The ESK blog
ESK 6th Birthday
27 September 2023
Dr Ginni Mansberg
ESK has just had its 6th birthday! And the party is continuing!
Incoming bestie alert!
Back in 1987 fresh-faced out of high school, I arrived at Newcastle University for day 1 of my medicine course. I walked into the lecture theatre and headed sheepishly to the back.
There sat the most beautiful tanned, blonde person I had ever seen. She smiled at me with such a genuine warm open face, I sat down next to her immediately, and we have been besties ever since.
Anne Thomson - now Dr Anne Thomson is not only beautiful on the outside but is also probably the nicest and smartest person you’ll ever meet. We ended up living together, Anne was my bridesmaid and even came to my antenatal classes as my significant other when I was pregnant with Sam 31 years ago.
We started our joint projects in 1991 when we co-wrote our Medicine yearbook with a team of our awesome fellow med students. Then when Anne was pregnant with Isabella – who is now about to matriculate from high school, we co-wrote Why Am I So Tired?
This was the first book either of us had ever written! And now the band is back together since Anne - a long-term ESK user became one of our bloggers! Her understanding of and passion for evidence matches ours PLUS she’s just an incredible writer.
Look out for her work on our website now!!
New product launches!
2023 has been a big year of product launches and relaunches.
In April we launched our revised Repair Plus with added Panthenol and Squalane for extra hydration. It’s been a brilliant change and our customer feedback has been overwhelming.
We did our first-ever community launch party in Cronulla in Sydney’s gorgeous southern suburbs. It was such a terrific event giving the whole ESK team including Dana, Tess, Casey and Jade- a chance to put faces to the many voices they chat to and the writers of the emails they receive daily.
Repair + is a moisturiser formulated to support skin hydration and barrier function. Its combination of niacinamide, panthenol, hyaluronic acid, and ceramides is designed to help maintain skin moisture, strengthen the barrier function of the skin, reduce the appearance of redness, and support overall skin texture. Key Features:
Repair +
We followed that up by launching Gentle Glow PHA serum on the Gold Coast. I have been champing at the bit to get a PHA serum developed for ESK because- well I have perimenopausal skin and rosacea, so I need it.
My sensitive skin means that while I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Smooth Serum, I often have to hold off using it because it can make sensitivity worse. PHAs do everything AHAs do, just -gently! Perfect for anyone who like me needs a little extra tenderness!!
The event was wonderful and I was so excited to meet so many of our Queensland ESK family.
And now we’re gearing up to head to the stunning Log Cabin overlooking the beautiful Nepean river in Penrith for the launch of possibly the product of 2023 - Complexion Correction.
We will have had the event by the time you read this. If it’s anything like our first 2 events, I hope you didn’t miss it! As I have shared before, pigmentation is in my family and while I have much less than I used to,
I’ve had some stubborn spots that I could reduce but not eliminate with Enlighten. They’re now sorted! If the response from celebs and journos at our press launch at the end of August was anything to go by, this product is set to be a major game changer in the pigmentation space.
I can’t wait for you to try “CC” as we call her!
Strike a Pause
In 2023 we headed to the UK - not twice, but 3 times to discuss skin and menopause. Our first event was the Menopause in Aesthetics or MIA conference for aesthetic doctors learning about menopause and the skin.
The second time ESK co-hosted an event in London’s Harley Street with Associate Professor Vikram Talaulikar of University College London about menopause and its impacts on skin.
We also had a press launch over in the UK and had a chance to meet some of the plastic surgeons and dermatologists stocking ESK there.
We’re heading back in November to talk Menopause and Skin again at Pause. This one-day event devoted to all things menopause will be a cracker.
If you’ll be in London then, please come along. I’d love to see you there!! It seems doctors have finally worked out that yes- your skin does change with menopause, but no- most of the products touted for this hormonal phase are based on puff and hype.
The need for science-based information is growing exponentially. So, I was thrilled to be invited to present on the impacts of menopause on the skin to the prestigious Australian Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons annual meeting in Gold Coast.
The talk was incredibly well received, and I’ll be diving a little deeper still next year.
eBooks for days
I love a good eBook and 2023 has seen relaunches - Pigmentation, Menopause, Sensitive Skin and new eBooks- pregnancy and hormonal acne. If you haven’t had a read - they’re FREE and packed with evidence including links to studies you can check out yourself!!
Happy Birthday, ESK! And thanks for coming to our birthday party!!