What is an Esthetician?
Your skin is one of our largest organs, so it is vital to keep it awake, clean, and nourished adequately, not only for the way it looks but for overall health. Our skin is exposed to so much all day, sun, wind, air pollution, dust, smog and other toxins.
Also, stress, worry, illness, not sleeping properly, alcohol, smoking and junk food all have a negative effect on your skin. We can get blemishes, wrinkles, dark circles under our eyes, accelerated aging, and age spots.
If you have any of these conditions you may be interested in working with a licensed esthetician.
What exactly is An Esthetician?
An esthetician is someone who specializes in the treatment and healing of the skin. They work with people performing cosmetic skin treatments, like facials, superficial chemical peels, body treatments, and waxing.
They will examine your skin and make assessments in order to come up with the best treatment or procedure to help you with your issue. They also will diagnose your skin type and can recommend specific products and treatments to address your concerns and improve your skin condition.
What Does an Esthetician Do?
An esthetician works on your skin. Not only face, but they also work on your whole body. Most people are familiar with facials, as they are a very popular beauty treatment.
They cannot, however, make any type of diagnosis about a skin condition you may have. They will recommend you to a licensed medical professional, such as a dermatologist. They can also not perform deep chemical peels, or any types of injectables like Botox or facial fillers.
Facials
Both men and women enjoy getting facial treatments. Many get them to clear up blemishes, like pimples or blackheads. Some like the way their skin looks and feels afterward, rejuvenated, and looking younger. Others, they just like the relaxing decadence of treating themselves to a bit of pampering.
What should you expect?
A facial usually starts with a good, yet gentle cleansing of your face to remove all the dirt, sweat, and oil. Makeup, pollution, smoke, and the daily dirt we encounter can clog our pores and lead to blemishes.
To make sure those pores are open and cleaned, the next step is steaming, to help moisturize and relax your skin.
The next step will be exfoliation, usually with a scrub to help remove deep settled oil and dirt, blackheads, and other buildups.
Following the exfoliation, a face massage. This is accompanied by a facial cream or oil. The face massage is the most relaxing part of the facial. It also helps to rejuvenate your skin and get the blood flowing to keep it moisturized and hydrated.
Next step a custom facial mask. Your esthetician will then apply a corrective facial masque which the skin analysis helped them to determine. Masking plays an important role in correcting skin concerns.
The last step in your facial is the application of serums, and a nourishing moisturizer to lock in the moisture and keep skin healthy and hydrated.
Beyond Facials
Besides facials, estheticians also perform a variety of other treatments. These include:
Depending on their training and where they work, all of these duties can vary by a large degree. Some estheticians work in spas, beauty salons, and medical treatment facilities.
Becoming an Esthetician
If you have ever tried to perform your own beauty treatments, either on yourself or someone else, you understand that it isn’t easy. That’s why there is a certain amount of intense training involved in becoming a certified esthetician.
Complete an Approved Esthetician Program
Depending on where you go for this program it can be upwards of a full two-year diploma program. These programs are offered at technical schools, community colleges, or a specialized program for cosmetology and esthetics.
You usually need to be 16 years of age. These programs offer classroom training and also hands-on practice. Expect to also learn all about customer service, sales, disinfecting your tools, the laws surrounding esthetics, and management.
Get a State License and Certification
These requirements may vary from state to state, but you need the license. Before you are issued a license you often have to complete a certain amount of education and practical hours. Once you have that, you need to take a state licensing exam, which may include both written and practical aspects.
Certification is usually done on a voluntary basis, but it is something to consider. You can apply for certification after two years of approved work experience.
Continue To Grow…
Once you have made it through and are working, you need to keep abreast of all the new and advanced treatments and products available. Technology moves quickly and if you are not ready, you will get left behind.
Being an esthetician is an exciting career, helping people feel better about themselves is most rewarding. You meet new people and make strong bonds with those who depend on your skills to help them feel beautiful.
Let me know if you have any questions in the comments below.