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What Does an Esthetician Do? Exploring Job Duties and Possible Career Paths

April 4, 2022
Cinta Aveda Blog
What Does an Esthetician Do? Exploring Job Duties and Possible Career Paths

A woman receives a beauty mask treatment from an esthetician

Curious about becoming an esthetician but unsure what the job entails? This career path is rewarding and exciting, but it also requires esthetics training and learning. To help you better understand this industry, Cinta Aveda Institute, a beauty school in Northern California, highlights some of the duties of an esthetician.

What Does It Mean to Be an Esthetician?

If you are interested in a career as an esthetician, you must first understand what the title means. Estheticians specialize in the cosmetology aspect of skincare instead of the medical component. They mostly perform cosmetic skin evaluations and care.

You typically will find an esthetician working in a salon or a spa. Some estheticians also work in medical skincare clinics alongside dermatologists. These workers provide patients with cosmetic skin treatments following the doctor’s dermatology examination and diagnosis. Although these estheticians work with dermatologists, they cannot prescribe medication or diagnose skin conditions. Instead, they can apply and recommend over-the-counter (OTC) products such as masks, creams, and serums that work best with the clients’ specific skin type.

Services Offered by Estheticians

Estheticians perform various services, and many specialize in a specific aspect of skincare. For example, some individually-owned spas feature estheticians who focus on facials or waxing. However, most people who undergo training and certification to become an esthetician can provide the following skin care services:

  • Extractions: Estheticians can remove imperfections and blemishes such as blackheads, whiteheads, and pimples from the skin. This process can make an imperfection immediately improve or disappear.
  • Facials: After evaluating a client’s skin type, the esthetician performs a facial tailored to meet the unique needs of the individual’s skin and problem areas. Most facials include a deep cleansing of the skin, steaming, exfoliation treatment, face mask application, moisturizer, and serum.
  • Chemical peels: Estheticians provide superficial chemical peels using a form of alpha hydroxy acid to quickly exfoliate the skin, leaving a healthy glow and anti-aging benefits.
  • Acne treatment: An esthetician can assess the skin and recommend OTC treatments for mild acne concerns that do not require medical treatment. Sometimes they also suggest or perform a specific facial, peel, or extraction at the spa.
  • Hair removal and waxing: Estheticians are equipped and trained to remove unwanted hair on the body, such as the back, chest, face, bikini area, and between the eyebrows. They use various hair removal methods to remove hair, including waxing, tweezing, laser hair removal, and threading.
  • Tanning: Some estheticians offer airbrush tanning, a skin-friendly alternative to tanning beds. This process involves spraying the skin with an ultra-fine tanning mist that quickly dries and adheres to the skin, leaving a sun-kissed glow.
  • Body skincare scrubs and masks: Aside from treating the skin on your face, estheticians also can apply different scrubs, masks, and wraps that benefit the skin all over the body. Frequently used solutions include salt and sugar scrubs to exfoliate the skin on the body and seaweed or clay body wraps to give the skin a glowing and firming effect.

As an esthetician, you can choose which areas of service you enjoy most and are most comfortable performing to help build up your area of specialty. Many estheticians have one or two specialty areas but can conduct other skincare treatments as well. By receiving the proper training at an esthetician school, you are fully equipped with the skills to perform all the essential services.

Potential Career Paths for Estheticians

The skills estheticians garner from their education enable them to pursue multiple careers in the beauty industry. Besides working in a salon, spa, or healthcare facility, estheticians can pursue other work:

  • Retail make-up salesperson
  • Make-up artist
  • Esthetics instructor
  • Beauty brand representative
  • State board licensing examiner
  • Beauty magazine editor

Become an Esthetician With Training From Cinta Aveda Institute

If you have a passion for skincare or find treating different skin types exciting, consider pursuing a career as an esthetician. To become a licensed esthetician, you must complete a professional program and earn your certification. Cinta Aveda Institute offers a prestigious esthetics program at our campuses in San Jose and San Francisco, CA.

Begin the journey toward your dream job as an esthetician. The educators at Cinta Aveda Institute are experienced and trained in the field and will provide you with a high-quality education that will help you stand out to employers. Complete our admissions application to enroll in the esthetician program today.

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