Day in the life: Becky Gonseth

Classical music and the sound of rainfall fill the room, lit only by flames of candles and a light beam of sunshine coming through the window.

Lauri Long lies face-up on the table, eyes shut, ready for her hour-long anti-aging facial. Esthetician Becky Gonseth pulls hot, damp towels out of the towel warmer and begins a process of cleansing and exfoliation to loosen the pores on Long’s face.

“She does have a little sun damage, so I’ve been giving her microdermabrasion,” Gonseth says.

“Yeah, I about ruined my face being out in the sun all the time gardening,” Long says.

After doing extractions, Gonseth uses a micro-current machine to apply stimulation using red LED light, meant to firm and lift.

Toward the end of the facial, Gonseth applies a whitening and brightening mask to Long’s face. She ends by massaging Long’s shoulders and arms and reminding her to do regular maintenance until their next session.

“You have to have a good skincare regiment at home because 80 percent of what your skin looks like is what you do at home – whether you’re getting sun, whether you’re cleansing your face or not,” Gonseth says.

As Long leaves, Gonseth prepares for her next client, Elaine Gordon, who will receive a double exfoliation using glycolic and lactic acid.

“Lactic acid is something I prefer to use in the wintertime because it has moisturizing benefits,” Gonseth says.

Choosing skincare

When Gonseth was a factory worker – first at Bunn-O-Matic, then at Gits Manufacturing – she never imagined she would one day pursue a career in skincare.

“When I turned 43, I got really bad adult acne,” Gonseth said. “I was sent to a dermatologist in Des Moines, Susan Schooler. The more I talked to her, the more interested I got (in skincare).”

When Gits closed, Gonseth took advantage of free education through the Trade Act. She completed the esthetics program at Iowa School of Beauty in Urbandale and was licensed in October 2014. That same month, she opened her own business in Creston, Nu-U Skin Care, which is located in The Final Cut 2 building on North Sumner Avenue.

For Gonseth, each workday is different, but commuting is always involved, as she lives in Murray but works in both Creston and Osceola. In Osceola, she works at Wild Poppy Salon & Day Spa.

Services

Gonseth sees anywhere from two to nine clients per day. She offers both speed and full facials, LED light therapy, microdermabrasion, chemical peels, waxing and makeup application. She is also beginning to introduce ultrasound, which boosts collagen and elastin in the skin.

Microdermabrasion and chemical peels help heal sun damage, decrease wrinkles and downsize pores, Gonseth said. She offers a combination of these two services, which is called a double exfoliation.

“Usually chemical peels or microderms are the big thing,” Gonseth said. “In 30 minutes, a client is in and out, so I can book them back to back.”

LED light therapy is applied using a microcurrent machine.

“It’s equivalent to the amount of electricity you make in your own body,” Gonseth said. “When the prongs hit your face, there’s a tingling sensation. Then, the electricity penetrates your muscle, which makes your muscle react, and it stimulates that to start tightening and firming. There’s different colors: red is for firming and lifting; green is for firming and pigmentation; yellow is usually for people with rosacea, or adult acne; and blue is for people with acne.”

Gonseth uses a medical grade line in esthetics and a gluten-free makeup line: Mirabella.

Taking care of your skin

Each treatment Gonseth provides is specialized, as each person’s skin is different. Gonseth’s youngest client is 14, and the oldest client she has had in the past was 86.

“You are never too young or too old to start taking good care of your skin,” Gonseth said.

There are several ways to keep your skin in good condition, including being aware of the effects food and stress can have on your skin, cleansing your face daily and using preventive products.

“Your eyes age 36 percent faster than the rest of your skin, so you should always wear an eye cream,” Gonseth said.

Transformations

Offering skincare in rural areas can be a struggle, as many people don’t know about esthetics, Gonseth said.

“But I do have a lot of regular clients now who are addicted because once you’ve tried it, and you realize what your skin feels like and how it starts to transform, you can’t stop,” Gonseth said.

That’s the best part for her: the transformations.

“It’s when my clients can’t wait to show me the first and last selfie of their treatment,” Gonseth said. “It’s when they tell me they are no longer wearing as much makeup because they feel confident in their own skin for the first time.”