pumping more oil to overcompensate to try to overcorrect what you've fucking done.

SPEAKER_00 20:40

And now it's making everything worse.

SPEAKER_02 20:41

And now it's making everything worse. So, no such thing as oily and dry. You are dry because you are drying your skin out from this black bottle that we won't discuss where what it is, but don't use it. Put it down, use it on your bikini line, do it for your underarms, yeah. Yeah, your body can handle it much better than it's not. Not on your fucking face. Stop it. Yeah. So now that we've shit talked salasty like acid for you. You love it, but not for at home use every day. No, exactly. Because I think acids can be so complex, like the lactic being an acid, but also a hydrator. Like that's that's beautiful.

SPEAKER_00 21:14

Yeah, and that's why we want to help you understand them so you can utilize them in the best way possible and not be afraid of them because a little shedding from an acid is a good thing. That means you needed it.

SPEAKER_02 21:23

It means your skin needed it. And so, again, this is not for you to do at home. We're just talking about acids right now, just to kind of explain like a little breakdown so you can understand, like, oh, this is why my esthetician put me on this.

SPEAKER_00 21:35

And why your esthetician should always be using acids in her back bar and when they're doing treatments on you, and if they're not, and it's not because it's your first time, then I don't know why you're going. Right. There should always be change happening. But again, we're a crazy psychopath and we love acids. So we'll just if you like crazy people who will cause change every day.

SPEAKER_02 21:55

But so there's some other types of acids that like we can talk about.

SPEAKER_00 21:59

Honorable mention. Yes. Like vitamin C. Vitamin C is an acid. Just because it is an antioxidant and it's very healing, brightly, helpful to the skin. It is an acid. So yes, in its pure form, unbuffered, unformulated with other great things, it is going to burn your face. It has a low pH. So talk about the pH a little bit though.

SPEAKER_02 22:18

Okay. So I think when we talk about acids, we need to talk about the pH scale. And so the pH scale goes from zero to 14. Zero being the acidic side and 14 being the alkaline side. So usually acids are usually on that lower end, that one, two, three, maybe. And our skin, for example, has a neutral pH balance of 4.5. So when you're putting something at a lower pH, it means that it's a very strong acid.

SPEAKER_00 22:44

And I always like to tell clients, like, remember, our skin is slightly acidic. This is on purpose. That is our acid mantle. Acid, our skin naturally produces and stays acidic to protect our follicles. So when you're putting water, a seven, on your skin, you are neutralizing it and making it a little more alkaline. So you need to bring it back down to base. And that's also something that's very important. Don't be splashing water on your face and then going out because then you're causing a perfect breeding ground for issues because now your follicles are susceptible to outside bacterias and other things that can come in and interfere. And that's why acids and our barrier are friendly to each other and actually benefit from each other. But we have to remember to bring it back to baseline. And that's why using pH balance cleansers are really important because you want to help them your skin be prepared to introduce the products you're going to apply. But then also your moisturizers are going to be more acid alkaline. They're going to neutralize back to a normal baseline so that everything absorbs into the skin and now you're protected again. So your skin will neutralize on its own a little bit, but it takes time. And so you can stress it. And so that's why pH is so important. Really, the skincare is scientific. And we just need to remember that it's not all just let me throw this on, throw that on. It all has a purpose and needs to be utilized properly. Right. Perfect.

SPEAKER_01 23:58

Good.

SPEAKER_00 23:59

Well, there's a little extra science for you. Didn't know we were going to go there. But yeah, I mean, the hyaluronic acid is an acid, retinoic acid, retinol, that's an acid. So all these things, whether they are supposed to be categorized as gentle, like hyaluronic and vitamin C, or aggressive like glycolic and retinoic, they're all acids and they just need to be formulated and utilized properly to get the benefits. So don't be crazy and start thinking you know everything and you using things and saying that they're one thing when they're not.

SPEAKER_02 24:26

Right. I think acids can be amazing. Like we should be using them in our daily routines. We should be having them done to us in clinic, in office. But again, it comes with a heavy hand. We have to use some caution. It's not just some like willy-nilly, like, let's just go fucking play with some acids today.

SPEAKER_00 24:43

Yep. And that's why your providers like us are always so, so serious and diligent about your home care. It's not because we want to sell you products, not because you guys we want to be annoying or anything like that or be in control. We're not pushing for any other reason other than your benefit. We want results as soon as possible. If you're not on the proper home care and your skin is not properly balanced, can you come in? You can't, we can't do anything on your skin. We are kind of deadlocked because how is anything gonna be effective and not aggressive to you if your skin is in an aggressive, exactly inflamed place?

