MedEsthetics magazines offers business education and in-depth coverage of the latest noninvasive cosmetic procedures for physicians and practice managers working in the medical aesthetics industry.
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ESTHETICIANS AND THE MEDICAL PRACTICE Understanding Certifications 50 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013 | MedEsthetics • • • • Basic chemistry Cosmetic ingredients Factors that affect the skin Skin analysis and procedures related to consultation, documentation and treatment • Cleansing procedures • Towel steaming procedures • Exfoliation methods • Safe and proper methods of extractions • Massage movements and their effects • Contraindications for massage • Masks • Electricity and use of electrical equipment • Methods of hair removal • Color theory and makeup application • Advanced sciences • Scope of practice/regulatory rules To research the requirements for your state, visit your state regulatory board or department of licensing website and look for the "Candidate Information Bulletin" (CIB). A bulletin of this type is provided to estheticians who are waiting to sit for their state licensing exam and should outline the testing criteria and the breakdown of subject matter on which the licensing exam is based. Advanced Certifications There are currently five territories that More than 30 states offer two types of licenses for skincare service providers. Other organizations have also set standards for their respective specialties including the Society of Plastic Surgical SkinCare Specialists (spsscs.org) and the Society of Dermatology SkinCare Specialists (sdss.tv). For clarification: There is no license anywhere in the United States for a "Medical Esthetician," "Clinical Esthetician" or "Paramedical Esthetician." In fact, some states are cracking down on estheticians advertising their services with any title other than their stateissued licensing title. –Susanne S. Warfield © ISTOCKPHOTO.COM When interviewing estheticians, it's important to understand your state's licensing structure. Skincare professionals may have one of three licensing designations: esthetician, master esthetician or cosmetologist. "In our state, cosmetologist is the top license, manicurist is the lowest and esthetician is in the middle, so a cosmetologist is trained to do everything—hair, skin and nails," says Dr. Werschler. "In most states estheticians are under the department of licensing, not the department of health, because it is a business license. More recently, some departments of health are allowing estheticians to get licensed." More than 30 states offer two types of licenses for skincare service providers: cosmetologist and esthetician. On average, the cosmetology licensing program contains anywhere from 70 to 250 hours of actual skincare training. The average esthetician curriculum in the United States calls for 600 hours of training, according to the National Coalition of Estheticians, Manufacturers/Distributors & Associations (NCEA, ncea.tv), and covers the following fundamentals: • Disinfection and infection control • Human physiology and anatomy • Skin histology • Skin diseases and disorders • Hair and its growth cycle have increased the hours of esthetician training to 1,200 hours or more: Utah, Alabama, Virginia, Washington and the District of Columbia. These states are using the licensing terms, "Master Esthetician or Master Esthetician Manager." Several other states require from 750 to 1,000 hours of training. But there are still seven states that require less than 600 hours of training, and Connecticut has no esthetician license whatsoever, according to the National Interstate Council of State Boards of Cosmetology.