So BYM was super excited when holistic dermatologist Dr. Allan Dattner agreed to chat with us.  Dr. Dattner is one of our favorite and most admired skincare heroes and our Creative Director has referred numerous clients and professionals to work with him. His professional insights have been featured on the pages of Elle and Harpers Bazaar and online on Oprah.com and the Huffington Post. He is a leading voice in the field of holistic dermatology and has nearly 4 decades of evolving study and practice in the field. In his new book Radiant Skin from the Inside Out Dr. Dattner shares all about natural skincare, integrative dermatology, and how to clear skin conditions naturally. When we asked him to share a few insights for our esthetics community Dr. Dattner didn’t hesitate to provide a few pieces of useful information here’s a look at some of the thoughts he shared.

#1 Antioxidants Can Inhibit an Immune Attack on a Cancer System

Everyone gets super excited about antioxidants and if a person doesn’t have cancer, antioxidants can help them. However if they have cancer, even if they have not been diagnosed yet antioxidants can be harmful.

#2 The Key to a Successful Treatment is in the Intake

Learn all you can about a persons lifestyle,prior health history, and nutrition before beginning treatment. By gathering pertinent information and details about your clients lifestyle you can gain  greater insights into what is going on with their skin. Chronic conditions can be revealed and a well rounded treatment plan may result.

#3 Identify Products that are Carcinogen and Hormone Disrupter Free

Choose product lines that are loaded with good for you skin food. Learn to read labels and research unfamiliar ingredients so you can be certain what you are applying to your clients skin. Don’t just take the brand reps word. Avoid products that contain parabens and formaldyhyde realeasers.  In small doses these ingredients won’t do much damage but everyday usage can be detrimental.

#4 Identify the Root Cause

Don’t take a band aid approach to treating the skin. Address the root cause; is it a digestive concern or something in the intestinal track causing what you are seeing on the skin?  Sometimes a referral to a holistic dermatologist or nutritionist is necessary don’t be afraid to refer your client to the appropriate professional.

#5 Essential Oils and Supplements Can Be Dangerous

Play it safe with essential oils and supplements; remember not everything is for everyone. If you want to recommend essential oils and other supplements to your clients to improve skin conditions enroll in an advanced certificate program to obtain the knowledge necessary to do so.

XOXO

The BYM team