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What Is a Professional Esthetician, and What Do They Do?

The beauty industry is a minefield of career opportunities. Do you want to know why? The answer is quite simple. People like to look good. Think about your typical routine when getting ready to leave the house. You make sure your clothes look good. A touch of makeup and beauty accessories completes the ensemble.

Esthetician School

Yet, it doesn't stop there. The hair, nails, and everything else must be on point. And, let's not forget the touch of fragrance to keep you smelling fantastic the whole day.

If you isolate each aspect, you contribute to the beauty industry in a significant way. Your hair looks like it does because of your hairdresser. The clothes choice and accessories are thanks to a designer somewhere.

Your glowing skin is due to routine visits to the skin care specialist or esthetician. We will discuss the role of professional estheticians. We will also inform you how to get a share of this industry that experts predict will generate $177 billion by 2025.

What Is An Esthetician?

You go to your favorite spa for a day of self-pampering. The receptionist assigns one specialist to take care of all your skin needs. This expert is what the beauty industry calls an esthetician.

If you ask for qualifications, you will see the specialist has the relevant certification. Beyond that, she has licensing to practice in your state. That empowers her to advise, educate and treat any skin-related issues.

Yet, their role extends beyond simple beautification. The esthetician also focuses on the health and wellness of clients. They can, for example, assess the skin and recommend a custom skincare routine. And it will be specific to your skincare concerns.

The professionals must have a deep understanding of the best products to use. The aim is to achieve flawless, healthy skin.

So what is the difference between a cosmetologist and an esthetician? A cosmetologist may offer skin care services. But their range is broader, including nails, hair, makeup, and much more.

The esthetician focuses on skin care. Indeed, it is a subset or area of specialization in cosmetology.

Steps to Becoming an Esthetician

The esthetician field is quite fascinating, but you need proper training. First, you must enroll in a cosmetology school and complete a specific number of hours. Please note this will depend on the state.

On average it ranges from 600 hours of practice, but in some, like Pennsylvania is only 300 hours. A Florida esthetician license requires at least 250 hours.

So, how long does it take to become an esthetician? Well, many programs will take five or six months.

You must also sit for practical and written exams to get the license. To study and prepare for the exam, use the online esthetic practice test. It takes question samples from the previous year's esthetic state board exams. You will love the resource because it gives you a pretty good idea of what you can expect in the exams.

Education and training do not stop after licensing. Students must complete post-graduate education training hours.

You will appreciate this because the industry is vibrant and ever-evolving. It helps to keep up with the latest trends, scientific breakthroughs, and products.

Soft Skill Requirements of Estheticians

What we have discussed above on training are hard skills. You can learn this in a classroom or in on-job training. But, you also need soft skills to excel in the field. And it comes down to your innate individual or personal traits.

  • Remember, your daily job involves constant interaction with people. That means you should be a good communicator with active listening abilities.
  • Attention to detail is also critical. You are dealing with a sensitive, fragile part of the human body. What you do can impact the lives of your clients positively or negatively.
  • How you interact and receive feedback is also critical. Every client who walks in has their personality. You may have that patient, calm one in your chair. The next appointment could be the exact opposite. It is crucial to handle your clients with grace and understanding at all times.

So what happens if you don't have the soft skills necessary to become an esthetician? Don't give up on this career choice. It is possible to work on your interpersonal or soft skills. Self-improvement courses are available both online and offline.

Also, take conscious steps to learn to react calmly. Take a deep breath before responding. Count backward from 10 to zero if you start to feel the agitation. Live by the mantra, 10% is what happens, 90% is how you react.

Medical Estheticians; Who Are They?

A general esthetician performs routine treatments. You go to them for hair removal, toning, cleansing, or massage.

To become a medical esthetician, you must expand your training. You will and can continue to provide the essential services of general estheticians. But your service offering will become broader.

The training will equip you with the skills to work with medical experts. Expect to specialize in dermatology, laser procedures, plastic surgery, and skin trauma. You will also administer chemical peels, skin therapy, microdermabrasion, etc. You can find medical estheticians in hospitals, medical spas, and plastic surgery offices.

So what does it take to become a medical esthetician? Well, you must complete the certification and licensing requirements of general estheticians. After that, you will enroll in specialized courses targeting medical skin care. Thus, you can decide to go deeper into skin trauma, laser treatments, or any other area of interest.

Please note that medical estheticians, despite the word medical, do not have any formal medical training. They only work closely with those in the field. That means they cannot prescribe medication or perform medical procedures. They, however, do assist with the procedures.

Esthetician Scope of Work

By now, you have a pretty good idea of what estheticians do. We can summarize their scope of work or service offering as follows:-

  • Chemical peels using special acids to exfoliate the skin.
  • The microdermabrasion incorporates skin sanding to expose the inner layer. It is a fantastic treatment for sun damage, discoloration, stretch marks, and scarring.
  • Facials cover deep cleansing, steaming, exfoliation, moisturizing, and mask applications. Blackhead extractions and skin cleansing to remove blockages and oil from pores.
  • Acne treatment through exfoliation or using the right products.
  • Scrubs, masks, and body wrap on the entire body.
  • Hair removal and waxing, to name a few.

Final Thoughts

Estheticians offer an invaluable service when it comes to skincare. Further, it is a fantastic, lucrative area to go into as a career choice. Our article has shared all the salient points you need to know about the fascinating field.