After experiencing 40 years of aging followed by a non-surgical facelift, Marion headed back to school to become an aesthetician. Now she helps other women find peace with the aging process.
Marion's Story
"I didn't do anything to my appearance until my mid-40s."
I looked in the mirror and said, "Oh, I need to do something." I'd read about non-surgical facelifts, so that was the first thing I did. I loved it so much I went back to school to become an aesthetician so I could do it for other women. It is very simple and a good alternative to surgery. When I had it done it made my face feel tighter. It took the tiredness out of my face, my skin tone was brighter. It was like a facial rejuvenation. I looked fantastic.
"Who would have thought a facelift could be so relaxing?"
A lot of women don't want to go through surgery, so they try this procedure. It tightens and tones your muscles naturally and works with color theory. There is no down time, and it is very relaxing. If you saw a woman who walked into the office and then walked out, it looks like two different women. They are so relaxed, and they feel so great. I love making people feel good about themselves. Seeing them touch their skin and face and say, "Wow, my skin feels so terrific," is the most rewarding part of my job.
A procedure could run anywhere from $125-$200, and it takes a good hour and a half. There is a lot of massage involved, there are extractions, a mask, and there is the current going all over the face. It drains lymphatic drainage so your skin feels terrific, the puffiness from under the eyes is depleted. I tell everybody to have a cookie jar in their kitchen and whenever they have five or ten dollars left over just put it in the cookie jar so when you are ready for the treatment you have the cash.
"I really feel aging comes from our stress levels."
We all have this destination we want to get to, but it is really the journey and how we go along that journey that's important. We have to learn to take care of ourselves. Women come in very nervous from the day and kids, and I teach them how to meditate and how to relax and let go. I tell them that it is very, very important to give themselves permission to lay here on this bed for one hour and shut their cell phones off and say, "It is my time." We are moms, wives, daughters, sisters, but who are we on our own? When we take on that persona and pride in ourselves, it changes our whole lives.
"Turning 50 is almost freeing because you know yourself much better and you don't sweat the small stuff anymore."
Something about getting older makes you look at the bigger picture. You learn to breathe, to relax into life. You have so much more wisdom and knowledge; you can handle so much and be a teacher for people. That's part of why I love what I do. I love teaching women how something small can make you feel so much better. Even if you are just waxing your eyebrows, it can bring back your sexuality, it can bring back feeling good about yourself. Women who are menopausal or baby boomers, like me, can do one little thing to make them feel better and give them the incentive to keep taking care of themselves.