Why see an Esthetician?
Esthetics is the application of various treatments to the skin to maintain its health & vitality. Estheticians are trained in skin wellness, helping clients balance oil & moisture content & acheieve a healthy, youthful complexion. As well as various facial treatments they commonly also preform body treatments such as salt or body scrubs, moisturizing or slenderizing wraps, hair removal techniques such as waxing, sugaring or threading & hand treatments to rejuvenate the skin.
A variety of treatments & products are used to protect the skin from environmental hazards & combat fine lines, wrinkles & a dull uneven skin tone, Estheticians are skilled in managing conditions such as acne, rosacea, eczema, melasma, hyperpigmentaion aka "sun spots" & aging skin to name just a few. Skin care treatments are wonderfully relaxing & rejuvenating. If smooth healthy skin is your goal then visiting a skin care professional such as an Esthetician can benefit you.
Visiting an Esthetician
During your consultation your therapist will go over an extensive intake form. We will discuss a series of things including medical history, allergies, current skincare regimen, skin goals, skin concerns & expectations. We will then begin our service with a thorough skin cleansing followed by a detailed skin analysis. This will give your therapist the information needed to create an individualized treatment plan for a series of professional treatments & recommendations for products you can use at home.
Your Esthetician
Your skin care treatments should be provided by a properly trained professional. Don’t hesitate to ask your skin care therapist about her background & education. Your therapist is a professional member of Associated Skin Care Professionals. Our members have been validated as meeting their state’s licensing credentials and/or core training requirements, and agree to follow a code of ethics which ensures you’ll be treated responsibly & with the utmost respect. ASCP also provides its members with comprehensive resources that allow them to keep up with changing trends, making certain you’ll receive the most up-to-date therapies available.
What About Home Care?
Much of the success of maintaining a visible improvement after treatment depends on consistent, correct home care. Your Esthetician is trained to select the products that will benefit your skin and advise you on how to maintain your professional results between visits. Like medical or dental care, following the right daily regimen at home is essential if you are to get the most out of your visits to a professional. 80% of skin care results are from what you do at home!
Techniques & Procedures
Techniques used by estheticians include facial steaming, wrapping, exfoliation, waxing, pore cleansing, extraction & chemical peels. Creams, lotions, wraps, clay or gel masks & salt scrubs are used. Machines may also be used to help deliver high-tech services.
Some common therapies:
Chemical Peels- An exfoliation process very effective in treating a large range of skin concerns such as aging, sun damage, acne, mild scaring, improving overall skin brightness or texture & evening skin tone. Peels can be light moderate or deep. Light peels require no downtime from work or normal activities. Moderate peels may require a day or two of down time& deep peels can require a week or more to allow the skin to fully heal. Estheticians who are not working in the medical setting preform light to moderate peels only. Deep peels are preformed by a physician or under a physician's supervision for your safety.
Exfoliation- The removal of dead skin cells manually (scrubbing, brushing, or using a system such as microdermabrasion) with a chemical peel (a product that causes dead skin cells to shed) or with a enzymatic product that digests dead skin cells.
Extraction- This is the process of deep cleansing the pores either manually (using gloved hands & tissue around the fingers with gentle pressure to remove the impacted pore) or using a metal extraction implement designed to clear blocked pores. In some cases the use of a small lancet may be necessary to lift the dead cells of the skin prior to extraction.
Facial- A facial is the most popular treatment preformed by estheticians. It is a good way for your therapist to get a good understanding of your skin prior to suggesting more aggressive treatments. A facial generally includes makeup removal & skin cleansing, exfoliation by mechanical, enzymatic or chemical means, steaming, extractions, facial massage & treatment mask, serum/moisturizer & sunscreen. For most people facials can be scheduled every 4 weeks, although your therapist may recommend a different schedule based on your individual needs or goals.
Microdermabrasion- the process of resurfacing the skin using a machine that sands the skin's epidermal layer using a wand tipped with crushed diamonds & vacuum that allows the dead skin cells to be suctioned away from the skins surface. This service can be very helpful in improving skin texture, fine lines, & the effectiveness of home care product penetration. This procedure does not remove any vellus facial hair.
Dermaplanning- the process of manual exfoliation that utilizes a guarded blade to exfoliate the epidermal layer as well as removal of vellus hair (aka "facial peach fuzz). This service helps to speed up cell turnover, lighten pigmentation & allow optimal home care product penetration.
Waxing- Waxing removes unwanted hair at the root. There are 2 different types of waxes: hard & soft. Soft wax is applied warm to the skin in a thin layer in the direction of hair growth. Cloth strips are then applied to the warm wax & quickly pulled off leaving a nice clean defined line behind. This method is best used on larger areas such as legs, back, chest or upper lip ensuring removal of all lip hair. Soft wax is not intended for sensitive skin types. Hard wax is used without cloth strips. It is applied warm allowed to dry & then removed quickly. Hard wax is less irritating to sensitive skin types & is excellent for bikini & brazilians, underarms & facial areas.
