Introducing Lucy Breen, an aesthetician based at our STORY Southwell clinic in Nottingham. Hailing from Wellow in Nottinghamshire, Lucy is known for her individual personal style and passionate approach to caring for her clients.
Tell us about your role at STORY in five words or less.
I help people feel great.
I love creating great relationships with my patients to help them achieve their best possible skin.
Which is your favourite treatment to perform?
I really love administering the custom Hydrafacial and dermaplaning. I also love the STORY Signature Facial as – at Southwell – it’s all a personalised combination of the Hydrafacial, dermaplaning and a custom skin peel, all of which I love to do. The results are just incredible!
What’s the most popular skin treatment at STORY right now?
The STORY Signature Facial is currently our most requested skin treatment, as it includes all of our most popular treatments.
What is your area of specialisation?
Skin – advanced skincare and treatments. Having initially worked with brands including Elemis, Clarins, Décleor and Dermalogica, my thirst for knowledge was never fully satisfied. I wanted to know why exactly that ingredient was doing what it was said to be doing, what exactly was going on at a cellular level. This is why I moved from the beauty industry to a more advanced, specialised area of skin practice.
What do you enjoy about being a skin practitioner?
I love being able to educate my patients on what’s going to work for their skin and hearing what great results they get. It’s wonderful to be able to achieve real results and give my patients the confidence that comes from feeling great!
Please share 3 concerns that clients often have before having treatments for the first time.
Patients often ask me about the potential downtime following treatments, which is a very good question. I will always advise you about this during your initial consultation so you are fully prepared and can time your appointments perfectly.
Another common concern is how often they might need to have the treatment in order to see results. I’m always realistic when providing this information as, with some treatments the result is immediate whereas others may take several months of continued treatment. Again, this is why we always have an in-depth consultation before your treatment – to ensure your suitability, the best skin treatment for your concerns and to get the timing right with your schedule, commitment and budget.
Often I hear concerns about dermaplaning. Questions tend to revolve around whether dermaplaning is an exfoliation technique or a hair removal technique. The answer is: dermaplanining is an exfoliating treatment – but it does remove hair as well.
Another frequently asked question about this is, “will dermaplaning make facial hair grow back darker or thicker?” Fortunately this is a very simple answer, and that is no, it won’t. This is because facial hair has a vellus hair type – also known as ‘peach fuzz’ – and it will not change from this. It will continue to grow as before.
Tell us about your skincare routine.
I like to mix my routine up quite a lot. I obviously stick to the cornerstones of cleansing and moisturising twice a day, and using an SPF 40 in the morning. Currently, besides this, I also use a vitamin C product in the morning to brighten and protect against environmental damage, and a chemical exfoliator or retinol in the evening for a clearer, more even skin tone and texture, as well as to minimise fine lines.
What do you do to relax?
I enjoy baths, reading and early nights to relax.
What’s your ideal day off?
A day spent out with my family, it really doesn’t matter what we’re doing!
What was the last TV show you watched?
Squid Game or Catchphrase.
You get to take over the clinic stereo for the day, what are you playing?
Agnes Obel.
What are the 3 most important things a person can do to look after their skin?
Adequate cleansing is particularly important to remove debris and products that aren’t suitable for certain times of the day. For example, retinol applied at night could cause damage if left on the skin throughout the day. Always remove makeup before going to bed, too!
Use gentle chemical exfoliation to prevent build up of dead skin cells and improve absorption of skincare products.
Wear broad spectrum SPF 30-50 sunscreen every day to prevent a multitude of skin concerns, including signs of ageing.
What are you really good at outside of your work?
I am quite creative and enjoy upcycling furniture.
If you weren’t an aesthetician, what would you do for a living?
I would probably be working with animal rescue, or doing up houses.
What is your ethos when it comes to ageing?
Sunscreen. I believe that ageing is a natural process and we should embrace it. That’s not to say that we can’t slow things down a little and do whatever makes us feel great in our skin, though.
What do you think about societal pressure to stay young looking – is it sustainable? Should we really still put so much value in looking young?
I don’t think this attitude is sustainable at all and ultimately only makes people feel worse.
Personally, I think the only thing that should affect how you want to look, is how you feel. There’s nothing more important than feeling great in the skin you’re in, no matter what age it does or doesn’t look!
What is your least favourite chore?
Hoovering with a Henry hoover.
What’s your favourite app?
Probably the Serenity meditation, Fitbit/My Fitness Pal apps or Spotify.
What’s the last book you read?
Rider Haggard’s Tales of Ancient Egypt, and some Norse mythology.
What is the most rewarding part of your job?
Helping people to feel amazing.
If you’d like to book in with Lucy for a skin treatment or free consultation at STORY Southwell, simply click on the link below.
