When looking at a before & after photo, thoughts that typically run through a person’s mind is, wow! look at those results. I can’t believe they got those results in a single treatment; they must be so lucky! Which in turn leads you to thinking, “what went wrong with my treatment?” or “why didn’t my skin react the exact same way?”. There is always more to a picture than what meets the eye and it’s important to understand what it really takes to achieve those results.
What does it truely take?
Assumptions are dangerous things and shouldn’t be the first thing one jumps to when looking at another person’s before and after photo. Making the decision to start treatment and take better care of your skin is sometimes the hardest and most important step in one’s skincare journey. A choice and commitment are made to start making changes in your routine to move your skin in the right direction under the help and guidance of a skin professional to show you the way.
A partnership is formed between the patient and their skin specialist from this point as their journey begins. The journey usually consists of a combination of homecare ingredients to prepare your skin for treatment, consistency of using those ingredients at home, as well as coming in for regular treatment. Dedication is needed from both sides to continue to work on the skin until their skin goals are reached. This partnership is a two-way street and requires effort from both sides in order for the ‘magic’ to work.
Everyone’s ‘skin movie’ can look a little different from others. Some may have it easier; some may require down-time and healing and some may require ongoing treatment, in order to reach their skin goals. It’s never really ever as simple as one may think. A before and after photo can’t ever really show you the full story such as the pain, discomfort or recovery a patient may experience following an intense treatment or the emotional impact that their skin has had on their self-esteem.
So, the next time you are admiring a before and after photo, appreciate the hard work, skillset, dedication and effort that has gone into achieving those results from both the patient and their skin specialist. You may find that there is probably a very special story behind each one you see. Our patients are incredibly brave, sharing their story to hopefully inspire others to take the same leap they had once made to start a skin journey that would not only change their skin, but their lives forever.
