That talk with an older esthetician changed how I see skin prep

I was chatting with a 60 year old esthetician named Diane at a conference last month in Portland. She told me that she NEVER uses toner on her clients over 55, just a gentle cleanser and a hydrating mist. I asked why and she said most mature skin is already stripped and sensitized, and toner just adds irritation for no good reason. It hit me hard because I've been doing toner on EVERYONE for years without thinking about age. I tried her way on three clients this week and two of them actually said their skin felt less tight after the service. Has anyone else scaled back on toner for older clients or am I late to this?

2 comments

2 Comments

loganhart25d ago

Man I used to be the biggest toner advocate for everyone. I had this whole routine where I'd double cleanse and then immediately go in with a toner because I thought it was "balancing" the skin. Then I tried it on a 68 year old client and she said her face felt like it was burning. That's when it clicked for me. Diane is onto something for sure. I've since switched to just a gentle milky cleanser and a thermal water spray for my older clients and the feedback has been way better.

nathanbennett25d agoMost Upvoted

Oh man, burning face is definitely not the "glow" anyone's going for! I get what you're saying though, toner was like the holy grail back in the day and now it's just... not? It's funny how we all just blindly followed that step for years without really thinking about who it's actually for. Thermal water spray sounds so much smarter for older skin, way less aggressive than dumping alcohol-based stuff on there. But hey, at least you found out before you accidentally gave someone a chemical peel, right? Silver linings I guess.