Welcome to the fifth episode of Skean Talks, a safe space where we can talk about our skin. Without shame, without taboos. Our guest today is Deborah Plozner.
Hi Deborah, thank you for accepting our invitation, would you like to introduce yourself to our readers?
Hi Paola, thank you. I am very happy that you invited me for this new episode of Skean Talks, which I have been following with pleasure for weeks. My name is Deborah, for friends Debhbie as on Instagram and I am a content creator. I was born and raised in Friuli Venezia Giulia, to a French mother and an Italian father, and I am very attached to my culturally nuanced land. After my studies I decide to interface with the world of work, and at the same time I begin to take my first steps into the world of social media, which until a few years ago was rather immature. My path as a beauty creator was born by accident.
During the covid I was in Milan for Fashion Week, in my free time between shows I started to post stories where I was removing my makeup and trying out products, at the time I suffered a lot from acne and put a lot of makeup on my facial skin to hide imperfections, I always felt uncomfortable. In the beginning it was really difficult to make videos, I felt watched and judged, not anymore today.
In any case, the first proposals for collaboration began to arrive shortly thereafter.
I still remember the first one because it was a very important skincare brand internationally and specifically was looking for creators, novices, to genuinely communicate the products.
Once I returned home from that moment on then I decide to consider different jobs and collaborations in the beauty and make-up industry, but always remaining consistent with who I am and considering that I wanted to convey something personal and truthful.
All the best things begin by accident! So tell me, how did your passion for skincare begin?
My passion for skincare I think started in my high school days, thanks in part to the fact that my mom is very young, so she used to buy different beauty and makeup products that she gladly shared with me. I don’t think I ever went to bed with make-up from the day before precisely because there was no shortage of products in the house.
I started suffering from acne since my teens, so I was trying to keep my face clean most of the time, then between you and me until a few years ago there weren’t all the products that there are now, like pimple patches or all the cleansing lines.
As a young girl, I remember using mainly cleansing milk and toner, and makeup remover when needed; today my beauty kit definitely doesn’t lack eye contour and moisturizer.
Effectively, social has revolutionized the cosmetic market, we have discovered and imported many products, and the ranges have expanded. Today I would feel lost without double cleansing, when I was in high school micellar water seemed more than enough!
Next question: I know you have acne-prone and very sensitive skin, have you ever had products or habits recommended to you that turned out to be wrong? Which ones?
Yes on this topic I could really make you an endless list!
To begin with, they were telling me that to solve the acne on my face and back, because yes, I had the same problem there too, they recommended that I expose myself to the sun. Of course with protection, but with the goal that the sun would fix the acne, which was very wrong I swear to you, because instead of solving the problem it tripled it for me. On top of that, having very sensitive skin despite the high-protection cream I always came home with a pained and sunburned face, a disaster.
Then for example the use of toothpaste on acne. Even this advice then turned out to be a big failure, not to mention that it irritated my skin a lot, but until a few years ago it was used, there wasn’t all the information that there is today.
Grandma’s classic “remedies” that we no longer (finally) use today! And instead, if you had to describe your approach to skincare, how would you do it?
I like an skincare essentials with few but good products, and by good I don’t mean expensive but that are specific and useful for my skin type. I won’t deny you that I’m a big fan of new products, marketing works well with me, so as soon as some new product comes out, especially for acne-prone combination skin I don’t hesitate to try it, it’s stronger than me!
This is exactly Skean’s concept, a short but effective routine! But let’s move on to the next question: I guess you are busy, how much time do you devote to your passion for skincare in your daily routine and how does it feel to take care of your skin?
Since I am a mom, the time available for me is very little, but if I can I always try to carve out my own space, especially in the morning.
I really like to start the day with my skin well cleansed and moisturized, it gives me the energy to face the day in the best way.
Then in the evening, I tend to follow a more relaxing routine, so welcome masks, relaxing patches and night creams perfect for relaxing the stress of the day that just ended.
Besides skincare products, what other aspects of your daily life contribute to the well-being of your skin?
I like to eat a healthy diet, during the day I drink two liters of water, but I’ve always been like that, I’m that guy who always has the bottle in my purse. Then I try to supplement with fruits and vegetables when I can but I don’t always succeed. As for the rest, contact with nature is very important to me, as soon as I can go to the mountains or the sea, nature regenerates me.
A healthy lifestyle is essential! Deborah, now I want to know what is the best advice you have received about skin care that you would like to share with your community?
Definitely first, to use few products but that are right for the type of skin-related problem, second, to never neglect cleaning the face but also the pillow cover, which should be changed often. Above all, I recommend using a personal towel for one’s face, because otherwise we can do the best skincare in the world, but if we then use the same towel the whole family uses to dry our face, it doesn’t make much sense.
Thanks for the valuable advice! Actually changing pillowcases often and using a towel only for the face (and strictly personal!) make a difference!
I have an important question for you, I’m asking this because being exposed on social media definitely has positives but it’s not always easy!
How important do you consider the mental wellness aspect of your skin care routine and your work in the beauty industry?
I think in this industry it is very important to communicate transparently, because that is what brings us closer to the community in an authentic way. When I make content, such as a beauty video, I really like to use the external camera, the more detailed one because I really care about showing skin that is unfiltered and real, on which people can identify. I don’t want to show myself as “perfect,” I want to share my reality, even if it means getting some negative comments. I learned, over time, how to handle those too!
Deborah, I have one last question to conclude this episode of Skean Talks, what advice would you give to people facing skin problems to manage their self-esteem and feel confident?
Certainly the advice I would give, and which I am also learning day by day, is that the outward appearance of our skin does not define the person we are. Whether we have acne, pimples, dark circles under the eyes, discolorations or wrinkles, we should not feel uncomfortable and hide, in fact we should be proud of it, because first of all we should love ourselves, we should learn to appreciate our uniqueness because it makes us unmistakable.
Thank you so much, these words are like a hug to your community and our readers. It was great to chat with you!
Thank you, Paola, for this interview, a hug!
Article written by. Paola De Nicola and Deborah Plozner
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