Isabel’s Blog #14: Advancing Microdermabrasion Therapy with the Salternative
#14: Advancing Microdermabrasion Therapy with the Salternative
Introduction
Throughout my career, I have developed treatments that rejuvenated skin in non-invasive ways -- my favorite is microdermabrasion. However, it had been decades since I started my first company which helped introduce microdermabrasion to the industry. We developed the following innovations:
- Oxygen Infusion
- Organic Grains
- Flower Grains (Rose, Lavender, Tea Tree)
- Diamond Tip
About 5 years ago one of my associates came to me with the idea of using SEA SALT as the media for microdermabrasion. During my research, I learned its positive benefits to all skin types. It is naturally anti-inflammatory and antibacterial. This natural ingredient also helps respiratory challenges all while providing a total wellness experience. I absolutely love SEA SALT and was convinced this was the next great way to achieve youthful skin!
Quest to Deliver Sea Salt Skin Care
The SALTERNATIVE was originally called the "Halo Peel" due to the connection to Halotherapy. Also, "Halo" is a Greek word that means "salt".
Unfortunately, there was an IP-issue and we were prevented from using the Halo Peel name. I was immediately faced with the challenge of coming up with a new name. Since we were using SEA SALT as an alternative to microderm crystals, my son suggested “SALTERNATIVE”...it was perfect!!
There is another sea salt microdermabrasion unit, but it is expensive and we wanted to make ours affordable so more people experience the benefits of sea salt microdermabrasion.
Salternative 1.0
Our goal was to create a unit that would offer an incredible 3-part healing therapy:
- Sea Salt Microdermabrasion
- Diamond Tip polishing
- Oxygen Infusion of serums and liquid oxygen spray for total cell benefits
The treatment protocol worked great and skin was glowing every treatment!
Clients loved it, but there were still some obstacles to overcome...
Solving the Issues
There were a few challenges we discovered as the unit entered the market.
In general, Sea Salt is a very sensitive media that can be tricky. Ideally we wanted our clients to be able to turn the unit on and have the salt flow without clogging, but this remained problematic. Another issue we found was that after long continual use, the salt caused corrosion to the metal case. This resulted in fascia distortion and light rust coloration in certain areas. And nobody wants that!
The SALTERNATIVE moniker says it all so we wanted to make a "salt friendly" unit. We sourced stainless steel to make the entire casing anti-corrosive. We also made it smaller, lighter and added some thoughtful functionality.
It was fun to create a microdermabrasion unit that offered more options to deliver an ideal treatment. The new unit was created to offer 4 microdermabrasion treatment approaches:
- Select Sea Salt for cellular repair and skin replenishment
- Switch to traditional Crystals for skin surface refining and dermis cleansing
- Flower Grains to treat the skin with phytotherapy
- Diamond Tip for skin polishing and product infusion
Treatment strength, from mild to aggressive, is assured. The appropriate treatment for any condition type and condition can be provided with multiple benefits that are delivered to the skin.
We checked off the issues one by one, went to work and developed a new and improved SALTERNATIVE unit!
Salternative 2.0
Applying the lessons from the earlier design, we made some very focused upgrades:
- Added a pressure gauge to the center of the unit. This helps indicate unit power to the operator for treatment strength.
- Removed the oxygen infusion which made this version lighter and smaller. This can always be purchased as a separate add-on.
- Modified the unit components for flower grains usage in addition to sea salt and crystals.
- Sourced stainless steel to prevent corrosion of metal casing
We then made the prototype and tested the unit for months to ensure nothing unforeseen occurred and verified its dependability. After that I've been using it in my skin care practice ever since and think it's phenomenal!
Isabel's Salternative Therapy
Here is my SALTERNATIVE treatment protocol:
- First pass with traditional crystals
- Wipe clean
- Second pass with Sea Salt
- Dust off to clean
- Third pass with choice of Flower Grains
- Cleanse - dry
- Extraction (if required)
- Apply Serums and liquid oxygen
- Polish, refine and infuse with the diamond tip
This can be broken into parts for mini or focused approaches. The skin glows after the treatment and benefits continue to develop for days.
Client Feedback
I have been using the new SALTERNATIVE in my private skin care practice and have had no issues. The maintenance is very important but simple and only takes a couple of minutes.
The treatment results are beautiful and client satisfaction 100% across the board.
