A spa esthetician is a skin care specialist who works in a spa. Facials, body wraps, waxing, salt exfoliation, cosmetic makeup, microdermabrasion, and other techniques may be used a spa esthetician. The spa esthetician may focus on making the client feel good, or she may focus on providing a real and lasting positive effect on the patient’s skin, depending on the type of spa. In a medical spa, the spa esthetician may collaborate with a doctor to perform more advanced procedures, such as high-level chemical peels.
In most cases, a spa esthetician will provide a variety of services to her clients in addition to skin care. A spa esthetician, for example, might meet with a client for a consultation to assess their skin and make recommendations about which procedures would be most beneficial to them. Simultaneously, they will most likely recommend a home-care regimen, providing the client with the information they need to care for their skin on their own and maximize the benefits of the treatments.
Extractions, light cleansing, and toning are some of the basic procedures that a spa esthetician might perform. They can clean pores and then apply topical treatments to help rejuvenate them and prevent them from producing excess oils that could clog them. They may also use a light peeling technique to encourage the skin to produce new skin cells, elastin, and collagen.
A spa esthetician can also help with treatments that aren’t directly related to skin care. Waxing, as well as other facial or body hair treatments like eyebrow tinting, are frequently performed a spa esthetician. A spa esthetician will almost certainly have a retail component to their business, selling home-care products so that clients can maintain their skin’s health in between sessions with the therapist.
Depending on the region, a spa esthetician may also perform more advanced procedures, which may require individual certification. Microdermabrasion is a popular technique for lightening dark skin, sun-damaged skin, and scar tissue, for example. Although specific techniques vary, the basic premise is to abrade the skin with a very fine grit. Organic particles, aluminum oxide crystals, or zinc oxide crystals may be used. The procedure is relatively painless, and the client remains conscious throughout.
A spa esthetician might work in tandem with a doctor, or with a doctor’s support, to perform even more advanced procedures in a more medically focused spa. These individuals are frequently referred to as paramedical estheticians, and additional education and certification may be required. A spa esthetician might work with a patient who is about to undergo plastic surgery or who is recovering from plastic surgery in this situation. They would demonstrate how to best prepare their skin for surgery and then teach them how to help the skin heal, conceal red rashes or discolorations, and minimize scarring as much as possible.