Question: What is an Esthetician?
Answer:
Estheticians, also called skin care therapists, work at salons, day spas, and medi-spas. Estheticians are trained in the cosmetic treatment of the skin. They perform various cosmetic procedures including facials, body treatments, and waxing. Most estheticians offer a variety of specialty spa treatments.
All estheticians must be licensed in the state that they are working in. They complete 260 to 600 hours of training (depending on the state) and pass both a written and a practical, or hands-on, exam.
A good esthetician also completes many hours of post-graduate education, and strives to stay abreast of the latest developments in skin care.
Estheticians are not medical doctors so they can't diagnose skin conditions, prescribe medications, or suggest treatment for any skin condition outside of cosmetic products. They can however, perform treatment complementary to a doctor's treatment. Some estheticians may work closely with dermatologists, either in-office or through a referral system.
What an Esthetician Can Do for Your Skin:
- Give facial treatments, which may include deep cleansing, exfoliation, and facial massage.
- Extract, or cleanse out, non-inflamed pore blockages and blackheads.
- Advise on the proper care of your skin.
- Recommend appropriate skin care products for your skin type, including over-the-counter acne treatments. They will typically have these products available for you to buy and take home on the day of your service.
- Perform certain specialty treatments, like microdermabrasion and light chemical peels (in most states).
What an Esthetician Cannot Do for Your Skin:
- Prescribe any acne medications, including common topical acne treatments such as Retin A or Differin.
- Diagnose any skin condition. If a client comes in with an undiagnosed condition, the esthetician is required to refer the client to a doctor. So don't go to your esthetician expecting her to identify your rash. That said, an esthetician can offer cosmetic treatment for any known skin condition, such as eczema or acne.
- Perform any medical procedure, or any treatment that falls outside of the realm of cosmetic. This includes beauty treatments like Botox and Restylene, laser treatments, and deep chemical peels (although regulations vary by state.)
- Treat any form of severely inflamed acne, including cystic and nodulocystic acne, unless under a doctor's recommendation and/or supervision.
Find an Esthetician through Associated Skin Care Professionals
Source:
Gerson, Joel; Ph.D.. Standard Textbook for Professional Estheticians. 8th edition. Albany, NY: Milady Publishing, 1999.
