Tucked in the heart of Mona Vale, 30 kilometres north of Sydney’s CBD is Skin Inspiration
– a salon offering high-performance face and body treatments alongside alternative therapies. Hannah Gay spoke with the salon’s founder and leading paramedical aesthetician, Suzanne Carroll to learn more.
Tell us when and how Skin Inspiration got its start.
I was at the forefront of the day spa profession and when I decided to make the move to a laser/ skin rejuvenation profession, and Skin Inspiration was born. I wanted to combine nature and science at a higher level than I had been able to achieve previously, providing more customised programmes and delivering amazing results for clients.
What is the most requested treatment that you offer?
Skin Inspiration is known for its cutting edge combination treatments such as Nano Fractional Needling, Tixel + IPL + RF/PEMF + CryoSlim Fat Freezing. We often combine skin peels with skin needling to achieve optimal results for our clients. After controlled, invasive procedures, we then exfoliate and hydrate with high-performance facial treatments to further enhance results. We are always mindful that you can’t keep torturing the skin… it needs nurturing too.
When selecting brands to use during your treatments, what are some of the criteria you want met?
Having been in the profession for almost 36 years I have been fortunate enough to build professional relationships with my suppliers, and so I trust their integrity and their ability to stay at the forefront of product development. Professional skincare products incorporate active compounds and intelligent ingredients in higher percentages that are not commonly seen in products sold in department and drug stores. Ingredients like peptides, plant-based stem cells, growth factors, sophisticated antioxidants, Vitamin A’s and many more will assist in increasing collagen and elastin synthesis, reducing fine lines, wrinkles, rough texture and will help protect the skin from damaging environments. Recommending a simple, yet synergistic regimen will also help provide the results I am looking for. An active cleanser, antioxidant-rich serum, rejuvenating nightly serum with alpha-hydroxy acids and Vitamin A, a nourishing refined oil and physical- based sun protectant will not only support skin moving forward, but help to overturn damage.
You’ve worked with Christina Cosmeceuticals for three decades! Why have you stuck with the brand for so many years?
After meeting Christina in person in the USA, I was so impressed with her products and passion combined with her level of knowledge that I’ve been an advocate for the company ever since. I’m thrilled that Skin Factors have emulated the same passion and professionalism with the product who are the Australian distributors. I’m always looking at what is happening internally with clients in order to address their external skin concerns and Matolya Kollaras at Skin Factors, who has a degree in Chinese Medicine, is able to help shed light on external care which often leads to Christina Cosmeceuticals as the solution.”
What have been some of your biggest achievements while running Skin Inspiration?
Over the twelve years I’ve run Skin Inspiration, I am most proud of the members of my team who not only strive for personal excellence, but excellence for our clients one hundred percent
of the time. Being a pioneer in the Day Spa revolution was an incredible chapter but now, in
a more intimate clinic, we offer products as well as treatments with integrity and have more of
a relationship with our clients. My passion and integrity have allowed me to keep embracing the new, as well as maintaining the basics of what has worked for many years.
Name a beauty trend that you predict will be the ‘next big thing’ in Australia.
I believe after Covid-19 people will be re-evaluating their priorities and putting themselves and their skin at the top of their list; we will see who and what is important to us, and looking inside will be number one. This will encompass being the best and healthiest versions of ourselves. The Venus Concept ‘Bliss’ programme for size reduction in conjunction with RF/PEMF and muscle stimulation will provide amazing results for body contouring. Combining rejuvenation modalities for the skin will be old but new again.
Describe the overall experience the salon and its staff hope to provide to its clients?
Providing professional, caring and customised service and treatments for clients where they know they are not receiving cookie-cutter treatments. We put packages together and no two are the same, as each clients’ skin or body goals, finances and outcomes are different. This requires a far greater effort from the Skin Inspiration team, but the end results speak for themselves.
It’s currently a testing time for the Australian beauty industry with the outbreak of COVID-19. Provide a piece of advice you can offer to other salon owners struggling to sustain their business at this time.
It is a great time to review treatments, protocols, product lines and policies that have needed revamping, but there has been no time; it’s always a challenge to work ON the business and IN the business at the same time. Online training courses will be inspirational and will spark our enthusiasm again for our amazing and ever-changing profession. Taking time to breathe for yourself and your team, while working on staying connected, will allow us to come back bigger and stronger and more focussed. Those who work with credibility, integrity and passion will be there at the end of this incredibly challenging time, maybe not in the same way but in a better way that works for themselves and their clients. Many years ago when we had high-interest rates, clients changed their spending habits and stopped coming, but when they needed a lift we were their first stop to refresh and renew.
Visit the #BEAUTYSTRONG hub at https://www.professionalbeauty.com.au/beautystrong/
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