As Auckland’s Marianna Glucina - About Face skincare clinics celebrate 30 years in the business, founder Marianna Glucina reflects on her rise in the industry, the treatments she truelly believes in and the trends influencing women today.
1. What originally inspired you to work in the beauty and skincare industry?
Growing up I always had an interest in all things beauty and make-up but my parents wanted me to study something more “traditional”. I tried other things but the beauty pull was too strong! Particularly for me it was the biology factor and cosmetic chemistry that fascinated me. I had some problems with my own skin (pigmentation and congestion) and a combination of medication and wellness treatments (yes, even in the ‘80s!) was what fixed my skin. So I studied Beauty Therapy and the rest is history!
2. What have been the biggest trends when it comes to skincare treatments that you’ve noticed over the last thirty years?
I guess it goes full circle as with fashion. What was trending 30 years ago was ‘natural’ and even brow tattooing had its day back then! A definite trend in the early days was natural and this has re-emerged in the last few years with people’s concern for what’s going on to their skin. Back then we often made our own organic, natural masks out of produce, like bananas, and pharmaceutical supplies, like kaolin, which we would personalise to a client’s skin on the day.
The 80’s was also the time of machines but they weren’t anywhere near as sophisticated as the what’s available today and the results weren’t as powerful as with modern day cosmeceuticals. In 1991 AHAs revolutionised skin care results by softening the skin and removing excess build-up. This was soon followed by the clinical research proving that strong Vitamin A can reverse ageing. On the technology side, the 2000’s saw IPL and the results of reducing facial redness, removing pigment and dark patches along with unwanted hair which is life changing for so many people. Then 2010 saw the emergence of the laser and we can now tackle acne scaring, refine pores and reduce fine lines and wrinkles too. This simply wasn’t possible 30 years ago. Now, there are so many options for people to improve the quality of their skin and they can choose depending on their skin condition, age and lifestyle.
3. Do you think attitudes towards beauty and skincare have changed over the last thirty years? And if so, how?
Overall I’ve noticed that today beauty is quite polarised, on one side we have potent cosmeceuticals and medi-spa treatments to turn back the clock. Then in the other corner the trend for organic, holistic natural skincare is gaining momentum where people are concerned about the ingredients they put on their skin and hair and the effects on the body. This is a natural progression from the wellness/lifestyle trend.
There’s also a huge pressure on women of all ages to look perfect and eternally young – we see it with those in their 20’s having fillers and botox and it frightens me how these faces are going to look in 20 or 30 years’ time! Women aren’t meant to be wrinkle free at 60 but that doesn’t mean we have to give up! We still want to look and feel our best at any age. It’s no surprise that eating well, living a clean life with meaning and love is always going to reflect in you looking beautiful – I love that philosophy that’s always resonated with me.
4. What have been some of your most successful treatments in terms of popularity and results?
In terms of results I’d say Fraxel! It’s simply life changing and can easily take 10 years off skin no matter its previous sins. It’s the gold standard in skin rejuvenation and what I love about it is that it treats the entire face for all over rejuvenation and freshness, not just certain wrinkles or lines. Fraxel is a fraxenated laser which means it targets underneath the skins surface where the collagen and elastin fibres sit and forces the skin to produce brand new collagen to heal (like when you cut your finger and the skin repairs itself.) Downtime is minimal and the results are dramatic! Not only is it the wonder treatment for overall skin ageing it also removes pigmentation, reduces scarring and firms sagging skin. I’d recommend you look for the genuine Fraxel laser logo as there are some “me too” products out there.
In terms of popularity our most successful facial would have to be our signature Power of Three. Firstly, we refine texture through a gentle skin peel or microdermabrasion, then we follow with an Omnilux Light rejuvenation treatment to stimulate the skin where hands can’t reach and lastly, we plump up the skin with deep vitamin infusion with Sonophoresis. The combination of therapies gives greater results than any single modality treatment as a standalone.
