If you’re like many people new to the beauty industry, you may have heard of an Esthetician and wondered, “well, what the heck is that?”
Newsflash: It’s not an Anesthesiologist! This may seem extremely random to you, or you may be thinking, “I was so confused, because that’s what I thought an Esthetician was!” Either way, I always have to emphasize that an Esthetician is not an Anesthesiologist.
I’ve been in the beauty industry as a licensed Esthetician for over 18 years and hundreds of times over the years when I’ve told someone that I’m an Esthetician, the response I’ve gotten is, “Like, you give people anesthesia?” No. I am not a doctor. Anesthesiologists are doctors, I am not.
Have you heard of a Facialist? Or a Skin Care Specialist? These are both alternative names for an Esthetician. Let me break it down a little further for you.
Estheticians focus on skin care, as a profession. We are trained in various areas dealing with caring for the skin, such as:
These are the 3 main areas that Estheticians are trained in, though depending on your school, and your state, the training may be more or less advanced.
Estheticians complete a training program that is usually part of a Cosmetology school. What is Cosmetology? According to dictionary.com Cosmetology is: the professional skill or practice of beautifying the face, hair, and skin. Cosmetology encompasses skincare, hair care, and nail care. Esthetics is a sub specialty within the Cosmetology heading, and in most states is governed by the Cosmetology State Board, though each state has their own requirements for licensure.
So, what exactly does an Esthetician do? Well, like I listed above, we perform facials (check out this post to find out the exact steps in a basic facial!), we remove hair from people’s faces and bodies, and we apply makeup. We are trained to perform these services in a sanitary, and educated manner so that it is as safe and healthy as possible.
Now, when you hear facial, you might wonder why someone needs specialized training in this area, especially when you’re talking about a basic facial. Not only are there universal precautions you must take to protect your clients skin and health, but there are also specialized tools that we use that require training, such as the galvanic and high frequency currents, microdermabrasion machines, and so on. Maybe the most important part is understanding not only what skin care products do for the skin (read my next blog post!) but also what ingredients are in skincare products, and how they interact with the skin. It is a SCIENCE.
Hair removal is the same concept. Most schools teaching waxing techniques, but some schools teaching sugaring instead or as well. Why do you need training for this? Easy! Because you need to learn proper sanitization and sterilization precautions so as to keep your client safe and healthy. It is very easy to cause any number of skin infections (or worse) by not being properly educated on how to use wax, how to prep the skin, what temperature is safe, etc.
Makeup Application is a little different in terms of Esthetics training. Makeup Application is part of Cosmetology and Esthetics programs, but there are also training programs outside of Cosmetology schools that are focused simply on makeup application. Every state is different about what they legally allow when it comes to Makeup application. For example, in Pennsylvania, you are not allowed to apply makeup in a professional setting to people’s faces unless you are licensed under the Cosmetology state board to do so. But, again, all states have different requirements.
In terms of training in Esthetics and Cosmetology programs, all schools are different as well. Some schools will spend 1 day teaching makeup application, where others will have a significantly longer makeup application portion of the program. My school provided us with 3 days out of the 300 hours of Esthetic training. So, like most things related to Esthetics, I learned most of what I know, on the job or through additional training and continuing education courses.
So, to sum it all up, an Esthetician is a Skin Care Specialist with extensive training in caring for the skin. We are not anesthesiologists, dermatologists, or any other doctor for that matter (unless we have separate medical training, of course).
I hope this helps! For more information, check out my YouTube video below:
