Sometimes when I tell people I am an esthetician I hear back right away: “an estheti what?” So I respond by saying “I’m a skin care therapist. I help people care for their skin.” That’s the shortest and most straightforward an answer I can give when asked what an esthetician is though that answer doesn’t begin to really explain what an esthetician does.
What An Esthetician Does
Above I wrote that as an esthetician I help people care for their skin even though that only somewhat explains what I do. Ok – so exactly what does an esthetician do? Another name for an esthetician is a skin care therapist which goes to show you that an esthetician is doing much more than helping you care for your skin – an esthetician teaches you how to develop a good relationship with your skin and ultimately how to love your skin.
Simply put – estheticians are skin care experts who can help clients better care for their skin by providing services and product recommendations. This happens through hands on services such as facials and continues with home care product recommendations. Estheticians can help treat a variety of skin care issues such as acne or hyperpigmentation (dark spots) while giving anti-aging advice and can even spot potentially harmful skin care issues like skin cancer lesions. Estheticians work on the top layer of the skin, the epidermis, in order to improve the appearance of their client’s skin, and, of course, cannot prescribe medications or provide any sort of medical care. Additionally, estheticians provide waxing services and chemical peels and in medical settings can perform laser hair removal services.
How To Become An Esthetician
In order to become an esthetician you need to attend esthetics school for the specified number of hours your state requires. The number of hours you must attend school varies widely by state.
Once you fulfill your state requirements for esthetics school you take a licensing exam in order to be able to work as an esthetician. Once you are licensed you can continue your esthetics education by taking specialized classes in medical esthetics, laser hair removal, oncology esthetics, or chemical peels – to name a few continuing education options.
Career Options For Estheticians
Licensed estheticians are not limited to just working in a spa setting. Though working in a spa setting is right for many estheticians it isn’t the first option for everyone. Luckily, an esthetics education actually allows you to follow quite a few different career path choices. If you are good at sales you can become a skin care company representative or manage the retail space in a spa. If you are a born leader you can become a spa manager instead of just performing spa services. Estheticians with good financial skills can become spa owners. If you love teaching you can become a skin care brand educator or an esthetics instructor. Just because you studied how to do skin analysis and perform facials doesn’t mean you have to strictly utilize those skills in a spa setting.
One question people always ask is – how much does an esthetician earn? The answer is – that depends. What state you live in, where you work, and how much experience you have all factor into how much you’ll earn as an esthetician.
What Makes A Good Estheticians
Though this is a rewarding profession it does require hard work, long hours, and paying your dues. You won’t get rich being an esthetician though you will be compensated well with the great feeling that you are helping people feel good and look good. Estheticians need to be honest, open minded, and love learning. There is always something new to learn in the skin care field so you will never be bored as an esthetician. A good esthetician is a people person and also patient. You need patience in order to build your clientele and succeed in the esthetics business.
Remember – an esthetician is there to help you love your skin! Consider consulting one today.