Skincare: What If Aging Well Was About More Than What You Put On Your Face? | Emily Paulsen & Tara Leggero

Tara Leggero went to aesthetics school for selfish reasons. She struggled with acne as a teenager and couldn't find help anywhere that made sense. Drugstore products didn't work. Dermatologists were dismissive and cold, offering prescriptions without guidance. She left appointments with harsh topicals like Tretinoin and no instructions on how to use them. Her skin got worse.

When she got out of high school, she decided to learn about skin herself. She wanted to understand what was happening and how to fix it. What she discovered in aesthetics school was that she wasn't alone. So many people had the same frustrating experiences with dermatology. There wasn't anything between over-the-counter products and clinical care. That's where aestheticians fill the gap, looking at your skin, touching it, asking about your life, and integrating all of that information together.

Tara has spent over two decades working with clients in Chicago and Miami, combining technical expertise with a real understanding of how skin health affects confidence. When we talked, what struck me most was how much the industry has evolved and how much we still don't know about what actually affects our skin.

The Inside-Out Approach

For a long time, skincare was just about what you put on your face. The products, the treatments, the routines. Tara said it wasn't until about 10 years ago that she fully understood how much diet, hormones, lifestyle, sleep, stress, and the nervous system impact skin health.

Our skin is a detoxification organ. We have different detox pathways in the body, and skin is one of them. We excrete through sweat. If other pathways are blocked and we can't detoxify through the liver, it comes out through the skin in the form of rashes, acne, and other issues. Of course lack of sleep affects your skin. Of course a diet full of chemicals and sugar affects your skin. Intellectually, we know skin is the largest organ. But we've treated it as separate from the rest of our body for so long.

I asked Tara what lifestyle factors she sees people missing most. She said it varies. Sometimes a client comes in struggling with breakouts or dryness, and when they dig into what's been happening, they realize they were on vacation for a week, weren't sleeping well, didn't have their skincare products, weren't consistent with their routine. Sometimes it's just a blip. Life happens. We fluctuate. It's not a linear process.

But when you're consistently struggling with the same thing over and over, you have to get honest with yourself about your life and how it's affecting your skin.

Why We Resist Simple Solutions

I recently recorded an episode with Nadene Cherry about meditation, and we talked about our resistance to simplicity. It's almost like we volunteer to spend more money and create more complexity because we can't believe the answer could be straightforward. If someone tells you to drink more water, sleep on clean sheets, go to bed at a reasonable time, don't eat sugar late into the night, we think: that's it? There must be something more. We should probably book an appointment and buy something new.

Tara agreed but also clarified that our skin is complex and everyone is different. That simple advice won't work for everybody. Sometimes you really do need the treatment, the products, the consistency. But often, it is that simple. We just don't want to believe it.

I think we've been conditioned to believe effective solutions have to be complicated. That if it sounds easy, it won't work. But usually the simple thing makes the most impact.

The Evolution of Treatments

Tara has been in the industry long enough to see trends rise and fall. There was an era where filler was everywhere. She did it herself, put it in her entire face. Then it started to look overdone. Everyone started to look the same. So she dissolved it.

Now the industry is moving toward regenerative treatments. Things that stimulate your own collagen rather than filling your face with something external. Biostimulators like Sculptra and Radiesse help your body produce collagen naturally. Microneedling, lasers, and chemical peels all work by creating controlled injuries that your body repairs by building collagen. It's like strength training for your skin. You damage it intentionally in a controlled way, and it comes back stronger and firmer.

I've never done filler, and I feel like I'm in the minority among women my age who haven't filled anything. But I'm excited about these regenerative options. They sound less invasive and more aligned with supporting what my body already does naturally.

Tara emphasized that these treatments work together with topical care. The biostimulators help firm your skin and stimulate collagen over the long term, but they don't necessarily help with pigment or texture. You need a combination approach depending on your specific concerns and goals. That's why working with a professional who can actually look at your skin and understand your lifestyle makes such a difference.

Aging Well Instead of Fighting Aging

Tara hates the word anti-aging. Aging is inevitable. It's a privilege. It's a beautiful part of life. The older we get, the less we care about what people think and the more confident we become in ourselves. That's something to embrace.

The goal isn't to fight aging. It's to age well. That includes treatments that help and taking care of yourself internally. Tara reminded me that we have to stop comparing ourselves to filtered images online. We're not filtered people. Our skin will always have pores, always have texture, always have some pigmentation. We can improve it to a degree, but perfection isn't realistic or necessary.

I asked her how to navigate the balance between caring about appearance and not letting it become obsessive. She said it comes down to intention. If you're doing a skincare routine because it genuinely makes you feel good, that's healthy. If you're doing it for validation, for social media, for likes, you've gone too far. Same with working out or dressing a certain way. If it's for other people, it's not right. If it makes you feel good in your own skin, that's where you want to be.

Curious About Skincare?

Tara shared practical wisdom about approaching skincare with intention and honesty. Here are a few places to begin:

Get honest about your lifestyle. If you're consistently struggling with the same skin issues, look at your sleep, diet, stress levels, and daily habits before assuming you need a new product or treatment.

Work with a professional who knows your skin. TikTok and Instagram are full of advice, but someone who can actually look at your skin, understand your goals, and create a personalized plan will give you the best results.

Start with simple changes. Sometimes the most impactful thing you can do is drink more water, sleep on clean sheets, and reduce sugar intake. Don't dismiss simple solutions just because they sound too easy.

Consider regenerative treatments. If you're interested in treatments beyond topical care, look into options that stimulate your own collagen rather than filling your face with external substances.

Do what makes you feel good. If your skincare routine genuinely brings you joy and makes you feel more comfortable in your skin, keep doing it. If you're doing it for external validation, reassess.

Let’s Stay Curious Together

I live in this weird space as a woman who never goes outside without makeup, who loves fashion, who works out partly because of how it makes my body look. And yet I also resist the narrative that appearance should define us or take up so much mental space. Half of me wants to say: stop equating our worth to how we look. The other half admits: I care about this stuff, and that's okay too.

Tara's answer was grounding. Do the things that are truly authentic to you. Do the things that make you feel good. If they do, it reflects outwardly. You can tell when someone is doing something because they love it versus doing it for external approval.

Skincare doesn't have to be overwhelming or performative. It can be about understanding your body, making intentional choices, and caring for yourself in ways that feel genuinely good.

You can listen to Episode 59 of Curious Life of a Childfree Woman wherever you get your podcasts, and find more reflections on Instagram @curiouslifeofachildfreewoman.

Let's stay curious together.