Being the largest and fastest growing organ in your body, our skin deserves to be treated like royalty. We can have cosmetologists to assist with makeup, manicures, and pedicures. Dermatologists assist with serious skin problems and diseases, as well as the actual treatment and rejuvenation of our skin.
Esthetics is the practice of the beautification of the skin by applying techniques to the epidermal layer of the body. It is practiced by estheticians.
Let’s explore what this means for our health and wellbeing. Exactly what is an esthetician?
What Is an Esthetician?
An esthetician is a trained skin care professional who specializes in a field called Esthetics. They perform facial, body, and skin treatments designed to improve and maintain the appearance and health of your skin, as well as battle the elements and environmental hazards effect on your skin.
However, the services performed by these professionals are not limited to only skin treatments and facials but also include skin analysis, as the early detection of possible skin problems or diseases. Estheticians may not be medically trained professionals – and they cannot diagnose or treat medical conditions of the skin – but they provide an important service to the public and they save many lives through early detection of skin cancer.
It is important to differentiate between estheticians, dermatologists, and cosmetologists. Although they may seem quite similar, there is a difference.
Dermatology is a medical profession which specializes in skin problems and diseases. It is practiced by a medically trained professional. Cosmetology essentially means beauty treatments, like facials, manicures, pedicures, and makeup artistry. While an esthetician may provide certain cosmetology services among other services, they specialize in a much more important task – to take care of the health of the skin.
Esthetician Services
Estheticians use an array of different techniques to clean and rejuvenate the skin. This may be done through aromatherapy, exfoliations, or massages. These procedures assist in maintaining the health and appearance of skin and they assist in the battle against aging, spots, and an uneven skin tone. Many of the treatments performed by estheticians are aimed at fighting eczema, acne, rosacea, and dry skin.
They also do temporary hair removal, full body scrubs, exfoliation, massaging, aromatherapy, and mud baths.
Although estheticians do not diagnose or treat skin diseases or medical conditions, one of their most important and valuable services is doing skin analysis in order to identify possible skin problems and health concerns. This acts as a pre-emptive strike against the late discovery of these diseases. If a problem is found, the esthetician will refer their client to a dermatologist or general practitioner.
Other than the above, the following are also services performed by Estheticians:
- Skin Condition Treatments (non-medical)
- Recommendation of Treatments
- Custom Skin Care Routines Tailored for a Specific Client
- Chemical Peels
- Laser Skin Rejuvenation
- Microdermabrasion
- Skin Mapping
- Laser Resurfacing
- Pore Cleansing
- Moisturizing Treatments
- Acne Treatments
- Scalp Massage and Treatments
- Light Therapy
- Facial Extraction (E.g. Blackheads)
- Makeup and Lash Extensions
What an Esthetician Is Not
Esthetics is not a medical practice, and an esthetician is not a doctor, nurse, or a medical professional of any kind. So they cannot diagnose any skin conditions or diseases, they may only refer a client to a medical professional.
Furthermore, estheticians may provide relief and assistance in providing their services after or in conjunction with medical treatments. But their services should never be used instead of medical treatments.
How to Become an Esthetician
To become an esthetician, you need to complete a formal education at an appropriate and registered training institution. In conjunction with this education, on-job-training has to be completed, as well as a written and practical examination. In the United States, an esthetician has to be duly registered and licensed to practice Esthetics. Each state has its own requirements in this regard.
Benefits of Esthetical Services
The services performed by estheticians hold enormous benefits for your body, skin, and general health, including the following:
1. Early Detection
The most important benefit of estheticians’ services is the possible early detection of skin problems. Estheticians are well trained in identifying possible skin problems and diseases, which enables them to refer a client to a medical professional. Early detection of skin cancer can literally mean the difference between life and death.
2. Prevention of Skin Problems
Estheticians may also assist in preventing possible skin problems which may occur should the skin not be treated properly. They can offer treatments with long term effects.
3. Skin Analysis
An esthetician may do an analysis of your skin, or a mapping of the skin, to determine your skin type and ascertain where possible damage to your skin lies. This will enable your esthetician to provide specialized skin care.
4. Professional Advice
At some point, we all find ourselves standing in the health and beauty aisle staring at the beauty products in a daze. The number of beauty products out there is overwhelming, to say the least, especially when you are buying your first skincare regimen. But why spend money on something that might not work when an esthetician can tell you exactly what you need for your specific skin type?
5. Exfoliation and Extraction
While there are many products to use to exfoliate at home, and extracting pimples through pushing, squeezing and pulling may seem like a good idea, having these done professionally it is much safer for the skin.
Squeezing pimples can cause way more damage to your skin than the little spot you see in the mirror. When you squeeze a pimple, you actually push the debris further into the skin which can cause and worsen blemishes and even cause acne scars. It’s safer to have pimples and blackheads removed and treated by an esthetician to avoid damage to your skin.
Exfoliating at home may also cause damage since most exfoliators out there have abrasive properties, while estheticians use non-abrasive products.
6. Anti-Aging Procedures
An esthetician can provide you with anti-aging skin care regimens, as well as preventative treatments that can stop fine lines, wrinkles, sun spots, and sagging.
7. Relax!
While Esthetics is a specialized profession to treat skin problems, it can also ensure relaxation. This is in itself extremely important for your health and wellbeing. Getting treatments which aid in your relaxation lowers your blood pressure, reduces stress, and so on.
In Conclusion
Cosmetology focuses on beauty created by artificial means like makeup and nail polish, while Esthetics focuses on beautifying the skin and body by bringing out its natural glow through an array of safe treatments. Estheticians also play a very important role in identifying possible skin problems early on – this ensures that their clients can either get to their doctor immediately or that they get the appropriate preventative treatment.
It’s easy to see that estheticians have a very important role in our lives. Remember that the prevention of skin problems is much easier than treatment.
References:
https://www.estheticianedu.org/careers/
https://www.bellusacademy.edu/blog/what-does-an-esthetician-do/
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