Tailoring your manicure service for mature clients

Q: How can I tailor my manicure service for mature clients?

The visible signs of ageing often show on the hands first, which is why regular manicure treatments and a good at-home skincare regime can do wonders for older clientele.

As we age, skin on the hands becomes less elastic – more crêpey and with age spots – and nails tend to get more brittle, breaking much more easily. This is why extra protection to nourish the skin and help strengthen the natural nail is crucial.

When performing a manicure on mature clients, there are a few key things to remember. Firstly, your client’s nail shape becomes much more important. Prevent the likelihood of flakes and ridges with a squoval shape on short, neat nails, and use a light-coloured polish as it will draw less attention to overt ridges. You should also finish the treatment off with application of an SPF to the hands to further prevent premature ageing.

Encourage clients to exfoliate their hands at home to remove dead skin. It’s also worth talking to them about more advanced anti-ageing treatments such as microdermabrasion, which leaves skin looking radiant by increasing blood and lymph circulation and reducing the appearance of pigmentation.

You should also advise clients to invest in thicker hand creams that contain humectants and glycerin as these ingredients deeply hydrate thinner skin.

Sheral Griffin is beauty quality and curriculum manager at Lifetime Training. She has worked in the beauty industry for more than 20 years, including lecturer roles at colleges and private training companies.

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