SPEAKER_02 25:14

It's like like you said it earlier, like someone comes in and gets a treatment and then they don't buy the routine that you suggested. I'm not gonna do any corrective treatments on you. Your skin can't handle that.

SPEAKER_00 25:24

But then I'm bored and you're not getting results.

SPEAKER_02 25:27

What's the point? It's like you you went and paid for a trainer at the gym, and literally after you just left and burned calories, you went and ate like a Big Mac and Taco Bell and fucking.

SPEAKER_00 25:36

And then you came back the next week and yelled at them that you're getting gaining weight. Like it doesn't make sense. So you have to do your part and we'll do ours, and it'll be a perfect marriage.

SPEAKER_02 25:44

And it starts with acids. No, it doesn't. It starts with balancing your skin, but well, so that we can get into the acid. Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_00 25:52

We want to get to the fun part.

SPEAKER_02 25:53

My thing is like I always talk about this as in like we're building a house, not that I'm a contractor or anything, but like first and foremost, the foundation is key. So like I need to make sure you're using the right products for your skin. Your skin is balanced. And like I know when I see your skin and I take my thumbs and I crop move it across your forehead, I feel that buttery balanced goodness. And that's when I know, like, all right, we got it. We've achieved this. Now from there, we can get into like the acids and the corrective treatments because I know your skin can handle it.

SPEAKER_00 26:21

And I I always tell clients, I love letting them see, like, I'll be like, look, this is what I'm using on you today. This is the acid I'm using. And I've said, and the next time, like, what's the scale that you're feeling? What's the tingliness that you're feeling? And they'll say, like a six. And then I'm like, okay. And then the next time they're a little bit more healthy, a little bit more hydrated, a little bit more balanced from their home care routine, and I can go stronger. And I'm like, what are you feeling? They're like a three. I'm like, oh my God, look at your skin grow. That's awesome. And that's what I use to show them that their skin is changing. And then they love it because they're like, oh my God, what strength are we doing today? You know, everyone's so excited. And you're like, I know, and your skin can take it. You know why? Because it's healthy and it's going to neutralize that and everything's gonna just work together. Right.

SPEAKER_02 26:59

And so the end of the day is we want healthy, balanced, glowing skin for everybody. And I think we utilize different things based off of whatever the skin needs. Um, but like I was saying too, so we go from like balancing the skin, you're on the right home care, we get into acids, we're training the body, you're using it at home, and then we get into microneedling, and then we get into like so many of the fun things. Um, but you can't, you guys, you can't jump steps. It doesn't work like you just come in and we get to microneedle it. You're not gonna get the benefits of microneedling or an acid until step one, that foundation, is solid.

SPEAKER_00 27:35

So see a professional, listen to their advice, and reap the benefits.

SPEAKER_02 27:39

And we hope skin thusiasts today that like you've learned a little bit, maybe like what glycolic is derived from, or like that you're like, oh, this is why my esthetician has me on this acid.

SPEAKER_00 27:49

No, this is why I'm peeling a little bit because I integrated that acid. It's a good thing. Well, my favorite. We'll get into that one. Yeah, we'll talk about that another time. So many things. Well, we can't wait to share more with you.

SPEAKER_02 28:02

We can tune in next time. We are just so excited that we're starting this because honestly, we would just drive around in the car on our girl dates and like we're like, we should be because obviously all we do is talk about skin. We have nothing else to talk about. Yeah, so we're like, we should should we be recording? Are we narcissists? Like, should we be recording ourselves? Like, are we hilarious?

SPEAKER_00 28:20

No, I think people will benefit from or crazy. And we gotta share this knowledge with someone.

SPEAKER_01 28:25

Yeah, so you guys, welcome to poor decisions, and we hope to hear from you soon. And we're gonna ta for now. Uh yeah. Bye guys.

SPEAKER_02 28:47

We really want to hear from you guys, so after you listen to the episode today, let us know your comments, questions, concerns.

SPEAKER_00 28:53

We want to keep this in open dialogue. Don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss out on any of the future episodes. And of course, follow us on Instagram at poor decisions underscore pod to interact with us.

SPEAKER_02 29:03

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